Mon, 08/14/2017 - 17:30

Brown surpasses mentor with wins in Million, Beverly D.

Four-Footed Fotos
Beach Patrol earned a berth in the BC Turf with his Arlington Million win on Saturday.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – The morning after his unprecedented sweep of the two marquee races at Arlington Park, trainer Chad Brown was fondly reminiscing about the days when he worked in Southern California for his late mentor, Bobby Frankel.

“We’d be at Hollywood Park in the middle of the winter and he’d look at a horse and say, ‘That one will fit in the Beverly D.,’ or ‘That one, he’s my Million horse,’ ” said Brown, briefly mimicking Frankel’s heavy New York accent. “He was always thinking about those races.”

Mon, 08/14/2017 - 15:36

Uni slow early, fast late in work for Lake Placid Stakes

Barbara D. Livingston
Uni (right) works four furlongs with Roca Rojo at Saratoga on Monday.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Uni, third in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks behind stablemates New Money Honey and Sistercharlie, worked five furlongs in 1:03.15 Monday morning in preparation for a start in Saturday’s Grade 2, $300,000 Lake Placid Stakes at Saratoga.

Uni worked in company with Roca Rojo, and the two broke off slowly, going an opening quarter in 27.02 seconds. They finished in 36.13 and galloped out six furlongs in 1:16.30.

“They broke off a little too slow, but they finished good,” trainer Chad Brown said.

Mon, 08/14/2017 - 15:36

Mojovation works toward Hopeful

Barbara D. Livingston
Mojovation works four furlongs in 48.57 seconds at Saratoga on Monday.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Mojovation, arguably the most impressive male 2-year-old maiden winner at the meet, worked four furlongs in 48.57 seconds Monday morning over the Oklahoma training track.

Going in company with the unraced juvenile Animal Kingston, Mojovation, under John Velazquez, went his first quarter in 25.01 seconds and came home in 23.56 while continuing to gallop-out a solid five furlongs in 1:01.99 and six furlongs in 1:15.48.

Mojovation, a son of Quality Road, won a six-furlong race by two lengths July 28 and is pointing to the Grade 1 Hopeful here Sept. 4.

Mon, 08/14/2017 - 15:30

After slow start to meet, jockey Franco finds winning touch

Barbara D. Livingston
Manny Franco celebrates after World Approval's 2 1/4-length victory in the Grade 1 Fourstardave Handicap on Saturday at Saratoga.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – After a slow start to the Saratoga meet, jockey Manny Franco has turned his summer around, riding 10 winners from 44 mounts over a seven-day period capped by his victory aboard World Approval in last Saturday’s Grade 1 Fourstardave Handicap.

It was the first Grade 1 win at Saratoga and third overall for the 22-year-old Franco, who last year won the Grade 1 Vosburgh and Grade 1 Frizette at Belmont Park in a one-week period.

Mon, 08/14/2017 - 15:30

Oklahoma sprint hero Okie Ride dead at 10

Okie Ride, who won four runnings of the Oklahoma Classics Sprint to share a record with Highland Ice, died Aug. 9 following a workout at Remington Park. He collapsed shortly after finishing the half-mile drill. The incident was due to a suspected “pulmonary event,” according to a press release from Remington.

“All of us are just devastated,” trainer Kenny Nolen said. “He was just such a big part of us, and part of our family.”

Mon, 08/14/2017 - 15:26

Delta Downs Princess restored to $500K

The purse for the Grade 3 Delta Downs Princess for 2-year-old fillies has been boosted to $500,000, the Vinton, La., track announced Monday. The mile race had been worth $400,000 the past several years, while some earlier runnings had a purse of $500,000.

The Delta Downs Princess will share a card with the Grade 3, $1 million Delta Downs Jackpot on Nov. 18. The races carry eligibility points to the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby.

The two headline races are part of a 32-race, $4.2 million stakes schedule for the 84-date meet that runs from Oct. 18-March 10.

Mon, 08/14/2017 - 15:26

Texas Chrome okay after New Mexico flop

Texas Chrome, who finished an uncharacteristic ninth as the favorite in the Downs at Albuquerque Handicap, emerged from the race in good order and is now settled in at Remington, trainer Allen Milligan said.

“He’s okay,” Milligan said. “I don’t know what happened. I’d be guessing. The main thing is he came out of the race good.”

Milligan said owner Danny Keene sent Texas Chrome to a veterinary clinic to have the horse checked out from “head to toe” and had blood pulled. There were no issues found, Milligan said.

Mon, 08/14/2017 - 15:26

American Dubai future options include turf

Coady Photography
American Dubai rolls to a nine-length victory in the Downs at Albuquerque Handicap.

There’s a new leader in the handicap ranks in New Mexico.

American Dubai has now won two of the state’s three major races for the division and has his sights set on a sweep later this year in the Zia Park Distance Championship. But before then, the winner of the recent $200,000 Downs at Albuquerque Handicap could turn up at either Churchill Downs or Remington Park.

Mon, 08/14/2017 - 14:56

D'Amato has six shots at breaking his mark

Shigeki Kikkawa
Big John B will try to become the first horse to win the 1 1/2-mile Tokyo City Cup twice.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Phil D’Amato has three weekends to surpass a personal best of five stakes wins at a Del Mar summer meeting, set last year.

D’Amato has five stakes wins already this meet and will have six chances to add to his total this weekend.

Big John B, Hunt, and Up With the Birds are scheduled to start for D’Amato in the Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap on Saturday, the same day Kenda runs in the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks for 3-year-old fillies. Sunday, Midnight Storm and Vyjack are expected to run in the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile on turf.

Mon, 08/14/2017 - 14:46

On surface, Collected a big threat in Pacific Classic

Barbara D. Livingston
Collected remained unbeaten at 3-0 with Saturday's triumph.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Since returning to action this spring, Collected has won all three of his starts by runaway margins, and his works leading up to the Pacific Classic on Saturday have been terrific. He has looked like a horse who has thrived over a Del Mar surface that has been troublesome for others.

All that makes him a very dangerous horse in the Pacific Classic. He and Accelerate, who is 3 for 3 at Del Mar and won the San Diego last month, have shown a fondness for this surface. But the question for both of those runners is whether they can handle 1 1/4 miles.