Apprentice jockey Erik Asmussen won the riding title at the Lone Star Park meet that closed on Sunday. He had a four-win day Saturday that included three stakes victories on the Stars of Texas Day program of five stakes races.
Asmussen won a total of 48 races to secure his first title over Harry Hernandez, who won 36 races.
Trainer Chris Hartman’s second winner during the Iowa Festival of Racing was when Necker Island got up for a three-quarter-length win in the $100,000 Iowa Sprint. The 7-year-old millionaire was winning his first race in seven starts, dating back to his victory in the Mighty Beau last June at Ellis Park.
“It was fun to see him with his ears perked and going across the wire first,” Hartman said. “He’s had such bad luck here.
“That was real nice. He needed a victory lap, so that worked our really good for him. Everyone likes seeing the old-timers win.”
Henro could make his next start in the Grade 3, $500,000 West Virginia Derby after winning his two-turn debut in the Iowa Derby.
Trainer Chris Hartman said Saturday the Aug. 4 race at Mountaineer is a potential target for the horse, who was a head winner over Just a Touch at Prairie Meadows. Henro earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 96 for his win in the 1 1/16-mile Iowa Derby.
“That was a pretty serious horse he beat,” Hartman said. “That’s a nice horse.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- Good weather and good racing led to good business at Saratoga during the opening week of the 2024 Saratoga meet.
All-sources handle for the first four days of the 40-day meet was $97,417,144, an 18.3 percent increase over the $82,353,292 handled during the first four days of the 2023 meet, according to figures provided by the New York Racing Association. Ontrack handle was $13,788,831, a 1.9 percent increase over the $13,527,169 handled in 2023.
Paid admission was 102,028, down 1.5 percent from the figure of 103,561 last year.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – While trainer Kenny McPeek has sent Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan to Keeneland to train – making it less likely that he runs in the Travers Stakes here on Aug. 24 – he still has some 3-year-olds that could earn their way to the Travers in upcoming stakes.
In addition to running Gould’s Gold in the Grade 2, $500,000 Jim Dandy here on July 27, McPeek entered the pair of Elephants Ear and Django in Friday’s $135,000 Curlin Stakes for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Belmont Stakes top two finishers Dornoch and Mindframe both put in their final workouts Saturday at Saratoga for an expected rematch in the Grade 1, $1 million Haskell Stakes next Saturday at Monmouth Park.
Dornoch, working outside of Matt Winn Stakes winner Society Man, went a half-mile in 47.88 seconds over Saratoga’s main track. Nearly two hours later, Mindframe went a half-mile in 49.50 seconds in company with the turf stakes winner Surprisingly.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. got reacquainted with Thorpedo Anna Saturday morning and he found his multiple Grade 1 winning 3-year-old filly “to be her usual self,” as he guided her through a five-furlong workout in 1:01.12 over the Oklahoma training track in preparation for her start in next Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Coaching Club American Oaks.
Thorpedo Anna was among the first horses on the track on a typically busy Saturday morning over both tracks in Saratoga.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Mentee, the morning-line favorite for Saturday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Sanford Stakes at Saratoga, had to scratch from the race due to a fever, his connections reported Saturday morning.
Owner Mike Repole sent out a tweet that said Mentee had a temperature of 102.2, well above a horse’s normal temperature. Trainer Todd Pletcher said later in the morning that Mentee left some feed last night “which is not typical of him,” he said.
Comedy Town won the Smile Sprint last weekend at Gulfstream with a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 100 and the performance has led to some options for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.
“He ran big the other day – first time on a fast dirt track,” Joseph said. “He had trained well on a fast track, but then he won in the slop, so you just never knew. To step up against those kind of horses – he rated and then he quickened nicely – it opens up a lot of options, obviously.”
Skippylongstocking, a $2.3 million earner who spends most of the year in South Florida, is now based at Saratoga for the summer, according to his trainer, Saffie Joesph Jr.
Skippylongstocking ran third in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs in his last start June 29 and before that won the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap.
“He went from Churchill to Saratoga,” Joseph said. “No plans for him yet. We’ll probably decide in the next week, but there’s a possibility he’ll go to the Whitney.”
