ELMONT, N.Y. – Paola Queen, the upset winner of the Grade 1 Test at Saratoga, was not one of the six 3-year-old fillies entered Monday for Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Cotillion Stakes at Parx.
Instead, Paola Queen will be pointed to the Grade 1, $400,000 Beldame on Oct. 1 at Belmont Park. Though Paola Queen will be taking on older fillies and mares in that 1 1/16-mile race, trainer Gustavo Delgado said it might be easier than facing Songbird, Cathryn Sophia, and Carina Mia in the Cotillion.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Frosted, coming off a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Woodward on Sept. 3, is scheduled to return to the work tab this week at Saratoga, but what race he is working toward is still to be determined.
Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin met with representatives from Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin Stable during the Keeneland sale last week and discussed the options for Frosted, which include the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic and the $1 million Dirt Mile.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Theory, one of the more impressive 2-year-old male debut winners at the Saratoga meet, may not be finished for the year as originally thought.
After being taken out of training for nearly two weeks due to an unspecified issue, Theory has resumed training and has recently rejoined trainer Todd Pletcher’s stable at Belmont Park for a possible fall campaign.
Sunbean, the millionaire who was scratched from the Unbridled Stakes on the Super Derby undercard Sept. 10 at Louisiana Downs, will make his next start at Delta Downs. Trainer Ron Faucheux said the horse is being pointed for the $100,000 Gold Cup, a one-mile race for Louisiana-breds on Oct. 29.
Sunbean last raced Aug. 6, winning on turf for the first time in the Louisiana Cup Classic. He would have faced open company on grass in the Unbridled, a 1 1/16-mile race in which he drew post 11.
The despair that jockey John Jacinto felt while recovering from complications of a broken arm that sidelined him for close to two years has given way to joy at this Louisiana Downs meet. He is poised to win the riding title at the Bossier City, La., track when the meet closes Saturday, the culmination of a year filled with highlights, including stakes wins aboard String King and The Pickett Factor.
With the 3-year-old male division extremely tight at the top, a pivotal matchup will take place at Parx Racing on Saturday when Nyquist and Exaggerator meet in the $1.25 million Pennsylvania Derby. The card also will showcase the undefeated champion Songbird in the Grade 1, $1 million Cotillion.
On Monday, Nyquist drew post 9 and Exaggerator post 2 when 12 were entered in the Grade 2, 1 1/8-mile Pennsylvania Derby. As usual, Mario Gutierrez will be aboard Nyquist for trainer Doug O’Neill, and Kent Desormeaux will ride Exaggerator for his brother, Keith.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Sweetwater, a winner of two of her last three starts, will be among the choices when she steps up a notch in company to take on six rivals in Thursday’s $44,000 optional-claiming feature at 6 1/2 furlongs on the main track at Gulfstream Park.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Jose Pinchin has been at the forefront of the news locally throughout the summer because of his undefeated and untested 2-year-old Three Rules, who will be heavily favored to complete a sweep of the Florida Sire Stakes series in the $500,000 In Reality here on Oct. 1.
But for all his accomplishments, Three Rules is not even the hottest horse under the Pinchin shed right now. That honor belongs to Defying Gravity, a 5-year-old mare who on Sunday registered her sixth consecutive victory, rallying to win an optional-claiming race for statebreds.
CYPRESS, Calif. – A busy 2-year-old campaign forced Semper Fortis out of the Triple Crown preps this past winter and spring. The colt had won two of his first seven starts, but the campaign took a toll.
“He was just body sore,” trainer Doug O’Neill recalled last weekend.
A gap of more than six months between races seemed to work. Semper Fortis finished a game second in his comeback in the Shared Belief Stakes at Del Mar on Aug. 26, leading to a scheduled start in Saturday’s $200,000 Los Alamitos Derby.
The $200,000 John Henry Turf Championship at Santa Anita at 1 1/4 miles is not part of the Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In program, which offers fees-paid berths to the winners of selected major stakes to the BC Turf at Santa Anita on Nov. 5.
But for the partnership that owns Metaboss, the Grade 2 John Henry Turf Championship on Oct. 2 will have similar implications. If Metaboss scores a convincing win, they will plow race earnings into entry and starting fees for the BC Turf.
