SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer John Kimmel scratched Bar of Gold out of her scheduled turf debut in last Friday’s $150,000 Yaddo for New York-bred fillies and mares after the ground came up yielding. On Monday, he worked her a sharp half-mile over the Oklahoma turf in 46.42 seconds.

“We didn’t want her to race over a yielding course in her first start on turf,” Kimmel said. “The turf was soft, so how do you get a barometer on whether she can handle it or not?”

The final four-day stretch of the Ellis Park meet gets under way with the lone Thursday card of the meet. The date was added late to the schedule to make up for the July 4 rainout.

The nominal feature of the eight-race Thursday card is a $39,000 allowance at 6 1/2 furlongs (race 6), but perhaps the most interesting race directly follows as the seventh. It’s a wickedly tough maiden sprint that drew an oversubscribed field of well-bred 2-year-old fillies.

Big fields are expected in the four stakes and all the overnight races that will open the eagerly awaited Kentucky Downs meet Saturday.

Entries for the first of five programs at the turf-only track in south-central Kentucky are to be drawn Wednesday, and racing secretary Tyler Picklesimer said he expected his staff to be swamped.

“There’s a huge amount of anticipation for this meet,” said Picklesimer. “Horsemen from New York and California and everywhere else are coming. We’re ready for them.”

One of the highlights of the Gulfstream Park summer meet is on tap for Saturday, when the second legs of the Florida Sire Stakes series are run at the south Florida track.

As usual, many of the top finishers in each division of the first legs of the series Aug. 6 are expected to be back in the four Saturday races, including every winner. Entries are to be drawn Wednesday.

Here’s a look at each of those Sire Stakes events, all to be run at seven furlongs:

The undefeated Enola Gray was scratched from Sunday’s $100,000 Torrey Pines Stakes at Del Mar because of an illness, trainer Phil D’Amato said.

Enola Gray was the 4-5 favorite on the morning line. D’Amato said he canceled a start when Enola Gray coughed and had a mucous presence Saturday. The Grade 3 Torrey Pines Stakes at a mile for 3-year-old fillies was intended to be the graded-stakes debut for Enola Gray, who has won three races for owner and breeder Nick Alexander.

DEL MAR, Calif. - Masochistic will start in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Santa Anita on Nov. 5 with an unbeaten record this year.

Masochistic was the easy winner Saturday of the $200,000 Pat O’Brien Stakes at seven furlongs at Del Mar against two overmatched rivals. Trainer Ron Ellis on Sunday reiterated his plan for Masochistic to make his next start in the BC Sprint.

DEL MAR, Calif. - In late June, weeks before the start of the current Del Mar summer meeting, trainer Shelbe Ruis rated Union Strike as the best 2-year-old in her stable.
Two months later, Union Strike’s status is unchanged.
Union Strike will give Ruis, 25, on Saturday her first starter in a Grade 1 race in the $300,000 Del Mar Debutante for 2-year-old fillies. The Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante will be the stakes debut for Union Strike, who was second to American Cleopatra in a maiden race at Del Mar on July 31 in her first career start.

Haveyougoneaway came out of her half-length victory in Saturday’s Grade 1 Ballerina tired but otherwise okay, according to trainer Tom Morley, who will likely trainer the New York-bred daughter of Congrats up to the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.

“She’s tired today; it’s the first time I’ve seen her tired after a race,” Morley said Sunday. “That definitely took its toll yesterday. She showed her bloody heart and ran hard.”

Last summer, Cavorting won two stakes at Saratoga and went to the Breeders’ Cup as the favorite for the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.

This year, Cavorting will head to Southern California for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, coming off a half-length victory in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign, her first start around two turns.

Trainer Chad Brown had mixed emotions regarding Lady Eli’s second-place finish to Strike Charmer in Saturday’s Grade 2 Ballston Spa Stakes at Saratoga. Naturally, he was disappointed that Lady Eli suffered her first career defeat, beaten three-quarters of a length by Strike Charmer.

But Lady Eli ran terrific in her first start in nearly 14 months, after overcoming laminitis. Strike Charmer’s time of 1:38.77 was a stakes record, eclipsing the mark of 1:39.07 set by Zagora in 2012.