ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Noholdingback Bear returned to the Woodbine work tab Saturday, recording his first published work since winning the Grade 3 Gallant Bob Stakes at Parx Racing on Sept. 24.
Next for Noholdingback Bear is a trip to Santa Anita for the Grade 1, $1.5 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint on Nov. 5. Trainer Michael De Paulo said Saturday’s work, a four-furlong breeze in 48.20 seconds on the dirt training track, went well.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Dragon’s Cry upset the heavily favored Signature Spring to earn his first stakes victory in the Bull Page Stakes on Oct. 10 and now appears likely for Woodbine’s $150,000 Clarendon Stakes for Ontario-bred 2-year-olds over six furlongs on Tapeta on Nov. 5.
“I would think that would be the next move,” trainer Robert Tiller said.
Dragon’s Cry has won back-to-back races and was a runner-up in his Aug. 20 career debut. Tiller said it appears that Dragon’s Cry has come out of the Bull Page in good order.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Caren recorded her third straight win and her first graded stakes victory in the Grade 3 Ontario Colleen Stakes over a mile on turf last time out Sept. 24. She will seek her fourth straight in Sunday’s $150,000 Carotene Stakes.
The Carotene is for Ontario-bred 3-year-old fillies and covers 1 1/8 miles on Woodbine’s E.P. Taylor turf course.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Lucy N Ethel will put her unbeaten record on the line Saturday as part of a terrific field of 3-year-old fillies in the richest race this week at Keeneland, the $250,000 Raven Run at seven furlongs.
Lucy N Ethel will be making her first start since being transferred by owners J A G Racing and Jettany Thoroughbred Corp. into the care of Tom Amoss about three weeks ago. The dark bay filly has had two breezes at Keeneland.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – For now, Time and Motion will remain under consideration for the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf following her stirring victory Saturday in the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland.
Trainer Jimmy Toner said Monday from New York that he is “torn” about whether to proceed to Santa Anita for the Nov. 5 Filly and Mare Turf with Time and Motion, who prevailed in a tight three-way photo over Harmonize and Hawksmoor in the QE II.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Gormley began October by winning his stakes debut in the Grade 1 FrontRunner Stakes at Santa Anita on Oct. 1. Through the rest of the month, trainer John Shirreffs has planned workouts to prepare the colt for a variety of circumstances that could occur in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile here on Nov. 5.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Flintshire and Ectot, the beaten favorite and the winner, respectively, of the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic on Oct. 1, returned to the worktab Saturday morning at Belmont Park as they prepare for a rematch in the $4 million Breeders' Cup Turf at Santa Anita on Nov. 5.
The New York Racing Association opened the turf course Saturday for horses, and their workmates, who have Breeders' Cup plans. The turf course usually is open only on Sundays.
The Grade 1 winners Melatonin and Union Strike were among several Breeders’ Cup race hopefuls to work at Santa Anita on Saturday.
Union Strike worked six furlongs from the gate in 1:14 in preparation for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at 1 1/16 miles on Nov. 5. Union Strike joined trainer Craig Dollase’s stable this week after owners Mick and Wendy Ruis transferred their runners from their daughter, first-year trainer Shelbe, to Dollase.
CYPRESS, Calif. – California Chrome on Saturday morning at Los Alamitos began his serious work in preparation for the Breeders’ Cup Classic, going a half-mile in 48 seconds in the first of three drills trainer Art Sherman has planned prior to the $6 million Classic on Nov. 5 at Santa Anita.
California Chrome two weeks ago won the Awesome Again Stakes in his final prep for the Classic. Sherman wanted an easy work on Saturday, something to get started, and California Chrome was eager to go.
Fort Erie Race Track’s 2016 meet is set to come to a close Tuesday, but the track will apply for a 40-day meet once again in 2017. If approved, the 2017 meet, which would be the 120th season of live racing at the track, would run from May 30 through Oct. 17.
The track has run on Sundays and Tuesdays over the past couple of seasons, but the application for next year also includes dates on Saturday. Fort Erie’s application is to run on Sundays and Tuesdays in June and July before changing the schedule to Saturdays and Tuesdays in August, September, and October.
