DEL MAR, Calif. - Ashleyluvssugar led Saturday’s $252,415 Del Mar Handicap by five lengths going into the turn, a point in the race trainer Peter Eurton sensed defeat.
“I thought they’d swallow me at the quarter pole,” Eurton said.
Ashleyluvssugar had led by six lengths on the backstretch and Eurton feared the gelding would have little left for the stretch.
Ashleyluvssugar had just enough, winning the Grade 2 race by a nose over Metaboss for his first stakes win in 15 months.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. _ The connections of Mohaymen have re-routed their multiple graded-stakes-winning 3-year-old from next Saturday’s $1.25 million Travers at 1 1/4 miles to the $500,000 King’s Bishop Stakes at seven furlongs on the same card, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said Sunday.
Mohaymen, fourth as the favorite in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy on July 30, will be making his first start around one turn since he won the Grade 2 Nashua at a mile last Nov. 4, his second career start.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Not that he really needs any more help, but Flintshire, the top male turf horse in North America, might have some assistance in the form of a rabbit when he runs in next Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Sword Dancer Stakes at Saratoga.
Inordinate, disqualified from an off-the-pace allowance win on Belmont Stakes Day, is expected to be entered by Juddmonte Farms and trainer Chad Brown as a pacemaker for Flintshire, who will seek his third win in as many tries this year in the 1 1/2-mile Sword Dancer.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – If there were any doubt about whether Exaggerator would run in next Saturday’s Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers Stakes, it was removed after the three-time Grade 1-winning 3-year-old put in a solid five-furlong workout over Saratoga’s main track Saturday.
Exaggerator, in his only breeze since he won the Grade 1 Haskell on July 31, worked in 1:00.97, getting his final quarter in 24.17 seconds. He then galloped out six furlongs in 1:14.65. The time was less important to his connections than how the work was done.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Stellar Wind, the champion 3-year-old filly of 2015 who beat Beholder in the Grade 1 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes on July 30, worked a half-mile in 49 seconds on Saturday.
The workout was the first for Stellar Wind since the Clement L. Hirsch and represents the start of her preparation for an autumn campaign. Trainer John Sadler said Stellar Wind will have two additional workouts at Del Mar before the stable ships to Santa Anita in early September.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The addition of blinkers has been a major reason for the big strides Mind Your Biscuits has made over the past couple of months. But it was blinkers off here Friday when Mind Your Biscuits, the winner of the Grade 2 Amsterdam, turned in his final prep for next Saturday’s Grade 1 King’s Bishop.
Working in the fog, which shrouded part of the course, Mind Your Biscuits breezed an easy half-mile in 48.16 seconds shortly after 7 a.m. before galloping out five-eighths in 1:01.18, much to the delight of trainer Robert Falcone Jr.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Taris, the millionaire winner of the Grade 1 Humana Distaff at Churchill Downs in May and five other stakes in her career, has been sold privately and retired from racing, according to new owner Craig Bernick.
Taris will be owned by Bernick, John Sikura, and Scott Heider and will be bred to Curlin in 2017, Bernick said.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Paid Up Subscriber tuned up for her rematch with I’m a Chatterbox in next Saturday’s Grade 1 Personal Ensign Stakes by working a strong six furlongs in 1:12.16 on Friday over the Saratoga main track.
“She went beautiful,” trainer Al Stall said. “The track was obviously fast after the break. She eyeballed someone else’s set roughly 100 yards ahead of her. She was very focused and couldn’t have went any better.”
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Both Destin and Mohaymen were disappointing in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes three weeks ago, leaving their connections searching for answers ahead of the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers next Saturday.
It remains to be seen if Todd Pletcher, the trainer of Destin, or Kiaran McLaughlin, the trainer of Mohaymen, have found those answers, but both were pleased enough with their horses’ workouts on Friday to march on to what looks like a wide-open Travers.
In the last month, the 2-year-old Royal Mo has consistently shown strong workouts.
“He has a good foundation, and he’s been good out of the gate,” trainer John Shirreffs said on Friday.
Those lessons could put Royal Mo in the winner’s circle of his debut, a maiden special weight race at six furlongs at Del Mar on Sunday. Shirreffs said he was particularly encouraged by a five-furlong workout in 59.40 seconds by Royal Mo last Monday that he described as “excellent.”
