Tara’s Tango is likely to run in major stakes around two turns this fall despite winning the $100,345 Rancho Bernardo Handicap for sprinters at Del Mar on Wednesday.
On Thursday, trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said the Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Santa Anita on Nov. 4 is a goal he would like to pursue with Tara’s Tango as opposed to sprints.
“We’ll probably plan for two turns,” he said. “It’s encouraging that a filly we feel is a good route horse can run 6 1/2 [furlongs] and win against a good field.”
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Songbird’s biggest rival for the Eclipse Award in the 3-year-old filly division won’t be joining her in the starting gate for Saturday’s Grade 1 Alabama.
The biggest threat to her championship bid will be participating here Sunday, when Catch a Glimpse heads a field of seven entered for the Grade 2, $300,000 Lake Placid Stakes.
Catch a Glimpse, a winner of all five of her starts this year, including the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks in her last start, is looking for her ninth consecutive victory overall in the Lake Placid, run at 1 1/8 miles on turf.
Trainer Brad Cox has been quietly successful during the opening four weeks of the Saratoga meet, having sent out two winners from just five starters. But he will kick into high gear over the next week, sending out contenders in three upcoming stakes, including likely favorite Green Mask in Saturday’s $100,000 Troy Stakes.
DEL MAR, Calif. – At the age of 7, Finnegans Wake is a senior member of trainer Peter Miller’s massive stable – and one of the most well respected.
Finnegans Wake has won 8 of 36 starts and earned $1,594,320 in his career. Last year, Finnegans Wake won three stakes, including the Grade 1 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic at Churchill Downs.
Finnegans Wake has yet to win a stakes this year but has trained well enough in recent weeks to leave Miller encouraged about the horse’s chances in Saturday’s $250,000 Del Mar Handicap.
“He’s acting like his old self,” Miller said.
Jockey Ted Gondron, who launched a riding comeback in July at Lone Star Park, registered his first win in nine years last Saturday at the Gillespie County Fair in Fredericksburg, Texas. Gondron won a maiden special weight with Ty’s Agenda.
Gondron made his comeback July 22. He had previously last ridden in a race Sept. 28, 2007, at Retama Park. Ty’s Agenda was Gondron’s 11th mount back. He was aboard the winner for Cyndi Bauerle and trainer Danny Pish.
Secret Passage, a promising son of Curlin who was fourth in the $100,000 Prelude Stakes this month at Louisiana Downs, could run next in either the Super Derby or the Oklahoma Derby, said trainer Donnie Von Hemel.
Secret Passage went 2 for 2 last year, with both wins coming at two turns at Remington. He won a maiden special weight by going last to first in his debut in October and then accounted for an allowance in his season finale Nov. 12. Secret Passage was making his first start at 3 in the Prelude.
Bling On the Music will soon take her show to Churchill Downs.
The undefeated filly is being pointed to the Grade 2 Pocahontas after her 13-length romp over male rivals in the $100,000 Gold Rush Futurity last Saturday at Arapahoe Park.
“She earned a shot with that,” said J.R. Caldwell, who trains Bling On the Music for Keene Thoroughbreds.
The Pocahontas, a 1 1/16-mile race on Sept. 17, is a Win and You’re In for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The gang’s all here. Again.
The same nine turf horses entered for the Grade 1 Fourstardave when it was scheduled to be run last Saturday were entered back Wednesday for the rescheduled, $500,000 race, to be run this Saturday at Saratoga. The race was postponed when the last six races of last Saturday’s card were canceled due to poor track conditions and safety concerns.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The way Songbird won the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks here four weeks ago, one would have thought the racing office would have had difficulty rounding up horses to face her in Saturday’s Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama.
Such was not the case as six 3-year-old fillies – four of whom are graded stakes winners – were entered Wednesday against the champion Songbird, who is undefeated in nine career starts.
Songbird, who will be ridden by Mike Smith, drew post 6 in the Alabama, which will go as race 10 on a 12-race card that begins at 1 p.m. Eastern.
Firing Line and Melatonin, two leading older horses who will not start in Saturday’s $1 million Pacific Classic, are in training for races later this month at Del Mar and at Santa Anita in October.
Firing Line, second in the 2015 Kentucky Derby, worked five furlongs in 59 seconds at Del Mar on Wednesday. He is a candidate for the $75,000 Harry Brubaker Stakes at a mile Aug. 24. Owned by Arnold Zetcher, Firing Line has started once this year, finishing fifth of six in an optional claimer July 9 at Santa Anita.
