Sun, 08/07/2016 - 15:40

Trainer McLaughlin considers next move for Frosted

Debra Roma
Frosted set the pace in the Whitney and still dominated his competition.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. _ Ten years ago, Invasor won the Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga and, three months later _ without a race in between _ won the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs, capping a Horse of the Year campaign for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin and Sheikh Hamdan’s Shadwell Stable.

McLaughlin on Saturday won his second Whitney with Frosted, who will be pointed to the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 5 at Santa Anita. McLaughlin now must figure out the best way to get Frosted there.

Sun, 08/07/2016 - 14:15

Will Beholder defend Pacific Classic title? '50-50,' says trainer

Emily Shields
Stellar Wind (left), in her stretch drive win over Beholder, will have just one more race before the Breeders' Cup Distaff this fall.

DEL MAR, Calif. - Trainer Richard Mandella on Sunday morning at Del Mar said the champion mare Beholder was "probably 50-50" to defend her title in the Grade 1, $1 million Pacific Classic on Aug. 20.

Beholder was beaten last weekend by Stellar Wind in the Grade 1 Clement Hirsch, which ended an eight-race win streak dating to Sept. 2014.

Beholder galloped on Sunday morning. Mandella said she would have her first work since the Hirsch this week.

Sun, 08/07/2016 - 13:57

Nyquist in growth spurt, will spend two weeks swimming

Bill Denver/Equi-Photo
Nyquist, the morning-line Haskell favorite, exercises at Monmouth Park on Thursday morning.

DEL MAR, Calif. - Nyquist, the Kentucky Derby winner, is going through a growth spurt and will spend the next two weeks swimming at the San Luis Rey Downs training center, trainer Doug O'Neill said Sunday morning at Del Mar.

Sun, 08/07/2016 - 13:31

Lady Eli's recovery another reason for Brown to smile

Barbara D. Livingston
Sea Calisi, on the outside, and Lady Eli go through a workout Sunday morning at Saratoga.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. _ As good a Saratoga meet as trainer Chad Brown is having _ and each day seems better than the previous one _ his moment of the summer may have come Sunday morning as he watched Lady Eli put in a workout over the Oklahoma turf course.

Lady Eli breezed five furlongs in 1:00.25 in company with Beverly D contender Sea Calisi. Lady Eli, with exercise rider Walter Melasquez maintaining a hold of the reins, got her final quarter in 23.61 seconds. Lady Eli and Sea Calisi galloped out six furlongs in 1:13.29 and seven eighths in 1:28.14.

Sun, 08/07/2016 - 12:05

Kobe's Back will sit out rest of year, return in 2017

Barbara D. Livingston
Kobe's Back is targeting the Triple Bend at Santa Anita and the Forego at Saratoga.

DEL MAR, Calif. - Kobe’s Back, the five-time stakes winner, has been turned out for the rest of the summer and will resume racing in 2017, trainer Peter Eurton said over the weekend.

Eurton said Kobe’s Back has been dealing with minor ailments and will not need surgery. The setback will prevent Kobe’s Back from starting in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Santa Anita on Nov. 5.

Sun, 08/07/2016 - 11:52

Leparoux hurt in fall from mount, out four weeks

Michael Amoruso
Julien Leparoux's wrist fracture is expected to keep him sidelined for about four weeks.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. _ Jockey Julien Leparoux, the regular rider of superstar turf mare Tepin, will be out of action for approximately four weeks after suffering a non-displace fracture of his left wrist in a freak spill in Saturday’s De La Rose Stakes at Saratoga.

Leparoux’s saddle on Excilly _ who finished seventh, beaten 3 1/2 lengths _ slipped in mid-stretch. On the gallop out, Leparoux was unseated by the Great Britain-bred mare. Leparoux fell awkwardly on the turf course and suffered the injury.

Sat, 08/06/2016 - 13:56

Longshots work in preparation for Pacific Classic

Benoit & Associates
Dalmore, ridden by Kent Desormeaux, has won three races at Santa Anita since March, including his first stakes in Saturday's Affirmed.

DEL MAR, Calif. – The graded stakes winners Dalmore and Hard Aces, and the graded stakes-placed Win the Space, worked at Del Mar on Saturday in advance of their expected next start – the difficult assignment of facing California Chrome and Dortmund in the $1 million Pacific Classic on Aug. 20.

Sat, 08/06/2016 - 13:36

Bradester heading to Woodward

Bill Denver /EQUI-PHOTO.
Bradester, with Joe Bravo aboard, wins the $200,000 Monmouth Cup at Monmouth Park on Sunday.

Bradester, who continued his love affair with Monmouth Park by winning the Grade 2 Monmouth Cup for the second straight year on July 31, will make his next start in the Grade 1, $500,000 Woodward on Sept. 3, trainer Eddie Kenneally said Saturday.

Bradester won the Grade 1 Stephen Foster on June 18 and was considered a possibility for Saturday’s Grade 1 Whitney here. But given his propensity for Monmouth Park – he has four wins and three seconds from seven starts – made the Monmouth Cup a logical prep for the Woodward.

Sat, 08/06/2016 - 13:26

King Kreesa may point for Fourstardave

Adam Coglianese/NYRA
King Kreesa, ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., snaps a six-race losing streak when he holds on by a nose in the Forbidden Apple.

Trainer David Donk came to Saratoga believing he would run King Kreesa in the West Point Stakes for New York-breds. But as things have developed, Donk is now strongly leaning toward running the 7-year-old gelding in the Grade 1 Fourstardave here next Saturday.

King Kreesa has run in two of the last three runnings of the Fourstardave, finishing second to Wise Dan, beaten 1 1/4 lengths, in 2013 and fourth, beaten a length to Grand Arch last year.

Sat, 08/06/2016 - 13:20

Toner rolls with the ups and downs

Barbara D. Livingston
Time and Motion works five-eighths in 1:01.97 Saturday over the Oklahoma turf course.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – There is little time for a horse trainer to lament about yesterday. One has to remain on the move, focused on today and tomorrow.

Such was life for Jimmy Toner on Saturday morning. About 24 1/2 hours after watching his older graded stakes-winning mare Recepta get vanned off the Saratoga main track with a career-ending injury, Toner watched his other turf stakes star Time and Motion breeze for her next engagement in the Grade 2, $300,000 Lake Placid Stakes on Aug. 21.