Mon, 08/01/2016 - 12:46

Comfort going after the big boys in Whitney

Chelsea Durand/NYRA
Comfort will bring a three-race win streak into Saturday's Whitney.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Aron Wellman believes that when you have a hot hand, you’ve got to keep playing it. Thus, Wellman’s Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, fresh off a two-win Sunday at Saratoga, will take a swing in Saturday’s Grade 1, $1.25 million Whitney Stakes with Comfort.

Comfort himself is hot, having won his two starts this year and three straight dating back to last November. But even Wellman said that Comfort will be taking “a colossal step up in class” against the likes of Grade 1 winners Frosted, Effinex, and Noble Bird in the Whitney.

Mon, 08/01/2016 - 11:50

A. P. Indian finally reaching his potential

Barbara D. Livingston
A. P. Indian earned his first Grade 1 victory in Saturday's Vanderbilt Handicap.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Arnaud Delacour said A. P. Indian appears to have come out of his victory in Saturday’s Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt in good order and that the Grade 1 Forego on Aug. 27 is definitely on his radar.

A. P. Indian posted his fourth victory in a row – the last three since Joe Bravo became his rider – and gave Delacour the first Grade 1 win of his training career. He won by 1 1/4 lengths over Holy Boss in the six-furlong Vanderbilt.

Mon, 08/01/2016 - 10:56

Lanerie hits 4,000-win milestone

Keeneland/Coady Photography
Jockey Corey Lanerie

Corey Lanerie became the 70th jockey in North American racing history to hit the 4,000-win mark when guiding Crooked Stick to victory for trainer Alex Clarkson in the seventh race Sunday at Ellis Park in western Kentucky.

Lanerie, 41, had won the previous race aboard Taliaferro County.

Sun, 07/31/2016 - 15:30

Espinoza remains on a roll with latest big win in Clement Hirsch

Benoit & Associates
Victor Espinoza, on Stellar Wind, has won two major stakes at Del Mar already, the San Diego Handicap and the Clement Hirsch Stakes.

Jockey Victor Espinoza won the Clement Hirsch on Stellar Wind, narrowly defeating Gary Stevens and Beholder. It was a near carbon-copy of the San Diego Handicap the previous Saturday, when Espinoza, on California Chrome, got the best of Dortmund and Stevens after a similar, stretch-long duel. The victories were important ones for Espinoza, who spent much of the first half of the year traveling, but is staying close to home this summer.

 “We’re getting consistency to our business. It’s hard when you’re on the road,” said his agent, Brian Beach.

Sun, 07/31/2016 - 15:24

Stellar Wind stays on schedule, Beholder now uncertain for Pacific Classic

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. – The plans for Stellar Wind for the late summer and fall had been set in stone even before she defeated Beholder in the Grade 1 Clement Hirsch Stakes on Saturday, but the loss by Beholder may alter her near-term schedule, putting in jeopardy a title defense against males in Del Mar’s biggest race of the summer, the Grade 1, $1 million Pacific Classic on Aug. 20.

 Stellar Wind has had the Breeders’ Cup Distaff on Nov. 4 at Santa Anita as her year-end goal, and she’ll race just once before that, in the Grade 1 Zenyatta at Santa Anita on Oct. 1.

Sun, 07/31/2016 - 12:44

Next stop Travers for Laoban

Barbara D. Livingston
Laoban earned a 101 Beyer Speed Figure for his win in the Jim Dandy.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Trainer Eric Guillot is still haunted by the 2013 Travers.

The Guillot-trained Moreno, a 31-1 shot, looked like he was going to upset the Travers only to get nailed in the final jump by Will Take Charge.

“That hurt me. That took something off my life,” Guillot said. “There were 50,000 people roaring. I wanted all of them to go home. I wanted my pirogue [canoe in French] painted.”

Sat, 07/30/2016 - 14:42

Tencendur back from injury in Monday allowance

Barbara D. Livingston
Tencendur, seen here with trainer George Weaver, will miss the rest of this year with a fractured sesamoid.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Tencendur, the runner-up in last year’s Grade 1 Wood Memorial and Ohio Derby, returns from a 13-month layoff in a first-level New York-bred allowance race going 1 1/8 miles on Monday at Saratoga.

Tencendur, a son of Warrior’s Reward trained by George Weaver for Phil Birsh, has not run since getting beat a nose by Mr. Z in the $500,000 Ohio Derby in June 2015. That race followed a 17th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby.

While training for the Jim Dandy Stakes last summer, Tencendur fractured a sesamoid and needed surgery and recuperative time.

Sat, 07/30/2016 - 14:30

Forever Unbridled works for Personal Ensign

Coady Photography
Forever Unbridled, with John Velazquez aboard, wins the Grade 1 Apple Blossom Handicap by 2 1/4 lengths Friday.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Forever Unbridled won’t get very many starts this year, so it’s important that she makes the most of them.

Forever Unbridled certainly looks like she’ll be ready for the Grade 1 Personal Ensign on Aug. 27 after working a sharp five furlongs in 1:01.22 on Saturday over the Oklahoma training track.

Working shortly after the track opened at 5:30 a.m., Forever Unbridled went her first quarter in 26.00 seconds, three-eighths in 37.90, and came home in 23.32 seconds. She galloped out six furlongs in 1:15.00.

Sat, 07/30/2016 - 14:20

Catch a Glimpse, Time and Motion gear up for rematch

Barbara D. Livingston
Catch a Glimpse works a half-mile in 50.24 seconds Saturday ahead of the Grade 2 Lake Placid Stakes on Aug. 21.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Catch a Glimpse and Time and Motion, separated by a half-length when finishing first and second in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks on July 9, were both on the Oklahoma turf course at the same time Saturday morning, and Jimmy Toner, the trainer of Time and Motion, kidded about settling the score right then.

The rematch is likely to occur in the Grade 2, $300,000 Lake Placid here on Aug. 21, and both 3-year-old fillies put in workouts on Saturday morning toward that meeting.

Sat, 07/30/2016 - 14:12

Effinex drills for Whitney Stakes

Barbara D. Livingston
Effinex works five furlongs in 1:00.79 on Saturday ahead of the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes next Saturday.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Effinex, the winner of the Grade 2 Suburban Handicap in his last start, tuned up for next Saturday’s Grade 1, $1.25 million Whitney Stakes by working five furlongs in 1:00.79 on Saturday morning over Saratoga’s main track.

Under exercise rider Kelvin Pahal, Effinex got his final quarter in 23.90 seconds and galloped out six furlongs in 1:13.84.