Mon, 08/08/2016 - 14:16

Summer Revolution between King's Bishop and Travers

Barbara D. Livingston
Summer Revolution earned a 104 Beyer Speed Figure for Saturday's allowance win.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Summer Revolution received a 104 Beyer Speed Figure for his three-length allowance victory on Saturday and could make his next start in the Grade 1 Travers on Aug. 27, trainer Rudy Rodriguez said on Monday.

Summer Revolution, a son of Summer Bird, remained perfect in two starts with his easy win here Saturday. His final time of 1:21.03 for seven furlongs was more than a full second faster than the winning time for the Grade 1 Test later on the card. Summer Revolution won his debut five weeks earlier at Belmont Park by 7 1/4 lengths.

Mon, 08/08/2016 - 14:00

Creator and Gun Runner work toward Travers

Barbara D. Livingston
Gun Runner, with Florent Geroux aboard, works five furlongs over the Oklahoma training track on Monday.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Creator and Gun Runner, who each disappointed in their most recent starts, put it in workouts Monday morning at Saratoga designed to be the first steps on the road to the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers Stakes here on Aug. 27. Both are trained by Steve Asmussen.

Mon, 08/08/2016 - 13:50

Paola Queen's win in Test no surprise to trainer

Barbara D. Livingston
Paola Queen, under Luis Saez, pays $112 for winning the Test Stakes.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Gustavo Delgado has been flying a bit under the radar since his arrival in New York this spring, which may help to explain why his trainee Paola Queen paid $112 for her upset victory in Saturday’s Grade 1 Test.

Mon, 08/08/2016 - 13:36

Best Pal: Two ‘Gustavs' in a row?

DEL MAR, Calif. – The fastest 2-year-olds of the meet thus far have been the maiden winners Chasing Aces and Straight Fire. Both are headed to the Grade 1, $300,000 Del Mar Futurity on closing day Sept. 5, and their most notable challengers are likely to emerge from the Grade 2, $200,000 Best Pal Stakes this Saturday.

Mon, 08/08/2016 - 12:00

Illness, fewer horses contributing to drop in field size

DEL MAR, Calif. – The average field size at the Del Mar summer meeting has failed to keep pace with last year’s, although officials think field sizes could grow during the last half of the meet.

Through Sunday, the 18th day of the 39-day season, fields have averaged 8.1 runners per race compared with 8.79 runners during a similar span last year. The entire 2015 summer meeting also averaged 8.79 runners, which equaled the field size for the 2013 season and is the highest in this century at Del Mar.

Mon, 08/08/2016 - 11:16

Passion for Action's next start will be Play the King

Michael Burns
Passion for Action wins the Grade 3 Vigil Stakes on May 7.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Passion for Action recorded his second graded stakes win of the Woodbine meet when he rallied from off the pace in the Grade 2 Highlander Stakes on July 3, and he’ll make his next start in the Grade 2, $200,000 Play the King Stakes on Aug. 20, trainer Mike De Paulo said.

“That’s the race he’s pointing for,” he said. “He’s doing us proud. We gave him a little break. We’ll get a few works into him, and off we go.”

Passion for Action returned to the work tab Sunday with a five-furlong breeze in 1:03.80 on the turf training track.

Mon, 08/08/2016 - 08:14

Maiden races could produce starters in turf stakes

DEL MAR, Calif. - There were 19 2-year-olds entered in a one-mile maiden race on grass on Wednesday, so the race was split into divisions, which could propel at least two runners toward the $100,000 Del Mar Juvenile Turf on Sept. 3.

In race 3, trainer Doug O’Neill sends out first-time starter Gentrified, a son of Malibu Moon, as well as Farley, a Distorted Humor colt who finished last of eight at 5-2 odds sprinting on dirt in his debut on July 24.

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.