SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Runaway Lute, the New York-bred 2-year-old who is 2 for 2, will point to the Grade 1 Hopeful on Sept. 5, trainer Gary Contessa said.
On Friday, Runaway Lute worked five furlongs in 1:01.20 over the Oklahoma training track, his first breeze since winning the Rockville Centre Stakes by 8 3/4 lengths on July 16 at Belmont Park.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – After watching his Grade 1 stakes-winning 3-year-old filly Carina Mia put in a workout Friday morning over the Oklahoma training track, trainer Bill Mott had the following thought: “All I know is that filly who beat her has to be pretty darn good.”
Mott was referring to Songbird, who defeated Carina Mia by 5 1/4 lengths in the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks here on July 24. Songbird, the champion 2-year-old filly of 2015, is undefeated in nine career starts.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – With accomplished horses like Tepin, Noble Bird, and Catch a Glimpse in the barn, trainer Mark Casse is pretty well stocked for this season. But the future also looks bright for the Casse stable, which welcomed the stakes-winning juveniles Classic Empire and Pretty City Dancer to Saratoga last week to prepare for their Grade 1 debuts in the Hopeful and Spinaway stakes on closing weekend.
Sobradora Inc, unbeaten in four starts in Argentina in 2015, will make her American debut in Sunday’s $75,000 Osunitas Stakes for fillies and mares at Del Mar. The minor stakes could put Sobradora Inc on course for the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita in November.
The 4-year-old Sobradora Inc has won three stakes, including consecutive Group 1 races at 1 1/4 miles on turf in Argentina last November and December. She has not raced this year.
DEL MAR, Calif. – The late-developing Arrogate is ready for his stakes debut in the $1.25 million Travers Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 27.
Arrogate won his third consecutive race with an easy victory against two rivals in an optional claimer at Del Mar on Thursday. The win left trainer Bob Baffert eager to try Arrogate in the Travers at 1 1/4 miles, the leading race for 3-year-olds in August.
Arrogate, by Unbridled’s Song, was bred and races for Juddmonte Farms.
Shes Got the Look is one of the first horses Ralph Nicks has trained for John Brunetti Sr., so he’s not quite sure what might transpire in the aftermath of the 2-year-old filly winning her career debut Thursday at Gulfstream Park by an eye-popping 16 1/4 lengths.
“I’m sure there’ll be people wanting to buy her,” Nicks said early Friday by phone from the south Florida track. “All I know is I was asked to get an insurance form on her today, so maybe that means she’ll be sticking around for a while.”
Straight Fire could not keep pace with Chasing Aces in a maiden race at five furlongs in his debut at Del Mar on July 17, losing by 5 1/4 lengths. The loss seems to have had its benefits.
“He might be a little more on the bit now, a lot stronger and a lot more keyed in mentally,” trainer Keith Desormeaux said.
Straight Fire’s newly gained focus could result in a win in a maiden race at 6 1/2 furlongs in Saturday’s eighth race. Desormeaux sees the race as a possible prep for the $300,000 Del Mar Futurity at seven furlongs on Sept. 5.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Songbird returned to the work tab Thursday at Saratoga and gave every indication that she is moving forward for the Grade 1 Alabama with a solid five-furlong workout in 1:00.65 over the main track.
Working about 10 minutes after the track opened at 5:30 a.m., Songbird pranced her way to the paddock for a quick visit, then backed up to the eighth pole under exercise rider Edgar Rodriguez. She jogged alongside a stable pony through the stretch before galloping around the clubhouse turn.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Far From Over, undefeated in three career starts, will step back into stakes company in Sunday’s $100,000 Alydar Stakes.
Far From Over, the winner of the Grade 3 Withers in 2015, returned from a 16-month layoff to win a second-level allowance race at Belmont by 1 1/2 lengths.
Trainer Todd Pletcher felt a race like the Alydar, for horses who have not won a graded stakes this year, was a better spot to run him than Saturday’s Grade 1 Whitney.
