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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Miss Southern Miss, second in the Landaluce Stakes at Santa Anita on July 9, is the leading contender in what is likely to be a small field for the $200,000 Sorrento Stakes for 2-year-old fillies next Saturday.
The Grade 2 Sorrento Stakes is run at 6 1/2 furlongs and is a leading prep for the $300,000 Del Mar Debutante at seven furlongs on Sept. 3. Only 10 were nominated for the Sorrento. Fillies such as Auntjenn, Back Off, Morganite, and Unforgivable U are other candidates.
Morganite won her debut here July 16 in a maiden race at five furlongs.
DEL MAR, Calif. – In a little less than three hours at Del Mar on Friday, three 2-year-olds won in ways that suggest they will play important roles in stakes in the final week of the summer meeting.
You’re Late won her stakes debut in Friday’s $98,000 California Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association Stakes for California-bred fillies. With Honors won her career debut in a maiden race on turf for fillies, and Elwood J won his debut against California-bred 2-year-olds at 5 1/2 furlongs.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Mondialiste appears to have earned himself a third trip to North America with a good second-place finish last Saturday in the York Stakes.
Mondialiste is one of several European horses being pointed to the Aug. 13 Arlington Million, according to the International Racing Bureau, which helps recruit horses for the Million Day stakes and coordinates international travel for European interests.
Frosted completed his preparations for next Saturday’s Grade 1, $1.25 million Whitney Invitational with an easy half-mile breeze in 49.66 seconds Friday morning over the synthetic surface at Greentree, a training facility adjacent to Saratoga.
“The good news is, we know he’s fast,” said Jimmy Bell of Godolphin Stables.
Added trainer Kiaran McLaughlin: “The key is working weekly, happy, and doing well. We’re there.”
In the Whitney, Frosted will be making his first start since his powerful 14 1/4-length victory in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap on June 11.
After four days off following her dynamic victory in last Sunday’s Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks, Songbird returned to the track Friday morning, jogging once around the Saratoga main track, interrupted by a visit to the paddock.
Shortly after 5:30 a.m., assistant trainer Christina Jelm handed Songbird and exercise rider Edgar Rodriguez off to a pony. Jelm said, “I think she’s like, ‘Yes!’ ’’
