Surgical Strike, a close fifth last out in the $1.25 million Belmont Derby Invitational, is likely to make his next start in the Grade 1 Secretariat on the Aug. 13 Arlington Million card, trainer Ben Colebrook said.
Surgical Strike won the Arlington Classic here May 28 by a head over One Mean Man, a narrow win that took on added luster when One Mean Man returned to win the American Derby on Million Preview Day.
Modesty Stakes winner Faufiler is a likely runner in the Beverly D. Stakes on Aug. 13 at Arlington, trainer Graham Motion said Thursday. ‘
The Niarchos family’s Flaxman Holdings Ltd., which owns Faufiler, also was considering sending a horse from Ireland for the Beverly D., but Motion said it now appears likely they will be represented by Faufiler.
“She’s being strongly considered for that race,” Motion said. “She’ll breeze next week. I usually give them three weeks after a race. My only reservation with her is the long ship.”
In the featured eighth race July 14 at Canterbury Park, Diamond Joe sat in third off the speed going one mile on the main track, started his run at the top of the stretch, and collared the leaders in the final furlong. And if you know anything about Diamond Joe, you know what happened next – he won.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The success of trainer Kiaran McLaughlin’s Saratoga meet will primarily boil down to one day – Aug. 6. That’s the day he will run many of his big stakes horses, led by Frosted, who on Friday worked five furlongs in 1:00.56 over the synthetic surface at the Greentree facility in Saratoga Springs.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Trainer Steve Miyadi has been fined $5,000 and suspended 30 days after Run for Retts tested positive for the prohibited substances methamphetamine and amphetamine following the $100,500 Soviet Problem Stakes at Los Alamitos last December.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Taris, the winner of the Grade 1 Humana Distaff for female sprinters at Churchill Downs in May, will not start this summer because of a minor injury.
“She’s got a little bone bruising,” trainer Simon Callaghan said. “It’s minor. We have to realign our sights.”
Callaghan said on Friday that he remains hopeful that Taris can start in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Santa Anita on Nov. 5.
“She won’t run here, and she won’t run at Saratoga,” Callaghan said. “We’ll look to Santa Anita and maybe prep for the Breeders’ Cup.”
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Cathryn Sophia made her first local appearance Friday, breezing a half-mile over the Oklahoma training track with jockey Javier Castellano aboard. According to Daily Racing Form clocker Mike Vesce, Cathryn Sophia completed the distance in 50 seconds, going very easily before galloping out five-eighths in 1:03.60
“Javier was very happy with her,” said trainer John Servis, who was not on hand for the work. “I’m just using this work as a stepping-stone to start moving forward to see where we’re at with her.”
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Rick Violette said he doesn’t really like to work older horses from the gate. But he made an exception here Friday with the star of his stable, the multiple graded stakes winner Upstart, who sizzled four furlongs from the gate in 46.31 seconds with jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard.
Upstart has shown a tendency to break tardily, and Violette was hoping Friday’s experience might help alleviate that problem prior to the Grade 1 Whitney here on Aug. 6.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – In her first workout since her triumphant trip to Royal Ascot, Tepin breezed a half-mile in 50.39 seconds Friday morning in preparation for a likely start in the Grade 1, $500,000 Fourstardave Handicap here on Aug. 13.
