ELMONT, N.Y. – Donegal Moon showed a new dimension by rallying from last under Joe Bravo to win the Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth on Sunday by 1 1/4 lengths.
“He generally has been a little closer than that,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “He didn’t break great, and Joe was able to drop him over, and it looked like there was a fair amount of pace in the race. We didn’t think we were going to be last early, but we didn’t think we were going to be in the first three.”
ELMONT, N.Y. – It was a perplexing 24 hours for trainer Jimmy Jerkens, who watched the two best horses in his barn get beat as odds-on favorites in graded stakes over the weekend.
On Sunday, the 3-year-old Unified suffered his first defeat from four starts when he ran fifth, 13 1/2 lengths behind winner Donegal Moon, at 1-5 in the Grade 3 Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth Park. That result came the day after the 5-year-old Effinex finished sixth, beaten 6 1/4 lengths by winner Bradester, at 3-5 in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Bradester likely will make his next start July 31 in the Monmouth Cup after becoming a millionaire with his front-running victory Saturday night in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs.
Trainer Eddie Kenneally said he is most comfortable with the timing and other factors involved with sending Bradester back to the Grade 2, $200,000 Monmouth Cup, a 1 1/16-mile race that the horse won last year.
“The timing is good, and I really like Monmouth,” he said.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Last Friday, on a warm afternoon at Santa Anita, jockey Flavien Prat won three races from seven mounts, the highlight of an otherwise-quiet program. The hat trick moved Prat into a tie for the lead in the standings for the spring-summer meeting with Rafael Bejarano and represented his 82nd through 84th victories of 2016.
At the same point last year, Prat had 41 wins. Prat missed more than three months last year because of a back injury and won 84 races for the entire year.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Tower of Texas has not raced since finishing seventh in the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile last September, and he’ll likely make his return to the races in the Grade 2, $200,000 King Edward Stakes over a mile on turf July 2, trainer Roger Attfield said.
Tower of Texas won last year’s King Edward Stakes by 2 3/4 lengths over Platinum Glory.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Aye Aye Captain went into the 1 1/8-mile Plate Trial on June 12 as a Queen’s Plate prospect for trainer Catherine Day Phillips but will not proceed to the Plate after a fifth-place finish behind winner Amis Gizmo.
Day Phillips said Aye Aye Captain will be pointed toward the $125,000 Deputy Minister Stakes on July 20, a race run over seven furlongs on the Tapeta for Ontario-sired 3-year-olds.
“We gave it a go for the added distance, but I don’t think that’s to his suiting at this stage,” she said. “The Deputy Minister seems to be the spot.”
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – More than a week has passed since Neshama upset runner-up Gamble’s Ghost in the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks on June 12, and the connections of those two, plus third-place finisher Caren, are beginning to plot out their next starts.
ARCADIA, Calif.- The Grade 1 winner Wild Dude was recently sold to stand at stud in Korea, but could start in Saturday’s $300,000 Triple Bend Stakes at Santa Anita.
Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said on Sunday that the financial side of the transaction has been completed, but that paperwork issues could prevent Wild Dude from leaving the United States on Thursday, the current schedule. If Wild Dude remains in California after Thursday, the Grade 1 Triple Bend Stakes at seven furlongs could be the 6-year-old’s next start.
ARCADIA, Calif. - The champion females Beholder and Stellar Wind had their first workouts on Sunday since finishing one-two in the Grade 1 Vanity Mile at Santa Anita on June 4.
Beholder, a three-time champion who was named the outstanding older female of 2015, breezed a half-mile in 48.60 seconds.
“It was easy,” trainer Richard Mandella said. “We’ll do a little more next week.”
Beholder’s next start is scheduled for the $300,000 Clement Hirsch Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles at Del Mar on July 30, a race she won last year.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Obviously ended a two-year losing streak with a sharp win in the $300,000 Poker Stakes at Belmont Park on Saturday, a victory that left trainer Phil D’Amato in no hurry to plan another race.
D’Amato watched the Grade 3 Poker Stakes from his base in California on Saturday. He said Obviously may start one more time before an intended run in the Breeders’ Cup Mile here at Santa Anita on Nov. 5. Obviously has started in the Breeders’ Cup Mile the last four years with his best finish a third in 2012. He was ninth in the 2015 BC Mile at Keeneland.
