Wed, 09/23/2015 - 12:20

Social Inclusion gets more time

Taylor Ejdys/Equi-Photo
Social Inclusion wins his first start for trainer Juan Carlos Guerrero by 11 3/4 lengths.

Trainer Juan Carlos Guerrero said he has “backed off” Social Inclusion and that the horse likely will not race again until this winter at Gulfstream Park.

Social Inclusion won a second-level optional-claiming race at Parx Racing on Aug. 29. Guerrero considered bringing him back for last Saturday’s $150,000 Bayern Stakes at Parx but changed his mind.

Wed, 09/23/2015 - 12:20

Leatherbury faces dilemma with Ben’s Cat

Jim McCue/Maryland Jockey Club
The 9-year-old Ben's Cat collects his 30th career victory in the Mister Diz Stakes, giving Julian Pimentel one of three wins on the card.

Ben’s Cat came out of his fifth-place finish in the Grade 3 Turf Monster Handicap at Parx Racing on Sept. 7 in good condition and might make his next start on the Oct. 17 Maryland Million card at Laurel Park, according to his owner-trainer-breeder, King Leatherbury.

The problem Leatherbury faces is that the Maryland Million Turf Sprint, which Ben’s Cat won each year from 2010-12, has been discontinued. The last two years, Ben’s Cat has raced in the one-mile Maryland Million Turf, finishing second both times.

Wed, 09/23/2015 - 12:20

Jones: Lovely Maria poised for improvement

Barbara D. Livingston
Lovely Maria wins the Kentucky Oaks. She is set to run Saturday in the Grade 3 Delaware Oaks.

I’m a Chatterbox earned a start in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff last weekend by winning the Grade 1 Cotillion at Parx Racing. Her trainer, Larry Jones, plans to give his other top 3-year-old filly, Lovely Maria, a chance to join her.

Wed, 09/23/2015 - 12:15

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf: Catch a Glimpse training up to race

Michael Burns
Catch a Glimpse earned an expenses-paid berth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf with her win in the Grade 2 Natalma Stakes on Sept. 12.

Catch a Glimpse will take advantage of the expenses-paid berth in the Grade 1, $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf that she earned by winning the Grade 2 Natalma Stakes at Woodbine on Sept. 12.

Trained by Mark Casse, the Kentucky-bred daughter of City Zip controlled the Win and You’re In, one-mile race on turf right from the start. The 89 Beyer Speed Figure she earned is the highest figure given to any 2-year-old running on grass in North America this year.

Wed, 09/23/2015 - 11:51

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies: East-West showdown could materialize

Barbara D. Livingston
Rachel's Valentina is possible for the Alcibiades on Oct. 2 at Keeneland, or she could train up to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.

At this early juncture, the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Keeneland on Oct. 31 has the look of a classic East vs. West matchup.

Songbird’s 5 1/4-length romp in the Del Mar Debutante made her the clear leader of the West Coast division. She will be a heavy favorite for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer in the Grade 1 Chandelier at Santa Anita on Saturday.

Wed, 09/23/2015 - 11:41

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf: Euros figure to make big impact

Barbara D. Livingston
Azar, an 11-1 shot ridden by John Velazquez, wins the Grade 2 With Anticipation Stakes.

At this point of the season, the 2-year-old divisions are very much works in progress. The field for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf is no exception, with the most pressing question just over five weeks out being: Which Europeans will show up?

Of the eight winners of the Juvenile Turf since the race was added to the Breeders’ Cup program in 2007, six made their final prior start outside of North America, including the last four. This includes last year’s winner, Hootenanny, who was based in Kentucky for Wesley Ward but campaigned extensively in Europe as a juvenile.

Tue, 09/22/2015 - 13:35

Stellar Wind could prep over the track for BC Distaff

Benoit & Associates
Stellar Wind, winning the Torrey Pines in her last start, could make her BC Distaff prep in the Spinster at Keeneland.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Stellar Wind’s first start against older fillies and mares will be in Kentucky. The question is – which race?

Stellar Wind is based at Santa Anita, but trainer John Sadler said the 3-year-old filly will skip the Grade 1 Zenyatta Stakes on Saturday, and run in either the Grade 1 Spinster at Keeneland on Oct. 4 at Keeneland or train into the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

“I got a little behind the clock,” Sadler said Tuesday. “She got off her feed a little bit, and just a little backed up.”

Tue, 09/22/2015 - 13:29

Big Macher will be fresh for BC Sprint, again

Benoit & Associates
Big Macher will go straight into the BC Sprint off this victory in the Pirate's Bounty Sept. 7 at Del Mar.

ARCADIA, Calif. -- Big Macher will enter the 2015 Breeders’ Cup Sprint the same way he went in last year – as a fresh horse. This time, trainer Richard Baltas hopes he is not eliminated at the break. In the 2014 BC Sprint at Santa Anita, he stumbled at the break, trained for the first half-mile, and finished ninth.

“We’re going to work on that,” Baltas said Tuesday morning at Santa Anita, where Big Macher posted an easy 48-second half-mile workout under jockey Rafael Bejarano.

Tue, 09/22/2015 - 12:56

Jockey takes another's whip in Parx stretch duel

The fourth race at Parx on Monday was a typical $15,000 restricted claiming race until upper stretch, at which point jockey Angel Castillo appeared to lose his whip and then either take or be handed the whip of Pierre Hernandez-Ortega, with whom he was racing in tight quarters.

Castillo went on to hit his mount 16 times with the whip after the incident and was up to finish second in the 1 1/16-mile race. Hernandez-Ortega’s mount, Distant Thoughts, tired to finish sixth.

Mon, 09/21/2015 - 15:01

Tale of Verve among Oklahoma Derby contenders

Barbara D. Livingston
Tale of Verve is likely for Sunday's Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park.

The field for the Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby was beginning to take shape on Monday, with Tale of Verve and Souper Colossal part of a large group anticipated for the 1 1/8-mile race this Sunday. The Oklahoma Derby is the highlight of the Remington Park meet and will anchor a card of seven stakes worth more than $1 million. Entries for the program will be taken on Thursday.