Sat, 08/08/2015 - 15:28

Motion barn takes aim at Spa stakes

Barbara D. Livingston
Miss Temple City wins the Hilltop Stakes on Friday at Pimlico.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Graham Motion will be well represented in several upcoming stakes at Saratoga, including both graded events next weekend for 2-year-olds.

Motion will run Lookout Sister in the Grade 2 Adirondack for 2-year-old fillies on Saturday and Mid Life Crisis in Sunday’s Grade 2 Saratoga Special for colts and geldings.

Both horses were debut winners at Delaware Park in July, and both worked Saturday at Saratoga, going five furlongs in 1:01.77 in company with each other. Lookout Sister made up about a length in the drill.

Sat, 08/08/2015 - 14:47

Pletcher eyes Woodward for Coach Inge

Debra A. Roma
Coach Inge (left), under John Velazquez, prevails by a neck over V. E. Day and Javier Castellano in the 1 1/2-mile Brooklyn.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – In the end, trainer Todd Pletcher only went with one runner, Liam’s Map, in the Grade 1, $1.25 million Whitney on Saturday.

In looking ahead to the $600,000 Woodward, the other Grade 1 stakes race for older horses at the meet, Pletcher is already considering having multiple runners. The Woodward is run Sept. 5.

As expected, Pletcher scratched Coach Inge, the Brooklyn Handicap winner, from the Whitney and said Saturday he is leaning toward running him in the Woodward. The Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Aug. 22 also is under consideration.

Sat, 08/08/2015 - 14:35

Large field likely for Arlington Million

Bill Denver/Equi-Photo
Big Blue Kitten is one of two horses trainer Chad Brown plans to run in the Arlington Million..

A big field appears likely for the 33rd Arlington Million after 14 older horses were pre-entered for the 1 1/4-mile turf race Saturday at Arlington Park in suburban Chicago.

Pre-entries for the Grade 1 Million and the three other major turf races that comprise the International Festival of Racing were released Saturday. Ten fillies and mares were pre-entered in the Grade 1, $700,000 Beverly D.; nine 3-year-olds in the Grade 1, $450,000 Secretariat; and 11 older horses in the Grade 3, $350,000 American St. Leger.

Sat, 08/08/2015 - 13:31

Class Leader targets Pacific Classic

Barbara D. Livingston
Class Leader is winless in his five starts since capturing the 2014 Sir Barton Stakes.

DEL MAR, Calif. – In January, Hard Aces joined trainer John Sadler’s California stable with the goal of starting in the major stakes on the circuit for older horses. The acquisition proved to be successful when Hard Aces won the $500,000 Gold Cup at Santa Anita on June 27.

Sadler recently added another runner for the older horse division to his stable in Class Leader, the winner of the Sir Barton Stakes at Pimlico in 2014. Class Leader is scheduled to make his California debut in the $1 million Pacific Classic on Aug. 22.

Sat, 08/08/2015 - 13:20

Spanish Queen to miss Del Mar Oaks

Shigeki Kikkawa
Spanish Queen, wnner of the American Oaks, is gearing up for the $1 million Belmont Oaks on July 4.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Spanish Queen, the winner of the Grade 1 American Oaks at Santa Anita on May 30, will miss the $300,000 Del Mar Oaks on Aug. 15 because of a bruised foot.

Trainer Richard Baltas said on Saturday that there is concern that the injury could be more serious. Baltas said Spanish Queen will undergo a nuclear scan that can reveal more subtle injuries. The bruised foot was detected after Spanish Queen worked on turf Aug. 2.

“She was sore the next day,” Baltas said.

Sat, 08/08/2015 - 12:44

Higgins to be Saratoga's first female steward

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – In the summers of her youth, she hung around the Saratoga barn of Hall of Fame trainer Allen Jerkens, for whom her father, Bill, worked. Her great-uncle on her mother’s side was the legendary trainer Charlie Whittingham.

So, it wasn’t a stretch that Erinn Higgins would find her calling on the racetrack. It is, however, a bit of a surprise that Higgins would find herself in the role of steward.

On Monday, Higgins, 27, will become the first woman to serve in the stewards’ stand at Saratoga.

Sat, 08/08/2015 - 11:53

American Pharoah just jogs Saturday

Barbara D. Livingston
Bob Baffert has brought American Pharoah to Monmouth Park looking for his eighth win in the Haskell.

DEL MAR, Calif. – American Pharoah, the Triple Crown winner, merely jogged again Saturday morning at Del Mar, the second straight day he has jogged since returning to the track following his victory last Sunday in the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park.

American Pharoah walked Monday, flew later that morning from New Jersey to California, and walked here from Tuesday through Thursday. He jogged Friday and Saturday.

Fri, 08/07/2015 - 15:41

Who will challenge Stryker Phd in Longacres Mile?

Shigeki Kikkawa
Alert Bay (right), shown winning the California Cup Turf Classic, is a confirmed starter for next weekend's Longacres Mile.

AUBURN, Wash. – The field for next Sunday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Longacres Mile has started to take shape, which means everyone is getting in line behind Stryker Phd, the defending champion and likely short-priced favorite in the 80th running of the Northwest’s richest race.

Fri, 08/07/2015 - 14:31

Messi shows promise with back-to-back allowance wins

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – It certainly won’t be easy for trainer Graham Motion to find a replacement for the recently retired turf champion Main Sequence.

Motion will not throw that burden upon Messi, despite two eye-catching allowance victories in as many starts, but if Motion is to score a repeat in the Grade 1 Sword Dancer – upgraded to $1 million and moved to the undercard of the Travers this year – Messi is the one who could provide it.

Fri, 08/07/2015 - 14:01

American Pharoah acts like fresh horse during jog

Barbara D. Livingston
American Pharoah, shown winning last Sunday's Haskell at Monmouth Park, jogged a slow mile Friday at Del Mar.

DEL MAR, Calif. – American Pharoah was eager for activity during a one-mile jog at Del Mar on Friday, the first exercise for the Triple Crown winner since a victory in the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on Aug. 2.

Shortly after 8 a.m., American Pharoah jogged a slow mile in a clockwise direction under exercise rider Jorge Alvarez. Staying close to the outside rail, American Pharoah went around the track at a leisurely pace and wanted to do more, Alvarez said later.