Fri, 07/12/2024 - 14:49

Book'em Danno has options for next start at Saratoga or Monmouth

By Marcus Hersh
Debra A. Roma
Book'em Danno was an impressive winner of the Grade 1 Woody Stephens at Saratoga.

Monmouth houses one of the top one-turn 3-year-olds in North America, Book’em Danno, a smart winner of the Grade 1 Woody Stephens at seven furlongs in his most recent outing.

Trained by Derek Ryan, Book’em Danno wintered in Florida, traveling overseas to nearly win the one-mile Saudi Derby in February. Book’em Danno, who worked a bullet half-mile in 47 seconds Thursday at Monmouth, has northern New Jersey owners and is nominated to Friday’s Jersey Shore Stakes. But Ryan, reached by phone on Friday, remained coy regarding Book’em Danno’s next start.

Fri, 07/12/2024 - 14:30

Gargan fined $1,000 for behavior after Schuylerville

By David Grening
Danny Gargan.Belmont Stakes trophy.Saratoga June 8 2024
Barbara D. Livingston
Danny Gargan, shown hoisting the Belmont Stakes trophy after Dornoch's victory, was unhappy with how his filly Complexion was treated after rearing in the starting gate of the Schuylerville on Thursday.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Danny Gargan was fined $1,000 by the stewards for his behavior following Thursday’s Schuylerville Stakes when he yelled at the stewards on the phone in the winner’s circle and then hung up.

Gargan was upset after his filly Complexion – the co favorite in the race – reared up twice in the starting gate prior to the start of the Schuylerville, unseating jockey John Velazquez. She was reloaded and the gates were opened before he felt his filly was ready.

Fri, 07/12/2024 - 14:25

Schuylerville bomber The Queens M G will point to Adirondack

By David Grening
The Queens M G wins the Schuylerville at SAR JUly 11 2024
Barbara D. Livingston
The Queens M G rebounded from a last-place finish in the Astoria by winning the Schuylerville on Thursday. She paid $91 to win.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The Queens M G, 44-1 winner of Thursday’s $175,000 Schuylerville Stakes, will likely be wheeled back in the Grade 3, $200,000 Adirondack Stakes on Aug. 4, trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said Friday.

“Why wait so long?” Joseph said, referring to waiting for the Grade 1 Spinaway on Sept. 3. “Strike while the iron’s hot.”

Joseph was at Saratoga on Friday morning but on Thursday was stuck in a Florida airport, where he watched the race on his phone.

“We got delayed, but it made for a good flight,” he said.

Fri, 07/12/2024 - 14:25

Clement becomes United States citizen

By David Grening
Soldier Rising (right) works with Far Bridge at SAR July 5 2024
Barbara D. Livingston
Soldier Rising (right) and Far Bridge work on July 5. Soldier Rising will make his first start since November in the July 28 Bowling Green. Far Bridge will run in the United Nations at Monmouth Park next Saturday.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Christophe Clement, a native of France who has been in the United States for more than three decades, officially became a U.S. citizen on Wednesday.

“I’ve been in the country for 35 years, so I already considered myself an American,” Clement, 58, said. “Now, I’m officially an American. It’s good. It makes it easier when I pay my taxes.”

Fri, 07/12/2024 - 14:20

Just F Y I turned out for the summer

By David Grening
Barbara D. Livingston
Just F Y I, the juvenile filly champion of 2023, is expected to race next year at age 4.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Just F Y I, the 2-year-old filly champion of 2023, has been turned out for the summer and will likely be aimed at a 4-year-old campaign, trainer Bill Mott said Friday.

Just F Y I is currently at the Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland, where she will likely remain out of training through the end of August.

Mott said since Just F Y I “can’t be ready for the Breeders’ Cup” he would like to just focus on a 4-year-old campaign, though he didn’t rule out having her ready for something in late fall.

Fri, 07/12/2024 - 13:30

Warrior Johny ends losing streak in style

By Mike Welsch
Warrior Johny (right) wins at SAR July 11 2024
Debra A. Roma
Warrior Johny's four-length victory on Thursday snapped a seven-race losing streak by the 5-year-old gelding.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – After turning in a trio of subpar performances to close out his 2023 campaign, trainer Phil Bauer didn’t know where he was at with Warrior Johny. But the veteran horseman is now pretty certain where he stands after watching Warrior Johny dominate a stakes-caliber field of older allowance horses by four lengths on opening day of the Saratoga season.

Fri, 07/12/2024 - 12:13

Mystik Dan unlikely for Travers; has been relocated to Keeneland

By David Grening
Mystik Dan (not winner) at SAR June 8 2024
Debra A. Roma
Mystik Dan ran in all three legs of the Triple Crown, winning the Kentucky Derby, finishing second in the Preakness, and eighth in the Belmont.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - It is looking increasingly less likely that Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan will make the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers Stakes here on Aug. 24.

Trainer Kenny McPeek said Friday that he has sent Mystik Dan from Saratoga to Keeneland to train for the foreseeable future.

“I decided to get him back to the team down below, regular groom, regular rider,” McPeek said. “We’re not in a hurry to bring him back. I’m not going to press to make the Travers, let that come to us.”

Thu, 07/11/2024 - 20:11

Saratoga: Opening day handle down 9 percent on off-turf card

By David Grening
Debra A. Roma
Horses break from the gate during the first race of the 2024 Saratoga meet.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Even though it didn’t rain during the races Thursday, Mother Nature still had a negative impact on the opening-day card at Saratoga.

Heavy rain late Wednesday night and into the early hours of Thursday morning totaling 1.23 inches prompted the New York Racing Association to move all five scheduled turf races to the main track Thursday. There were 31 scratches in those races alone – one field was reduced to three horses – which put a damper on the betting.

Thu, 07/11/2024 - 19:31

Emma-Jayne Wilson sets record for career earnings by female jockey

By Ron Gierkink
Julie Wright
Emma-Jayne Wilson celebrates aboard Perfect Lady Bee after setting a record for career earnings by a female jockey.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Emma-Jayne Wilson surpassed Julie Krone’s earnings record for a female jockey on Thursday at Woodbine when scoring aboard the debuting Perfect Lady Bee for trainer Roger Attfield.

Wilson boosted her earnings to $90,152,742 aboard the Charles Fipke homebred, who was the 1,903th winner for the 42-year-old, from 14,300 mounts.

Julie Krone’s mounts earned $90,126,584 throughout a career that went from 1981 to 2004, during which she won 3,704 races on 21,412 rides.

Thu, 07/11/2024 - 08:15

King's Plate 2024: Casse holds strong hand with My Boy Prince, Essex Serpent, Midnight Mascot

By Ron Gierkink
Michael Burns
My Boy Prince wins the seven-furlong Queenston Stakes on June 9. He will stretch to 1 1/8 miles in the Plate Trial on July 20.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Mark Casse is probably going to win the 165th running of the $1 million King’s Plate, North America’s oldest annually run stakes, on Aug. 17 at Woodbine. The question is which one of his star 3-year-olds will prevail in the 1 1/4-mile Tapeta route for Canadian-breds?

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