ETOBICOKE, Ontario – While Tower of Texas ran on to victory in Sunday’s Grade 2 King Edward Stakes at Woodbine, a notable absentee from the race was River Seven, who finished third in the Grade 2 Connaught Cup on May 30.
River Seven was on track to start in the King Edward Stakes, but trainer Nick Gonzalez opted not to enter the 5-year-old son of Johannesburg after he trained unsatisfactorily in the days leading up to the race.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Midnight Aria ran to his second consecutive runner-up finish in the Grade 2 Eclipse Stakes on June 7 and will be looking to find the winner’s circle when he returns to the same distance of his 2013 Queen’s Plate triumph in the Grade 3, $150,000 Dominion Day Handicap on July 1 at Woodbine.
“He’s doing real well,” trainer Nick Gonzalez said. “He came out of the Eclipse just right. I think a mile and a quarter hits him on the head.”
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – After running second to Sky Treasure in the Grade 2 Nassau Stakes on May 23, Deceptive Vision is on track to stretch out in the Grade 2, $200,000 Dance Smartly Stakes over 1 1/8 miles on turf on Queen’s Plate Day, July 5, trainer Malcolm Pierce said.
Pierce said Deceptive Vision came out of the Nassau well, and he was pleased with her five-furlong breeze in 1:00.20 on the turf training track Sunday.
“So far, we’re on target for the Dance Smartly,” he said. “I’m happy with her. She’s doing good. She’s training good. I was very pleased with her work.”
ARCADIA, Calif. – A one-mile workout for Texas Red on a warm Sunday afternoon at Santa Anita accomplished goals trainer Keith Desormeaux had in mind for the winner of the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.
Desormeaux said he wanted to replicate weather conditions Texas Red may face at Belmont Park for the $500,000 Dwyer Stakes at Belmont Park on July 4. Temperatures were in the low 90s Sunday at Santa Anita.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Four nominees for next Saturday’s $500,000 Gold Cup at Santa Anita, including the 2015 stakes winners Majestic City and Motown Men, had their final workouts on Sunday.
Motown Men, the winner of the Tiznow Stakes for California-breds on May 23, went the farthest, exercising seven furlongs in 1:23.40 under jockey Tyler Baze. Motown Men began the workout alone, but was joined a half-mile from the finish by an unidentified horse from another stable.
“I wouldn’t let him by,” Baze said.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Stellar Wind and Tara’s Tango were separated by a nose in Saturday’s $200,250 Summertime Oaks at Santa Anita. They may be on the same course through the summer.
Both are expected to start during the Del Mar summer meeting, and could meet again in the $1 million Cotillion Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles at Parx Racing on Sept. 19.
How they get there remains to be seen. Sunday, trainer John Sadler said he is weighing options for Stellar Wind, who won the third stakes of her career in the Grade 2 Summertime Oaks for 3-year-old fillies.
ARCADIA, Calif. – The 2015 graded stakes winners Finnegans Wake and Majestic City were confirmed Saturday as starters for the $500,000 Gold Cup at Santa Anita on June 27.
Finnegans Wake, the winner of three graded stakes on turf, worked a half-mile in 48.20 seconds Saturday at the San Luis Rey Downs training center in northern San Diego County.
“He did it very easily and galloped out strongly,” trainer Peter Miller said.
ARCADIA, Calif. – American Pharoah had his first exercise since arriving at Santa Anita on Thursday, jogging on the main track Saturday morning.
American Pharoah was eager for activity, according to regular exercise rider Jorge Alvarez.
“He was pretty fresh,” Alvarez said.
American Pharoah was flown Thursday from Churchill Downs to Santa Anita. He walked at Baffert’s barn Friday and will continue to exercise regularly in the coming days. On Saturday, Baffert said he is considering giving American Pharoah a workout June 27 or 28.
When three generations of the Bryant family landed in the winner’s circle after the Bucharest Stakes in February with their Meme Jo, it was one of those life-affirming moments racing regularly bestows on its own.
George Bryant, his son, George A. Bryant, and his granddaughter, Lexington Bryant, will be hoping for more of that kind of rush on Sunday as they celebrate Father’s Day at Lone Star Park.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Crius appears to be on his way to becoming one of the leaders of the local 3-year-old division. It’s really no big surprise. He is the second starter out of multiple stakes winner Excited Miss. Excited Miss’s first starter is Arabella’s Muse, who moved to the top of the local filly-and-mare division when she scored a one-length win over Hollywood Miss in the $50,000 Vancouver Sun on June 7.
