OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Next, who had been mentioned as possible for last weekend’s Grade 2 Suburban Stakes, is being pointed to the Grade 2, $200,000 Brooklyn at 1 3/8 miles at Aqueduct on July 5, trainer Doug Cowans said.
Cowans said he kept Next out of the Suburban because “I was very worried about the pace scenario. I felt the Brooklyn was the better spot. The longer the better for this horse.”
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – After Leave No Trace returned to her stakes-winning form in last month’s Grade 3 Vagrancy at Aqueduct, trainer Phil Serpe set her summer goal as the Grade 1 Ballerina at Saratoga on Aug. 24. His choices on how to get Leave No Trace to that race were Saturday’s Grade 2 Bed o’ Roses or the Grade 2 Honorable Miss Handicap at Saratoga on July 24.
Serpe chose the Bed o’ Roses thinking it was going to come up a short field. Naturally, the Bed o’ Roses drew 10 fillies and mares when it was drawn on Tuesday.
The Alameda County Fair meeting begins a four-week run at Pleasanton on Friday under the direction of a management team tasked with the not-so-simple job of salvaging Northern California racing in coming months.
Golden Gate Fields in Albany, near Oakland, closed permanently on Sunday. The track served as a regional hub, hosting more than seven months of racing annually since the closure of Bay Meadows in 2008.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Three-time leading Woodbine rider Kazushi Kimura has hired Tom Patton as his new agent, replacing Jordan Miller.
Kimura was the Sovereign Award winner for outstanding jockey while leading the Woodbine standings from 2021-2023. The 24-year-old native of Japan is currently tied for sixth at Woodbine with 12 wins from 105 mounts, including one stakes victory.
Patton also books mounts for the promising 19-year-old apprentice Pietro Moran, who is tied for 10th in the standings with eight wins.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Missed the Cut, winner of two Grade 3 turf marathons at Santa Anita earlier this year, worked five furlongs on dirt in 1:00.20 on Monday in advance of a scheduled departure on Wednesday for the Royal Ascot meeting in Britain later this month.
Trained by John Sadler, Missed the Cut is rated as a 12-1 chance with British bookmakers for the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes for older horses at 1 1/2 miles at Ascot on June 22.
Sadler said on Sunday that Missed the Cut will be ridden by James Doyle, who is based in Britain.
ARCADIA, Calif. – The manner of Parenting’s first start around two turns in Sunday’s $100,000 Affirmed Stakes for 3-year-olds at Santa Anita has left Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert enthusiastic about the colt’s future.
In all likelihood, Baffert will know very soon where Parenting rates in the national division.
Parenting, a colt by Justify who races for Gandharvi LLC, is unbeaten in two starts. He won a maiden race at 5 1/2 furlongs by 2 3/4 lengths on April 26, and the Affirmed Stakes at 1 1/16 miles by 7 1/2 lengths as the 4-5 favorite.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – After watching Mindframe stick his head in front of Dornoch in early stretch, one couldn’t blame trainer Todd Pletcher, owner Mike Repole, and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. for thinking they were on their way to winning Saturday’s historic, first-ever Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. Unfortunately, the two intangibles they feared the most coming into the race – his inexperience and the added distance – likely wound up proving the difference between what would have been a memorable victory and a most frustrating defeat.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Making Thorpedo Anna’s victory in Friday’s Grade 1 Acorn Stakes at Saratoga more impressive than the 5 1/2-length margin over Leslie’s Rose was the fact she did it on three shoes.
Trainer Kenny McPeek said Saturday that Thorpedo Anna lost her right front shoe in the Acorn, something he believes happened at the break.
McPeek said Thorpedo Anna’s foot was “a little tender” but otherwise she was fine. McPeek said the foot was packed in poultice Friday night.
“The blacksmith’s already addressed it,” McPeek said.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - The yet-to-be-named full brother to Fierceness is close to making his debut.
On Friday, at Saratoga, the 2-year-old colt by City of Light out of the mare Nonna Bella worked a sharp half-mile in 48 seconds out of the gate, according to Daily Racing Form. It was his second straight work out of the gate.
“He’s come in, trained well, very straight forward much like his brother,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “Last week’s work from the gate was good and today’s was an improvement.”
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - While trainer Graham Motion mulls a possible trip to Australia in November for the Melbourne Cup for The Grey Wizard, he has no immediate plans for the Grade 2 Belmont Gold Cup winner.
The Grey Wizard got up in the final stride to win the two-mile Belmont Gold Cup by a head over Champagne Juan. The victory earned The Grey Wizard an automatic spot in the Melbourne Cup, also run at two miles.
