SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- Irad Ortiz Jr., the leading rider at the Saratoga meet, will serve a three-day suspension, Aug. 14-16, for his ride aboard On a Spree in the seventh race here on Aug. 1.
The stewards deemed that On a Spree interfered with Complete Agenda at the top of the stretch of that turf race. On a Spree was disqualified from first and placed second behind Complete Agenda, ridden by Flavien Prat, who had finished second.
The repercussions of moving the Ruidoso Downs meeting to The Downs at Albuquerque because of a damaged Ruidoso Downs racing surface has created a blockbuster program on Labor Day, Sept. 2.
The $3 million All American Futurity and $250,000 All American Gold Cup for older horses were scheduled for Sept. 2 and will be joined that afternoon by the $700,000 All American Derby and $500,000 All American Oaks for fillies, which have been postponed from Sept. 1.
White Sands, the easy winner of two starts in the Midwest, will have her first start in a graded stakes at Del Mar this weekend. The actual race will be determined.
As of Wednesday, trainer Wesley Ward was unsure whether White Sands would start in Saturday’s Grade 3 Sorrento Stakes against 2-year-old fillies, or Sunday’s Grade 3 Best Pal Stakes against males. Both races are worth $150,000 and run at 6 1/2 furlongs.
“I might enter both and make a decision,” Ward said.
Chismosa, the winner of two sprint stakes at Santa Anita earlier this year, was given a brief furlough from extensive training last month in advance of a scheduled start in the Grade 3 Rancho Bernardo Stakes for fillies and mares at Del Mar on Aug. 25.
Chismosa finished seventh of 10 in the Great Lady M. Stakes at Los Alamitos on July 6, her worst result in eight starts this year.
“We decided to give her a rest,” said owner and breeder Jaime Renella. “She’s been running way too often.”
Johannes, California’s leading turf miler this year, will be raced sparingly in advance of an intended start in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Del Mar on Nov. 2.
Trainer Tim Yakteen said on Wednesday that Johannes is likely to skip the next race for the division – the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile on Aug. 31 – in favor of the Grade 2 City of Hope Mile at Santa Anita on Sept. 28.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – With heavy rains from Tropical Storm Debby likely to impact racing at Saratoga on Friday and Saturday, the New York Racing Association plans to card the Grade 1 Fourstardave and Grade 1 Saratoga Derby as contingency races for Sunday’s card.
That means, should the weather dictate that turf racing cannot be conducted Saturday, those two races will be run Sunday, as drawn. They would be run as the final two races on the card and be excluded from horizontal wagers such as the late pick five and pick six.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Jockey Brian Hernandez Jr, who won this year’s Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks, was selected as the winner of the Mike Venezia Award, presented annually to a jockey who displays the extraordinary sportsmanship and citizenship that personified Venezia, who died as the result of injuries suffered in a spill in 1988. Venezia won more than 2,300 races during his 25-year career.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – For the first time in nearly two decades trainer Ian Wilkes did not take stalls at Saratoga for the summer but he won’t go the entire meet without running a horse here.
Wilkes is pointing Just Basking to the Grade 1 Alabama on Aug. 17 and Positano Sunset to the Grade 1 Ballerina on Aug. 24. The Alabama will be run at 1 1/4 miles, the Ballerina at seven furlongs.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Master of The Seas, a three-time Grade 1 winner in the United States, including last year’s Breeders’ Cup Mile, will scratch from Saturday’s Grade 1 Fourstardave Handicap at Saratoga due to a foot bruise. Chris Connett, assistant to trainer Charlie Appleby, announced the news Wednesday.
Depending how quickly the horse recovers, he could train up to the Woodbine Mile on Sept. 14, Connett said.
“It’s on the table,” Connett said. “He’ll have a few easy days and then hopefully we’ll be back to normal with him.”
Colonial Downs announced Wednesday that it will shift the Arlington Million card scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 10, to Sunday, Aug. 11, owing to the forecast of heavy rain from Tropical Storm Debby.
Colonial on Tuesday decided to move its Thursday and Friday cards to Monday and Tuesday, respectively, and on Wednesday, with the possibility that several inches of rain could fall between Wednesday afternoon and Friday night, elected to move Saturday’s 12-race program to Sunday, normally a dark day for the Virginia track.
