In the last three years, trainer Christophe Clement has won at a 24 percent rate (28 for 118) with horses returning from a layoff of 180 days or longer. Da Mi Basia Mille qualifies but would fall under the category of longer. Much longer.
Da Mi Basia Mille, which translates to “Give Me a Thousand Kisses,” makes her first start in 689 days in Saturday’s eighth race at Saratoga, an $85,000 first-level allowance for fillies and mares going a mile on turf.
The Grade 1 winner Centre Court, who finished last as the favorite in last year’s Grade 1 Diana, is back at Saratoga and pointing to the Grade 2, $250,000 Ballston Spa on Aug. 23, trainer Rusty Arnold said.
Centre Court, a six-time graded stakes winner, finished fifth in the Distaff Turf Mile as the 7-5 favorite at Churchill Downs on May 3. According to Arnold, Centre Court lost a shoe in the race “and beat up her foot pretty bad.”
Chris Kay, the New York Racing Association’s president and chief executive, said he is not in any rush to name a replacement for Tom Durkin, NYRA’s illustrious announcer who will retire from his position Aug. 31.
Kay on Wednesday said NYRA is in the middle of the interview process but said he doesn’t plan on having the new hire in place by Sept. 6, the opening day of the Belmont fall meet. Kay said John Imbriale, who calls the Aqueduct winter meet, likely will be the announcer at the start of the Belmont fall meet.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – My Miss Aurelia, the champion 2-year-old filly of 2011, will make her return to the races in Monday’s $100,000 Shine Again Stakes at Saratoga. But if her connections thought this would be a spot to ease her back into action after being away from the races for 15 months, they were mistaken.
The seven-furlong race, restricted to fillies who haven’t won a graded race this year, also drew Grade 1 winners Grace Hall and Better Lucky among its six entrants.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Eddie Plesa Jr. said Thursday he will switch gears with his handicap star Itsmyluckyday and point for the Grade 1 Whitney here Aug. 2 rather than keep him in New Jersey for the Grade 2 Monmouth Cup six days earlier, as originally planned.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Shared Belief, the undefeated champion 2-year-old male of 2013, worked a half-mile in 52.20 seconds at Golden Gate Fields on Thursday.
Shared Belief has won five races, including the $500,500 Los Alamitos Derby on July 5, his 2014 stakes debut. Shared Belief was sidelined earlier this year with foot problems but has won twice since returning to the track.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Iron Fist, purchased for $1.55 million at the Keeneland September yearling sale last year, will make his career debut in Saturday’s first race for 2-year-old maidens over five furlongs.
Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer described the gray colt by Tapit as a prospect capable of living up to his purchase price. Iron Fist races for Regis Farms and Stonestreet Stable.
“Everything has been good,” Hollendorfer said. “He should be ready to go five furlongs.”
DEL MAR, Calif. – After starts in graded stakes at Santa Anita in April and May, Premier Steps might find the $90,000 Osunitas Stakes at Del Mar on Saturday to be just what she needs to win her first stakes of 2014.
Trained by Tom Proctor, Premier Steps was third in the Grade 3 Wilshire Stakes over a mile April 27 and fifth in the Grade 1 Gamely Stakes over 1 1/8 miles May 26. The Gamely was the longest career race for Premier Steps, who was beaten four lengths by the winner, Miss Serendipity. The Osunitas is run over 1 1/16 miles on turf.
DEL MAR, Calif. – The turf miler No Jet Lag, who made a splashy debut here last summer, worked five furlongs on Polytrack in 1:00 on Wednesday in preparation for his comeback in the $90,000 Wickerr Stakes on July 23.
The time was the best of the morning among 53 works at the distance.
