In less than a year, jockey Taylor Rice went from hanging on to fitting in.
A year ago at this time, Rice still hadn’t ridden in her first race. She spent most of her July afternoons standing alongside the starting gate at Presque Isle Downs, watching how riders and horses behaved and broke from the gate.
Richard Baltas had two horses when he went out on his own anew as a trainer two years ago, was up to 22 when Del Mar started last summer, and now has 38 runners, headed by the stakes-winning older sprinter Big Macher, who is scheduled to make his next start July 27 in the Grade 1, $300,000 Bing Crosby Stakes.
That extra business has caused Baltas to add to his staff, and he has brought aboard the well-known exercise rider David Meah, who most recently worked for Doug O’Neill and will take on added responsibilities under Baltas.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Alterite was good enough to win a Grade 1 stakes in her first start in the United States last September. She’s going to have to be even better in order to win a Grade 1 in her first start of her 4-year-old season in Saturday’s $500,000 Diana Stakes at Saratoga.
A win in the Grade 3 Senorita Stakes at Santa Anita on June 28 is the defining performance in the career of Sheza Smoke Show. But it only makes her one of several contenders in Saturday’s $200,000 San Clemente Stakes at Del Mar.
With conditions similar to the Senorita – 3-year-old fillies running a mile on turf – trainer Peter Eurton is confident that Sheza Smoke Show can repeat that effort in the Grade 2 San Clemente.
“Her energy level is good,” Eurton said. “It won’t be an easy spot, but it never is in a Grade 2.”
Social Inclusion, who finished third as the favorite behind runaway winner Bayern in the Grade 2 Woody Stephens on June 7 at Belmont Park, sizzled a half-mile in 45.65 at Gulfstream Park on Wednesday as he continues to prepare for the Grade 1 Haskell at Monmouth a week from Sunday.
According to the track clockers, Social Inclusion was all out most of the way while posting a 22.63 opening quarter split and he galloped out five-eighths in 59.61.
Bayern, who won the Woody Stephens Stakes on the Belmont Stakes undercard last month, worked five furlongs on Polytrack in 1:02.80 Wednesday at Del Mar in preparation for a scheduled start July 27 in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth.
Bayern worked at 6:30 a.m., before the mid-morning renovation break.
“He went good,” said his trainer, Bob Baffert. “The track was really slow early this morning. He was just cruising around there.”
Summer Front is on the road again. After shipping to Santa Anita to finish second in the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile last month, he is returning anew from New York for the Grade 1, $300,000 Eddie Read Stakes on Sunday at Del Mar, trainer Christophe Clement said Wednesday from Saratoga.
“He’s leaving today and will be with you tonight,” Clement said.
Joe Bravo, who rode Summer Front in the Shoemaker Mile, will be back aboard, Clement said.
“I thought he gave him a very good ride in the Shoemaker, and he knows the horse very well,” Clement said.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Caracortado is entered Friday at Del Mar. One might normally say Caracortado is racing Friday at Del Mar, but why risk jinxing things? He’s gotten this far before in recent years, but repeated setbacks have kept him from the races.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The 146th meeting at Saratoga could answer these questions: Is less more, and will more mean less?
Hoping to emphasize quality over quantity at the 40-day Saratoga meet that begins Friday, the New York Racing Association plans to run approximately 15 to 20 fewer races than the 420 conducted in 2013. Martin Panza, NYRA’s senior vice president of racing operations, said he wants to write fewer cheaper races if possible, but he also knows he’s dealing with a foal crop that has shrunk over the last several years, making for fewer high-level horses.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Noble Mission, one of the better older horses in Europe this season, is under consideration for the Arlington Million, Juddmonte Farms racing manager Teddy Grimthorpe said Wednesday.
Juddmonte has a strong older U.S.-based grass horse in Seek Again, but trainer Bill Mott said this week that Seek Again might bypass the Million in favor of the Fourstardave at Saratoga since Juddmonte had another horse potentially pointed to the Million.
