With the 29-day Ellis Park meet entering its final two-week stretch, apprentice rider Juan Saez continues to pull away atop the jockeys’ standings. Saez, the 17-year-old younger brother of New York-based standout Luis Saez, entered Friday with 37 wins at the meet that began July 3, 16 more than his closest pursuer, Miguel Mena.
The Ellis trainers’ race is much closer. Buff Bradley entered Friday as the leader with eight wins, with Dale Romans (seven) and Ken McPeek (six) right behind.
Turf Paradise unveiled a $1.6 million stakes schedule as the Phoenix track prepares for its 59th racing season. The 144-day meet opens Oct. 18 and runs through May 5. The 42-stakes roster is headed by the $75,000 Phoenix Gold Cup on Feb. 14.
This will be the first meeting with phone wagering. That, plus a reduction in dates and races, will result in an increase of between 5 percent and 10 percent for overnight purses. Phone wagering was signed into law last May and went into effect this month.
Longtime assistant trainer Joe Sharp soon will be leaving the employ of Mike Maker to open a public stable that will be based in Kentucky for most of the year and at Fair Grounds during the winter.
Sharp, 29, said this week from Saratoga that he hopes to have about 10 horses either at Churchill or the nearby Trackside training center after the Saratoga meet ends Sept. 1. He said he has a handful of clients lined up and that Maker “is super-supportive of me going out on my own.” Among the owners for whom he might be training are Ken and Sarah Ramsey, said Sharp.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Dayatthespa was one of seven fillies and mares entered Wednesday for Saturday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Ballston Spa Stakes at Saratoga, but she is not a definite to run.
Trainer Chad Brown said he planned to cross-enter Dayatthespa in Sunday’s $150,000 Yaddo Stakes for New York-bred fillies and mares, a race that is expected to attract the Grade 1 winner Discreet Marq. Dayatthespa’s last win came in the Yaddo Stakes here last summer.
Both the Ballston Spa and Yaddo are run at 1 1/16 miles on turf.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Nobody has trained any faster or has looked any happier here over the past two weeks than Fast Anna, who’ll try to keep his record unblemished in Saturday’s $500,000 King’s Bishop.
Fast Anna was one of eight horses entered Wednesday for the Grade 1 King’s Bishop, drawing post 6, which puts him right next to another of the primary speed horses in the field, The Big Beast, who’ll break from post 7.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Cigar Street was well on his way to becoming a major player in the older male division last year when he was sidelined by injury. Away from the races for 17 months, Cigar Street returns to the races Friday at Saratoga in a $93,000, third-level allowance race at 1 1/8 miles.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Sunday’s card at Saratoga will be devoted to New York-breds, but perhaps the best advertisement for the advancements made in the statebred program over the years is Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Ballerina Stakes.
Four of the nine horses entered for the seven-furlong stakes for fillies and mares are New York-breds: Artemis Agrotera, Hot Stones, La Verdad, and Willet.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Among the most frequent players during the Triple Crown series this year, California Chrome isn’t the only notable name missing from the Travers Stakes lineup Saturday at Saratoga.
Ride On Curlin, one of just three horses to compete in all three 2014 Triple Crown events, also is far from the Travers fray, having been turned out in Kentucky about Aug. 1, according to Churchill Downs-based trainer Billy Gowan.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Irish Surf, the winner of the Cougar II Handicap over 1 1/2 miles on Polytrack on July 25, will be entered for Saturday’s $250,000 Del Mar Handicap over 1 3/8 miles on turf as well as Sunday’s $1 million Pacific Classic over 1 1/4 miles on Polytrack. Trainer Dan Hendricks said Wednesday that Irish Surf is more likely to run in the Pacific Classic.
DEL MAR, Calif. – All Silentio has known in his 13-race career is racing on turf, with two graded stakes wins and a third-place finish in the 2013 Breeders’ Cup Mile at Santa Anita among the highlights.
This weekend, there will be a change. Trainer Gary Mandella will run Silentio in Sunday’s $250,000 Pat O’Brien Stakes over seven furlongs on Polytrack instead of the $250,000 Del Mar Mile on turf the same day.
