Louisiana Flyboy and Palmy Bay, who gave trainer Pat Mouton a stakes double last Saturday at Louisiana Downs, might not see action again until the fall. Mouton is in no rush with either horse, with Palmy Bay having earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 100 for his win in the $50,000 Louisiana Cup Sprint and Louisiana Flyboy getting his first two-turn win in the $150,000 A.L. “Red” Erwin.
Eddie Graham trains off Runnymede Farm in Unionville, Pa. He has six horses under his care, four of whom are jumpers. He also conditions Hardest Core, a talented and improving turf marathoner who is likely to race next weekend in either the Grade 1 Sword Dancer at Saratoga or the $400,000 American St. Leger at Arlington Park. He also is pre-entered in the Arlington Million.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Dallas Stewart loves the way Unbridled Forever has trained since her runner-up finish to Stopchargingmaria in the Coaching Club American Oaks, and that includes the way she breezed Friday morning, going five furlongs in 1:00.46 over Saratoga’s main track.
Unbridled Forever went her first three furlongs in 35.75 seconds and got her final quarter in 24.71, according to Daily Racing Form ’s Mike Welsch, who caught her galloping out six furlongs in 1:14.94.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The news that Haskell Invitational winner Bayern was coming for the Travers didn’t necessarily bring a smile to the face of Jimmy Jerkens, the trainer of Jim Dandy Stakes winner Wicked Strong.
The way Wicked Strong worked Friday morning did.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Graham Motion was still anguishing a bit over the heartbreaking defeat Holiday Star suffered in Wednesday’s John’s Call Stakes as he made the drive back to Saratoga from his home base at the Fair Hill Training Center late Friday morning. Holiday Star was beaten a couple of inches by the rail-skimming Tricky Hat after being hung wide from the outside post 6 in the 1 5/8-mile John’s Call.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Mel Stute may be retired from training, but he still is a regular fixture at the track in the mornings and at the betting windows in the afternoons, and many of his friends gathered at the barn of his son, Gary, Friday morning to toast him on the occasion of his 87th birthday.
Ramos Gin Fizzes were being blended well before 8:30 a.m.
“In my younger days, that’s what you drank for a hangover,” Stute said.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Peter Miller, who trains Reneesgotzip, will welcome back one of his promising 2-year-olds from last year when Celtic Moon, now 3, makes his first start in 11 months Sunday in race 2.
Celtic Moon was second in the Grade 2 Best Pal Stakes last summer but has not been seen since finishing 10th of 11 in the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity on closing day.
“He had a shin fracture,” Miller said. “We did surgery. He’s been training very well for this.”
DEL MAR, Calif. – Living The Life had not run in almost four months prior to winning her U.S. debut Thursday, but she could come back a lot quicker for her next race, trainer Gary Mandella said Friday.
Living The Life was an easy winner of an optional claimer under jockey Mike Smith, so much so that Mandella said he is considering running Living The Life in the Grade 3, $150,000 Rancho Bernardo Handicap on Aug. 17, a race expected to be topped by the defending race winner, Reneesgotzip, but not expected to have a large field.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – According to Glen Todd, the British Columbia Horse Racing Industry Management Committee confirmed that the four racing days tentatively scheduled for Oct. 18, 19, 25, and 26 at Hastings will be held. Todd sits on the government-appointed committee as the horsemen’s representative.
When the dates were originally released, certain budget conditions had to be met by July 31 in order for the four days to be run.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Trainer Robbie Anderson has seen enough of Koffee Grinder and is planning to ship Off the Top to Northlands Park to run in next Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Canadian Derby.
Off the Top finished second behind Koffee Grinder in his last two races – the $50,000 Chris Loseth on July 1 and the B.C. Cup Stellar’s Jay last Monday.
“My horse ran two very good races, but he might not be the kind of horse Koffee Grinder is,” said Anderson.
