SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – When the connections of Untapable decided to face males in the $1 million Haskell Invitational, My Miss Sophia, runner-up to Untapable in the Kentucky Oaks, figured to inherit the role of favorite for the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks.
Only thing is, My Miss Sophia was not entered Thursday for Sunday’s Grade 1, $300,000 Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga.
Not surprisingly, none of the four $32,000 Hall of Fame stakes races scheduled at Hastings for Saturday and Sunday filled. With B.C. Cup Day coming up, it was a good idea to try to have races for non-British Columbia-bred stakes horses, but with the condition that seven horses had to be entered to make the race go, they were probably doomed from the start.
Trainer Marty Wolfson says he has no intention of rushing his sensational debut winner Atreides back following his 5 1/4-length debut win last Saturday, for which he earned a 105 Beyer Speed Figure. The performance was one of the best turned in by a first-time starter at Gulfstream Park, winter or summer, in quite some time.
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.
