LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Fort Larned, the 2012 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner, will make his next start Sept. 28 in the new Homecoming Classic at his home track of Churchill Downs and not the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park the same day, as had been originally planned.
Trainer Ian Wilkes said he had a change of heart after evaluating all the factors involved in getting Fort Larned back to the $5 million BC Classic, which is set for Nov. 2 at Santa Anita.
Michael Matz enjoyed a good day at Woodbine on Sunday as the trainer of Minakshi and Colonial Flag, the top two finishers in the Grade 2, $306,400 Canadian Stakes for fillies and mares over 1 1/8 miles on turf. The result was not very surprising to Matz, who expected good things from the 4-year-old Colonial Flag and the 5-year-old Minakshi.
Led by Belmont Stakes winner Palace Malice, trainer Todd Pletcher put a bevy of his stakes stars through workouts at Saratoga on Monday over the Oklahoma training track. Palace Malice, preparing for the Jockey Club Gold Cup on Sept. 28, worked five furlongs in 1:02.03 after covering his first eighth in 14 seconds.
The rematch is set.
Will Take Charge and Moreno, separated by a nose in last month’s $1 million Travers Stakes at Saratoga, head a field of eight entered Monday for Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing.
Will Take Charge, trained by D. Wayne Lukas, drew the outside post, while Moreno, trained by Eric Guillot, will leave from post 3.
Joyful Victory continued working for her final prep for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff when breezing five furlongs in 1:00.40 on Monday at Churchill for trainer Larry Jones.
Joyful Victory, owned by Fox Hill Farms, will make her next start in the Grade 1 Zenyatta on Sept. 28 at Santa Anita, where earlier this year the 5-year-old mare won the Grade 1 Santa Margarita by four lengths. The Nov. 1 Distaff also will be run at Santa Anita.
ELMONT, N.Y. – These are heady times for trainer Leah Gyarmati, who ended the Saratoga meet with her first Grade 1 victory and began the Belmont fall season with two victories, including one from another promising juvenile prospect.
Not bad for an outfit that had just 20 horses as of Monday morning, though a new prospect was set to arrive Tuesday.
Owner Carlo Vaccarezza has announced that Little Mike, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Turf last year, will run next in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic on Sept. 28 at Belmont instead of the Shadwell Turf Mile a week later at Keeneland.
The $600,000 Joe Hirsch goes at 1 1/2 miles, while the $750,000 Shadwell is run at a mile. Both are Grade 1 events.
Vaccarezza had been leaning toward the Shadwell Mile since Little Mike, winless in four starts this year, finished sixth in the Aug. 17 Arlington Million. Dale Romans trains.
A field of nine 3-year-old fillies has been entered for the weekend feature at Churchill Downs, the Grade 3, $100,000 Dogwood Stakes on Saturday. Sky Girl, a recent private purchase for the Alpha Delta Stables, will make her first start for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott when breaking from post 1 in the seven-furlong race.
So Many Ways, winner of the Grade 3 Eight Belles and most recently fourth in the Grade 1 Test at Saratoga, is the likely Dogwood favorite. She will be ridden by Miguel Mena from post 4.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Favorites won nine of 10 races Saturday on the biggest day of the abbreviated Kentucky Downs meet, perhaps partly accounting for why the turf-only track in south central Kentucky was up 50 percent in all-sources handle versus the corresponding date in 2012.
ELMONT, N.Y. – The pick six was not hit over the weekend at Belmont Park, resulting in a carryover of $176,813 heading into Wednesday’s card.
Life doesn’t get any easier for pick-six players, with large fields in all races – only one race has fewer than nine betting interests before scratches – five of which are scheduled for the turf. After some light showers Monday morning, pristine conditions were expected Tuesday and Wednesday, with temperatures near 70 degrees and no rain.
