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.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Eurico Rosa Da Silva did not have mounts in Sunday’s Woodbine Mile or Canadian Stakes. But Da Silva took care of the other two stakes on the program, capturing the Grade 1, $315,600 Northern Dancer Turf with Forte Dei Marmi and the Grade 3, $171,900 Ontario Derby with His Race to Win.
“Yesterday definitely was very special,” said Da Silva, who was here to breeze horses for clients Monday. “It was the first time I’ve won a Grade 1 here at Woodbine.”
Dallas Stewart has heard the criticism in regard to his handling of Golden Soul. “They” say he should have settled for getting the colt through an allowance condition or two before overstepping his bounds in Grade 1 races such as the Haskell and Travers. Golden Soul was not a factor in either.
Still, Stewart laughs when recalling what some of these same people might have been saying after Golden Soul finished second at 34-1 behind Orb in the May 4 Kentucky Derby.
“I was hearing how smart I was after the Derby,” he said.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Wise Dan, winner of the 2012 Woodbine Mile, was hailed as a conquering hero well before the field of six went to the post for Sunday’s Grade 1, $1 million Woodbine Mile. And, fortunately for the faithful, the 6-year-old version of Wise Dan proved to be as good or better than the one previously seen here as he cruised to a 3 1/2-length victory in a track-record time of 1:31.75 under regular rider John Velazquez.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Colleen’s Sailor gets some noteworthy class relief in the third race Wednesday night at Woodbine, in a $40,000 conditioned claimer going seven furlongs on the Polytrack.
Colleen’s Sailor had a productive 3-year-old campaign last year, under the guidance of Roger Attfield. He ran in all three legs of the Canadian Triple Crown, finishing fourth in the Queen’s Plate, third in the Prince of Wales Stakes, and then 12th in the Breeders’ Stakes on the grass.
Aces Again will be gunning for his third straight win in a $25,000 optional claimer that will serve as Wednesday’s feature at Northlands Park. The 6 1/2-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up drew six horses, and the versatile Aces Again has never been better.
