SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - A few days after Bashart won a maiden race at Saratoga on Aug. 18, owner Jeff Weiss got an e-mail from trainer Todd Pletcher’s assistant notifying him the colt was being pointed for the Grade 2 With Anticipation Stakes.
Weiss, knowing that race was run just 11 days later, shot back an e-mail that read “What are you talking about? You must have the wrong horse.”
Nope, it was the right horse.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Once upon a time, Saturday's Grade 1, $750,000 Woodward Stakes at Saratoga was going to be a spectacular race with eight horses, plenty of speed, and some quality closers.
What remains - after the defections of Cross Traffic on Wednesday and Fort Larned on Thursday - is a good race with six starters, and a whole new pace dynamic, one that could compromise the closers.
Trainer D. Wayne Lukas said he will have a division at Laurel Park this fall in addition to Churchill Downs.
Lukas, the trainer of Travers Stakes winner Will Take Charge, said he will send 15 to 20 horses to Laurel, a division that will then go to Oaklawn Park at the end of the year.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Rydilluc did something here Thursday he hadn’t done in almost four months – work on the main track – although trainer Gary Contessa said the horse, a Grade 3 winner on grass, won’t be racing on dirt anytime soon.
Breezing for the first time since finishing a tiring 11th in the Grade 1 Secretariat on Aug. 17, Rydilluc went an easy half-mile in 49.74 seconds, completing the final quarter-mile in 24.54.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Brazen Persuasion and Bahnah were right next to each other at the finish when they dead-heated for the win in the Grade 3 Schuylerville Stakes at Saratoga here on opening day.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Fast Bullet and Justin Phillip make up a formidable entry for owner Ahmed Zayat and figure to be tough to beat in Saturday’s $500,000 Forego.
AUBURN, Wash. – A highly competitive $15,000 claiming sprint will serve as the feature race Saturday during a nine-race card at Emerald Downs. First post is 2 p.m. Pacific.
The seven horses entered in the 6 1/2-furlong feature have finished in the top two in 19 of 34 starts at the Emerald meeting, and only Edge Forward, who has been competing in stakes and allowance races, is without at least one victory. Come Away Home, who prevailed under similar conditions in his last start while earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 82, is likely to start as the favorite.
DEL MAR, Calif. - California Chrome will not have an easy race to finish the Del Mar meeting.
Winner of the Graduation Stakes for California-breds on July 31, California Chrome will start in Wednesday’s $300,000 Del Mar Futurity instead of Monday’s $150,000 I’m Smokin Stakes for California-bred 2-year-olds over six furlongs.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – After a long, hard, albeit successful 3-year-old season, Silver Max had gotten off to a rough start to begin his 4-year-old campaign.
If his last race was any indication, Silver Max is back on his game. After rolling to a 5 3/4-length victory in the Grade 3 Oceanport last month at Monmouth Park, Silver Max will be the horse to catch and beat in Saturday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Bernard Baruch Handicap at Saratoga.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Sunday Rules may stay within the California-bred 2-year-old filly division this fall after a convincing win in her stakes debut in Wednesday’s $150,000 Generous Portion Stakes.
Trainer Mike Mitchell said Thursday that he had not finalized a next start for Sunday Rules, but was intrigued by the newly created $200,000 Golden State Juvenile Fillies for 2-year-old California-bred fillies over a mile on Nov. 1.
