SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Fort Larned, last year's Breeders' Cup Classic winner, will scratch from Saturday's Grade 1, $750,000 Woodward Stakes at Saratoga due to a hind end issue, trainer Ian Wilkes said Thursday.
Wilkes said he didn't like the way Fort Larned looked coming off the track following a Thursday morning gallop.
[SARATOGA 2013: Complete meet coverage, exclusive DRF videos]
Smash and Grab, returning six days after he was beaten as the 1-5 favorite in a half-mile allowance sprint at Timonium, handled the stretch out to a mile to win Thursday’s off-the-turf, $51,100 Nick Shuk Memorial Stakes at Delaware Park.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Not long after Lexie Lou took the Muskoka Stakes by disqualification, owner/trainer John Ross won his second $200,000 stakes on Wednesday night at Woodbine with favored Go Greeley in the Simcoe.
Go Greeley ($6.20) stalked the pace along the inside on the turn under Eurico Rosa Da Silva as Spin the King set moderate fractions in the 6 1/2-furlong sprint for 2-year-old males.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario — Lexie Lou won the $200,000 Muskoka Stakes on Wednesday night at Woodbine after the controversial disqualification of favored On Rainbow Bridge.
On Rainbow Bridge and Lexie Lou both came wide to link up on the lead early in the stretch of the 6 1/2-furlong dash for 2-year-old fillies. On Rainbow Bridge, under apprentice Skye Chernetz, gamely held off Lexie Lou while drifting out to prevail by a nose in 1:16.87.
DEL MAR, Calif. – All Del Mar stakes winners seem to win by 8 1/2 lengths these days.
After Game On Dude won Sunday’s $1 million Pacific Classic by that wide of a margin, the California-bred 2-year-old filly Sunday Rules conquered five rivals by 8 1/2 lengths in Wednesday’s $150,000 Generous Portion Stakes.
Sunday Rules ($2.60) remained unbeaten after two starts with her easy win.
DEL MAR, Calif. – The disputed Pacific Classic final time will stand.
Del Mar officials met Wednesday afternoon to discuss the final time of last Sunday’s Pacific Classic and decided that no disruption occurred with the timing mechanism, leaving the final time for Game On Dude’s electrifying win as 2:00.69 for 1 1/4 miles over the Polytrack synthetic surface.
Track timer Russ Hudak hand-timed the race in 1:59.96, while Trakus, a wireless radio frequency tracing system used at Del Mar, recorded a final time of 1:59.26.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - There will be a pick six carryover of $273,760 heading into Thursday’s 11-race card at Saratoga.
The pick six will start with the sixth race (3:34 p.m. Eastern) and include four turf races, highlighted by the Grade 2, $200,000 With Anticipation Stakes for 2-year-olds.
There was a pick six carryover of $65,602 heading into Wednesday’s card after the wager was not hit on Sunday. Wednesday’s sequence included longshot winners Blue Pigeon ($44.80), Indian Starlight ($27), Image of Disco ($31.20), and Lasso ($11.20).
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Long before opening day in mid-July, Ken Ramsey said it was his goal to be leading owner at Saratoga’s sesquicentennial meet.
Though that goal was achieved well in advance of closing week, Ramsey, who owns and breeds horses with his wife, Sarah, established a single-meet record for wins by an owner with 19 when Granny Mc’s Kitten won Wednesday’s $100,000 P. G. Johnson Stakes by 1 3/4 lengths over Duff One. It was 1 1/2 lengths back to Miss Frost in third.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Goldencents, the Santa Anita Derby winner who was beaten a length by Fed Biz in Sunday’s $251,750 Pat O’Brien Stakes, will stay in sprints this fall, trained Doug O’Neill said.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Three stakes winners from earlier this summer who were unplaced in the Pacific Classic have seen the last of runaway winner Game On Dude for the near future.
Richard’s Kid (who was fourth), Byrama (seventh), and Jeranimo (ninth) will make their next starts throughout the country.
