Stephanie’s Kitten, Centre Court, Hungry Island, Daisy Devine – Channel Lady has faced the best female grass horses stationed east of the Mississippi this year, and the class relief provided by a trip to Virginia should make her formidable in the Grade 3, $100,000 All Along Stakes on Saturday night at Colonial Downs.
Jax and Jill may not have been quite good enough to dethrone Down Town Allen as the top West Virginia-bred female racing at Charles Town, but she appears far too fast for her fellow 3-year-old filly statebreds in Saturday’s $50,000 It’s Binn Too Long Stakes.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Though he was obviously happy to win the Kentucky Oaks with Princess of Sylmar, there was still a tinge of disappointment for trainer Todd Pletcher when it came to Dreaming of Julia, the Oaks favorite whom he also trains, who finished fourth.
After getting bumped hard at the break and having to steady entering the far turn while attempting to get back into the race, Dreaming of Julia had to settle for fourth, 2 1/2 lengths behind Princess of Sylmar.
AUBURN, Wash. – Polish Dollar and Camp Granada, the top two finishers in a fast allowance race May 12, will meet again Saturday in the feature race at Emerald Downs. A $22,575 no-conditions allowance for older horses at 6 1/2 furlongs, the feature is the eighth race on a nine-race program beginning at 2 p.m. Pacific.
MIAMI – Scandalous Act will try to follow in the footsteps of her big brother Two T’s at Two B by winning a Calder stakes in her second start when she vies for favoritism with Kentucky invader Sweetmarys Success in Saturday’s $100,000 J J’sdream.
The 5 1/2-furlong J J’sdream will share top billing on the 11-race card with the $100,000 Frank Gomez Memorial, a race Two T’s at Two B won for owner-breeder Gil Campbell and trainer Kathleen O’Connell here last summer.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – With summer kicking in, 2-year-olds will start to take a more prominent role at the Hastings meet, which is more than a third of the way completed. Saturday’s fourth race, a maiden special weight race for 2-year-olds, drew nine horses and, not surprisingly, trainer Greg Tracy has a couple of very live-looking first-time starters in the field.
Post time for the first of eight races carded is 1:50 p.m. Pacific.
The best race of Air Support’s 18-start career might have been his win in the 2011 Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs, and one of his better performances last season came at Colonial when he was second to a loose-on-the-lead Turbo Compressor in the Colonial Turf Cup. Back in Virginia for another crack at the Grade 2, $300,000 Turf Cup on Saturday, Air Support looks like the favorite in an eight-horse field.
“He runs on about anything, but his two races down there were both really strong,” New York-based trainer Shug McGaughey said.
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Silverette, a comfortable and confident winner of the Red Cross Stakes on Memorial Day, returns to Monmouth Park on Saturday for the $60,000 Blue Sparkler Stakes for filly and mare sprinters.
Silverette landed the rail against five rivals going six furlongs. Paco Lopez has the return call.
A couple of first-level allowance races for 3-year-olds will share top billing at Northlands Park on Saturday.
Keene On Demand looks like the one to beat in the shorter version, which drew six horses going 6 1/2 furlongs in the second race. Just Gone should appreciate stretching out to a mile in the ninth race, which drew seven horses. Post time for the first of 10 races carded is 1 p.m. Mountain.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The summer solstice doing what it does to this western cusp of the Eastern time zone, the sun will still be up when the $100,000 Debutante Stakes is run on an 11-race Downs After Dark card Saturday night at Churchill Downs.
First post is 6 p.m. Eastern, with the Debutante, the seventh race, set for 9:05. This timing portends the perhaps unintended consequence of 11 2-year-old fillies competing in daylight, as opposed to the more glamorous scenario of under the sparkling lights.
