ELMONT, N.Y. – Mr. Commons is far and away the class of the field in Friday’s $150,000 Jaipur Stakes at Belmont Park, having competed almost exclusively in Grade 1 and Grade 2 races since first gaining national attention with his third-place finish in the 2011 Santa Anita Derby.
But Mr. Commons has not won a race in 16 months, a drought trainer John Shirreffs hopes to end Friday by dropping his turf specialist into the Grade 3 Jaipur.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Dallas Stewart is back at the table. After a few years between proverbial drinks, Stewart is in the Triple Crown discussion again, this time with a colt he believes is coming into the Belmont Stakes in terrific shape.
Golden Soul, runner-up in the May 4 Kentucky Derby, was purposely held out of the Preakness by Stewart to await the 145th Belmont on Saturday.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Those trainers looking for an honest pace in Saturday’s Belmont Stakes may have found themselves a new ally in Ken McPeek, who said he plans to have jockey Alan Garcia put Frac Daddy on the lead after getting the rail at Wednesday’s post position draw.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Market Quote had the flashiest win of the Santa Anita meeting earlier this year when she closed 18 lengths after a slow start to win a maiden race at a mile on turf in January.
Unfortunately, a similar scenario did not work in an allowance race on March 23, when she broke slowly, trailed by 10 lengths and finished third, beaten 2 3/4 lengths as the 4-5 favorite.
ELMONT, N.Y. – With a bankroll of more than $250,000, it’s hard to believe that Fast Falcon remains eligible for a first-level allowance race.
On more than one occasion, Fast Falcon has proven to be graded stakes material, and he seeks to finally record such a victory when he runs in Friday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Brooklyn Handicap at Belmont Park.
BOSSIER CITY, La. – Trainer Eddie Johnston wasted little time in getting down to business when the Louisiana Downs season began in early May. Johnston sent out a couple of winners opening weekend and has been a regular ever since – both at the entry box and in the winner’s circle.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Sacred Delight looks like the one to beat in a $25,000 claiming race for 3-year-old fillies that headlines the first Friday night card at Hastings this year. The 6 1/2-half furlong sprint attracted six horses and will kick off the seven-race card, which begins at 7:15 p.m. Pacific.
ELMONT, N.Y. – All 14 3-year-olds entered for Saturday’s Belmont Stakes were on the grounds Wednesday, with Frac Daddy and Golden Soul the last two to arrive from Churchill Downs the previous day.
For the second consecutive morning, the weather was textbook perfect for training – low humidity, with temperatures in the high 50s to low 60s, and the racetrack fast but not lightning-quick, as it was last week and into the weekend.
Wednesday at Belmont Park
59 degrees, sunny, fast
Jockey Chantal Sutherland, who announced her retirement here last fall but recently said that she would be making a comeback starting with the Del Mar meeting, has two mounts here Friday.
Sutherland, 37, is named on Solidus for trainer John MacKenzie in the fourth race and on As If I Care for trainer Ashlee Brnjas in the fifth.
Sutherland has enlisted the services of Don Parente, the jockey agent who represented her several years back.
“She’ll be riding here Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays for now,” Parente said. “She still plans to ride at Del Mar.”
With the Ontario Racing Commission upholding trainer Brian Lynch’s indefinite suspension at a hearing Tuesday, Robbie Martin will be the trainer of record for the stable here.
Lynch’s suspension stems from an alleged confrontation with jockey Sunny Singh in a Woodbine parking lot on May 24. Lynch was charged May 25 with uttering death threats and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle.
