SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Locked, a troubled third in his debut here on Aug. 5, rebounded with a 7 3/4-length maiden victory going a mile at Saratoga on Friday, setting himself up for a likely Grade 1 opportunity in his next start.
Under Jose Ortiz, Locked, a 2-year-old son of Gun Runner, stalked the pace, took over well outside the quarter pole, and won pretty much in hand by Ortiz coming to the wire. He covered one mile in 1:36.00.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - In an effort to split up his plethora of talented 2-year-olds, trainer Bob Baffert has entered both Muth and Mission Beach in Monday’s Grade 1, $300,000 Hopeful Stakes, the closing-day feature at Saratoga.
The Hopeful, run at seven furlongs, drew a field of 11.
Jockey Umberto Rispoli took off his four scheduled mounts at Del Mar on Friday to recover from the effects of being unseated in Thursday’s first race.
Rispoli and his agent, Matt Nakatani, said the rider hopes to ride Saturday’s Pacific Classic program. Rispoli has mounts in all 11 races that day.
Katonah will be withdrawn from Saturday’s Grade 1 Pacific Classic at Del Mar after trainer Doug O’Neill said on Friday that he was unsatisfied with the way 4-year-old gelding has trained in recent days.
“He was telling me he wasn’t ready,” O’Neill said. “He was rushed and not ready.”
The winner of the Pleasanton Mile in Northern California on July 9, Katonah missed a few days of training with a foot ailment in August. O’Neill worked Katonah last weekend and said at the time that he would run in the Pacific Classic.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Grade 1 winner Shirl’s Speight is among the 18 nominated to the 27th running of the $1 million Woodbine Mile, one of three Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In events here Sept. 16.
Trained by Roger Attfield, Shirl’s Speight finished a troubled fourth in last year’s Mile before ending up second in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile at Keeneland. The son of Speightstown has worked brilliantly since finishing fourth off a five-month layoff in the Grade 2 King Edward here Aug. 19.
The clearest indication of jockey Antonio Fresu’s growing popularity in Southern California will be evident at Del Mar on Saturday.
Fresu has mounts in all 11 races on the most lucrative program of the track’s summer meeting. Not bad for a guy who arrived in California a little more than four months ago.
Fresu had his best racing week at Del Mar from Aug. 24-27, winning 10 races. Through Wednesday, Fresu ranked second in the standings at the summer meeting with 23 wins, trailing leader Juan Hernandez who has 28.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Junior Alvarado, the regular rider of the popular colt Cody’s Wish, was selected as the Mike Venezia Award winner for 2023, the New York Racing Association announced Wednesday.
The Venezia Award is presented annually to a jockey who displays the extraordinary sportsmanship and citizenship that personified Venezia, who died as the result of injuries suffered in a spill at Belmont Park in 1988.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – White Abarrio, dominant winner of the Grade 1 Whitney on Aug. 5, will ship to Southern California on Sept. 12 to prepare for a start in the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita, trainer Richard Dutrow said Wednesday at his Belmont barn.
Dutrow still plans to train White Abarrio up to the Classic without a race in between.
Dutrow said that White Abarrio has been alternating days of galloping and jogging at Belmont Park and that he’ll likely breeze a day or two preceding his travel to Santa Anita.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Parnac, one of two horses scratched by the New York Racing Association out of an Aug. 11 allowance race, has been cleared to run in New York and was entered Wednesday by trainer Christophe Clement for Saturday’s Grade 2, $500,000 Flower Bowl.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – With Cody’s Wish having proven he’s better shorter than longer, Godolphin’s primary U.S.-based candidate for the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic is Proxy, who will look to solidify his credentials for that Nov. 4 race in Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga.
