The heat wave that continues to grip the Southwest will dictate the schedule for the undefeated 2-year-old Strong Promise, who won the second stakes race of his career in the $75,000 Louisiana Cup Juvenile at Louisiana Downs.
Strong Promise was a 2 1/2-length winner of the sprint for Louisiana-breds on Aug. 5. For the effort, he earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 73. The son of Broken Vow races for Norman Stables and is a half-brother to multiple stakes-winning sprinter Midnight Fantasy.
Horseshoe Indianapolis in Shelbyville, Ind., has moved the post time for its first race on Wednesday to late morning and will shift its Thursday race card to Monday due to predictions of excessive heat in the Midwest later this week.
The first post on Wednesday will now be 10 a.m. Eastern, instead of 2:30 p.m., “to avoid the hottest parts of the day,” Horseshoe said in a press release. The Tuesday card is currently scheduled to go off as planned, with a first post of 2:30 p.m.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – To hear Luis Saez tell it, he was supposed to be on the lead when he rode Mage in the Grade 1 Florida Derby five months ago.
Instead, Mage broke slow and was last going into the first turn. That he ran so well – finishing second, beaten just one length by Forte – may have been the best thing to happen to Mage.
Five weeks later, Mage, with Javier Castellano aboard, rallied from 15th place to win the Kentucky Derby.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – A bruised foot kept Forte out of the Kentucky Derby and subsequently the Preakness. While he made it to the Belmont Stakes, it was asking a lot to win that 1 1/2-mile classic off a 10-week layoff.
That Forte was able to finish second only served to further validate him as an extremely talented horse.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Astronomer is set for his graded stakes debut next month after winning for the first time in more than 21 months in a tough allowance race at a mile on turf at Del Mar on Saturday.
Astronomer ($45) raced close to a fast pace and won by a head over Goliad, finishing in 1:32.32. Ridden by Antonio Fresu, Astronomer earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 92.
The allowance race win was Astronomer’s second start of the year, preceded by a 10th-place finish in an allowance race at 1 1/8 miles on turf July 21.
Practical Move, unraced since a win in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby in April, has resumed workouts for a return to racing later this year.
On Saturday at Del Mar, Practical Move worked a half-mile in 47.40 seconds. On Aug. 13, Practical Move had his first work of the summer, drilling three furlongs in 36.60 seconds.
Trained by Tim Yakteen for Pierre and Leslie Amestoy and Roger Beasley, Practical Move was a leading contender for the Kentucky Derby May 6 before he was withdrawn two days before the race because of illness.
Del Mar sustained approximately 2.5 inches of rain on Sunday and early Monday from the remnants of Hurricane Hilary, a storm that caused the cancellation of racing on Sunday and forced significant work in the stable area to prevent extensive flooding.
Racing will resume on Thursday, but it was unclear on Monday whether the turf course will be used that day, according to racing secretary David Jerkens.
“It’s too early to tell,” Jerkens said. “We’re getting out of the storm now and we’ll see.”
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Handle on Sunday’s 13-race card of $18,127,049 was a record for a King’s or Queen’s Plate card at Woodbine, surpassing the previous record of $18,005,973 set in 2019.
“The first King’s Plate in 72 years was an incredible event in every way,” Woodbine Entertainment CEO Jim Lawson said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “It resulted in an all-time wagering record. Thank you to our customers and to the Woodbine team for hosting an iconic social and sporting event.”
Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn., has canceled Saturday night’s card due to excessive heat and will bring back the same program Thursday night, the track announced Saturday.
Canterbury called off the Saturday card due to a “projected excessive heat index,” according to a press release. The decision was made in conjunction with the Minnesota Racing Commission’s state veterinarian and the Minnesota Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, a mainstay on the New York Racing Association circuit for the last two decades, will no longer maintain a year-round presence in the state he said Friday.
Asmussen, who has 40 horses based at Saratoga this summer, has emptied his barn at Belmont Park, one which he has maintained since 2004. Asmussen said his stable was around 12-to-15 on a year-round basis at Belmont.
