Evening Sun had such a dreadful trip in the $104,000 Wickerr Stakes at Del Mar July 23 that trainer Jeff Mullins is uncertain what to expect from the 6-year-old gelding in a competitive allowance race at a mile on turf on Saturday.
Evening Sun finished 10th by 5 1/4 lengths in the Wickerr Stakes at a mile on turf. Ridden by Hector Berrios, Evening Sun was difficult to handle on the backstretch and raced in traffic in the stretch, losing all chance.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Surge Capacity and Tax Implications, who ran one-two in the Grade 3 Lake George here on July 31, along with Aspray and Prerequisite give trainer Chad Brown four of the eight runners entered for turf in Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Lake Placid Stakes over 1 1/16 miles.
Aspray won the Hilltop at Pimlico before finishing fourth in the Belmont Oaks. Prerequisite ran second in the Belmont Oaks after winning the Grade 2 Wonder Again.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – After just missing pulling off a 10-1 upset in the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks here on July 22, Sacred Wish will come back for another upset bid when she meets Wet Paint and eight others in Saturday’s Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/4 miles.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Arcangelo on Wednesday had his fifth and final workout in between his Belmont Stakes victory on June 10 and the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers Stakes on Aug. 26, breezing five furlongs in 1:01.56 over Saratoga’s main track.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Saratoga-based Kalik drew post 6 and has been tabbed as the 3-1 morning-line favorite for the 164th running of the $1 million King’s Plate on Sunday at Woodbine. The 1 1/4-mile classic on Tapeta has 17 Canadian-foaled 3-year-olds in the body of the race, plus two also-eligibles.
Woods N Water will be getting some downtime following his win in the $75,000 Louisiana Cup Turf Classic on Aug. 5 at Louisiana Downs and could return to the races this fall at Fair Grounds, according to trainer Lee Thomas.
Woods N Water was winning his second turf stakes from four career starts on the grass in the Louisiana Cup. He is now 3 for 4 overall on turf, with his lone loss coming by a head in the $60,000 John Henry against open company in July at Evangeline Downs. Woods N Water moved to the grass for the first time in May.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Disarm, fourth in the Kentucky Derby and in the Jim Dandy Stakes most recently, will be equipped with blinkers when he runs in the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers on Aug. 26, trainer Steve Asmussen said.
Disarm worked in blinkers for the first time Monday morning, going five furlongs in 1:00.19 over the Oklahoma training track. Starting his work just outside of the Grade 1-winning mare Pauline’s Pearl, Disarm got his final quarter in 24.17 seconds and galloped out six furlongs in 1:13.19 and seven furlongs in 1:26.69.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Kenny McPeek will seek his third victory in the Grade 1 Alabama Stakes in six years when he sends out Defining Purpose in Saturday’s $600,000 race for 3-year-old fillies going 1 1/4 miles at Saratoga.
McPeek won the Alabama in 2018 with Eskimo Kisses and again in 2020 with Swiss Skydiver, horses he was confident could handle the 1 1/4 miles of the race. He is hopeful, though not totally confident, Defining Purpose, who upset the Grade 1 Ashland at 20-1 in April and who is coming off a victory in the Indiana Oaks, can get the distance.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Leave No Trace, runner-up to Wonder Wheel in the 2022 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies but a major disappointment in her lone start at 3, has been entered main track only in Thursday’s second race by trainer Phil Serpe. She stands a good chance of launching her comeback as heavy rain is in the forecast for the local area Tuesday.
Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux will serve a one-day suspension on Saturday for excessive use of the whip in a winning ride aboard Lord Prancealot in the Graduation Stakes for California-bred 2-year-olds on Friday.
Desormeaux was adjudged to have used his whip eight times, two strikes over the limit. In addition to the one-day suspension, he was fined $692.50 for the infraction, according to a ruling published by Del Mar stewards last Saturday.
