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.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Abel Cedillo, who sustained a neck injury in a spill July 23 at Del Mar, said Sunday that does not expect to return to riding before the end of the current Del Mar meeting on Sept. 10.
Cedillo said he plans to meet with a doctor “in a couple of weeks” for an evaluation. He is hoping to receive clearance to begin physical therapy that will lead to a return to riding in September.
“I think I’ll miss Del Mar,” he said.
Los Alamitos has a two-week meeting from Sept. 15-24. Santa Anita opens its six-week autumn meeting on Sept. 29.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Prince of Monaco’s blazingly quick win in Sunday’s Grade 3 Best Pal Stakes for 2-year-olds at Del Mar was fast enough to merit a lofty Beyer Speed Figure of 103, the highest of the year in the nation for a juvenile.
Benefiting from an ideal trip, Prince of Monaco ($5.60) closed from fourth in a field of five to win the six-furlong race in 1:09.19, the fastest time for the distance at the current Del Mar meeting, which began July 21.
There will be a mandatory payout in the 20-cent Rainbow pick six at Del Mar on Sunday, the second of four projected mandatory payouts at the current summer meeting.
The bet has a carryover of $373,278 from Saturday. The pool of new money on Sunday should surpass $3 million.
On July 30, Del Mar conducted a mandatory payout in the Rainbow pick six for the first time this summer. The bet paid $15,915 on a day that began with a carryover of $384,489. Bettors added $3,057,176 to the pool.
