ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The speedy Just Got In will try to extend her unbeaten streak to three races Saturday at Woodbine in the $150,000 Ontario Debutante, a six-furlong stakes for 2-year-old fillies.
Just Got In made quite a splash when she debuted in a 4 1/2-furlong maiden special May 26. She went straight to the front and never looked back, winning by 7 1/2 lengths in 51.81 seconds, a time that translated into a solid 75 Beyer Speed Figure.
Among the exploits of superhorse Frankel, the appearance at Royal Ascot of the Australian sensation Black Caviar, and 3-year-old Camelot’s historic bid for a triple crown, the stuff that trainer John Gosden has been doing this year has almost gotten lost in the shadows in British racing. Almost. So relentless has been Gosden’s string of successes that his name has crept into headlines, anyway.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Even at age 61, with a résumé that includes a Hall of Fame plaque, nine champions trained, and an Eclipse Award for himself, Shug McGaughey remains as competitive as ever.
So for the last few years, when he was not competing in as many of the sport’s high-profile events as he would have liked, it gnawed at him.
“I would have a lot of sad Saturday afternoons when I’d be sitting in front of the TV and not be participating,” McGaughey said during a recent interview in his Saratoga barn office. “They weren’t fun.”
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Matchabull will appreciate the substantially easier company when he drops into a $7,500 claiming race for 3-year-olds and up that will serve as Saturday’s feature at Hastings. The 6 1/2-furlong sprint drew seven horses and goes as race 7 on the eight-race card, which begins at 1:50 p.m. Pacific.
Kentucky Downs will reduce its takeout rates for its upcoming six-day meet so that the rate for exactas will be the lowest in the country and the rates for all other bets will equal the rates offered by Churchill Downs and Keeneland.
Takeout for exactas will be 18.5 percent during the meet, which begins Sept. 8. Takeout for win, place, and show wagers will be 16 percent, and takeout for all other bets will be 19 percent. Both Churchill and Keeneland have 16 percent straight takeout rates and 19 percent rates for all other bets.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Matchabull will appreciate the substantially easier company when he drops into a $7,500 claiming race for 3-year-olds and up that will serve as Saturday’s feature at Hastings. The 6 1/2-furlong sprint drew seven horses and goes as race 7 on the eight-race card, which begins at 1:50 p.m. Pacific.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Executiveprivilege retained her position as the top-ranked 2-year-old filly on the West Coast, ran her unbeaten streak to three, and rewarded players who made her the shortest-priced favorite in the pick six when capturing the Grade 3, $150,000 Sorrento Stakes on Wednesday at Del Mar.
Executiveprivilege settled into a stalking position on the outside under jockey Rafael Bejarano, surged to the front coming into the stretch, and then was kept busy to stave off Speedinthruthecity to prevail by 1 1/4 lengths.
Bubba Cascio, a member of the American Quarter Horse Association Hall of Fame who trained the legend Dash for Cash, said he is resuming training Quarter Horses for the first time since 1994. Cascio said his first starters would come in 2013, and that he would like to base at Remington Park in the spring, then head to Ruidoso Downs.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Fire On Ice gave the impression, after registering a 10 3/4-length victory in his debut here last year on Travers day, that he might be a force to reckon with in races like the Jim Dandy and Travers this summer. Unfortunately, Fire On Ice suffered a condylar fracture in his right hind ankle while training for the Champagne that has kept him idle ever since.
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - It may not have scored high aesthetically - speaking, but My Miss Aurelia’s comeback was successful nonetheless.
Despite an awkward start and a lugging-in finish, My Miss Aurelia, last year’s 2-year-old filly champion, won Wednesday’s $100,000 Mandy’s Gold Stakes by three lengths over Delightful Quality. It was 2 1/2 lengths back to Well Kept in third.
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