SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Larry Jones shipped Kentucky Oaks winner Believe You Can to New York well in advance of the Aug. 18 Alabama Stakes in hopes of getting the 3-year-old filly acclimated to Saratoga’s main track.
Jones had to alter plans somewhat on Monday, when he moved a scheduled workout from the main to the Oklahoma training track, where Believe You can went five furlongs in 1:02.10 under jockey Rosie Napravnik.
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DEL MAR, Calif. – The top 2-year-old in California holds the key to the pick six on Wednesday at Del Mar, where Executiveprivilege is odds-on to win the Grade 2 Sorrento Stakes while bettors chase a $257,477 carryover.
Pick six? Executiveprivilege makes it a virtual pick five. The filly’s two starts, both for trainer Bob Baffert and with Rafael Bejarano aboard, include a smashing debut win by more than four lengths, and a crusher in the $100,000 Landaluce Stakes, which she won by more than three. She is fast, but not speed crazy.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – King Kreesa, who has flourished since first getting on the grass against bottom-level maiden claimers this spring at Saratoga, will be favored to extend his winning streak in Wednesday’s $100,000 New York Stallion Series Stakes. The Stallion Stakes is restricted to 3-year-old New York-breds and is carded at a mile on the turf.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Sam-Son Farm, past and present, engaged in a symbolic stretch duel here last Sunday with Irish Mission emerging a half-length winner over Aldous Snow in the $507,400 Breeders’ Stakes over 1 1/2 miles of turf.
Irish Mission, bred by Sam-Son Farm, sold for $375,000 at Saratoga last summer and is trained by Mark Frostad, whose association with Sam-Son began in 1994 and came to an end this winter.
“She ran a monster, didn’t she?” said Frostad, who conditions Irish Mission for Robert S. Evans.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – By her own admission, Barbara Banke is not a patient person. But when it comes to the champion filly My Miss Aurelia she owns, Banke has, to this point, displayed restraint.
Banke’s wait to watch My Miss Aurelia make her 3-year-old debut comes to an end Wednesday when the undefeated filly takes on six opponents in the $100,000 Mandy’s Gold Stakes at Saratoga. The Mandy’s Gold is run at 6 1/2 furlongs.
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ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Owner Colebrook Farm and trainer Ashlee Brnjas have excelled in routes and with turf/synthetic runners at the Woodbine meet. They will run Final Episode long for the first time while he changes surfaces in Wednesday’s eighth race on the Polytrack, a 1 1/16-mile maiden special for Ontario-sired stock.
Final Episode was 7-2 as part of an entry when he debuted against $25,000 Ontario-sired maidens on the Polytrack June 7. He raced wide throughout and made up a little ground to end up fifth in the 6 1/2-furlong sprint.
Macho Macho returned Sunday to Saratoga following his victory in the $750,000 West Virginia Derby the previous day in excellent shape, but his next race has yet to be decided, trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday morning.
Asmussen, having deputized Darren Fleming, watched from Saratoga when his runners swept the two richest races on the Saturday program at Mountaineer Park in Chester, W.Va. He also won the $200,000 Governor’s Stakes with Tapizar.
You might think the presence of Broken Sword would scare off some opponents in Saturday’s Wine Country Debutante, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Broken Sword, a Jerry Hollendorfer trainee who won her debut by 11 lengths in the Juan Gonzalez at Pleasanton, is one of 15 2-year-old fillies nominated to the Wine Country Debutante at the Sonoma County Fair in Santa Rosa, Calif.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Cryptic Message came through loud and clear here in Sunday’s $125,000 Nandi, leading throughout the six-furlong race for Ontario-sired 2-year-old fillies to score by a length.
Owned by Eugene George and trained by Ralph Biamonte, Cryptic Message won for the third time in as many outings. A daughter of Cryptograph, Cryptic Message was coming off a front-running win in the 5 1/2-furlong Clarendon for Ontario-foaled fillies.
Joyful Victory and Sassy Image are among an unusually strong field of 11 fillies and mares entered to run Saturday in the Grade 3, $100,000 Gardenia Stakes, the annual showcase event at Ellis Park in Henderson, Ky.
Trainer Larry Jones said he has been particularly pleased with the recent training of Joyful Victory, a 4-year-old filly with multiple graded wins. Joyful Victory, with Gabriel Saez to ride, was assigned post 3 in the one-mile dirt race.
