Thu, 08/02/2012 - 16:26

Charles Town: Two seeking redemption in Leavitt

Allen Did It, disqualified from an apparent victory for running erratically in the stretch, and Paco Smart, a two-time stakes winner last season but 0 for 2 this year, will look to rebound in Saturday’s $50,000 Robert Leavitt Stakes for West Virginia-bred 3-year-olds at Charles Town.

Thu, 08/02/2012 - 16:25

Saratoga: Shackleford late addition to Vanderbilt

Dale Romans’s strong arsenal of stakes stars will be represented here Sunday by Shackleford, who has been supplemented into the Grade 1 Alfred Vanderbilt Handicap. The six-furlong stakes drew a field of eight that also includes Emcee, Justin Phillip, Rothko, Poseidon’s Warrior, Sloane Ranger, Jersey Town, and Hamazing Destiny.

[Complete coverage of racing at Saratoga: News, PPs, and video]

Thu, 08/02/2012 - 16:18

Arlington: DiVito attempts to extend Midas touch with 2-year-olds to stakes

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – If a bettor had come to the Arlington Park meeting in 2010 and decided to bet every Jim DiVito-trained 2-year-old over the next three seasons, that bettor would be rolling in dough. DiVito’s record with juveniles the last three Arlington meetings is nothing less than remarkable: From 43 starters he has compiled a record of 21-7-4, good for a return on investment of $4.33. In addition the 48 percent strike rate, consider that almost twice as many DiVito 2-year-olds have won than failed to finish third or better.

Thu, 08/02/2012 - 16:14

Emerald Downs: Versatility may boost Sis's Sis

AUBURN, Wash. – Sis’s Sis, a two-time stakes winner, headlines the feature race Saturday at Emerald Downs. A $32,000 claimer for fillies and mares at 6 1/2 furlongs, the race attracted five entrants, and each of the five has a realistic chance to win it. First post for the nine-race card is 2 p.m. Pacific.

Thu, 08/02/2012 - 16:08

Saratoga: Mott takes two shots at Whitney Handicap

Tom Keyser
Flat Out (above) and Ron the Greek will give trainer Bill Mott two solid shots at his first Whitney Handicap victory.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Even if he wasn’t running the dual Grade 1 winner Ron the Greek in Saturday’s $750,000 Whitney Handicap Invitational, trainer Bill Mott would still feel good about his chances of winning the prestigious Grade 1 race at Saratoga.

That’s because Mott also will saddle Flat Out, last year’s Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup winner, in the Whitney, and though he’ll likely be a longer price than Ron the Greek, his chances to succeed are equally as good, if not better, than his stablemate.

Thu, 08/02/2012 - 16:06

Santa Rosa: Boise star Wups tries turf, big leagues in Robert Dupret Derby

The undefeated Wups has been favored in all three career starts but is unlikely to be favored when he enters the gate for Saturday’s Robert Dupret Derby at the Sonoma County Fair in Santa Rosa.

Winners of the $5,000 Boise Open Derby don’t get much respect when they venture out of Idaho, particularly when they are about to make their turf debut.

Trainer Paul Treasure is confident going into the race – not that Wups will beat his six rivals in the 1 1/16-mile stakes for 3-year-olds but that he will prove very competitive.

Thu, 08/02/2012 - 15:58

Prairie Meadows: Iowa Classic Night will sort out statebred pecking order

ALTOONA, Iowa – With over $540,000 on the line, Iowa Classic Night, with its seven stakes races intended to clarify the championship picture for this season’s Iowa-breds, is the long-awaited meet highlight for local horsemen.

The card starts off with a bang as a deep group of juvenile fillies contest the $75,000 Iowa Sorority. In a year when the fillies have outshined the colts, the Sorority, contested over six furlongs, features a talented group of eight.

Thu, 08/02/2012 - 15:46

Del Mar: Switch going a route again in Clement Hirsch

Barbara D. Livingston
Switch will stretch out to 1 1/16 miles in the Hirsch.

DEL MAR, Calif. – For a multiple stakes-winning millionaire, Switch has a recent void in her career. She has not won a graded stakes at a mile or farther since the Grade 2 Hollywood Oaks in June 2010.

It certainly has not been for a lack of trying. She was second in three consecutive Grade 1 route races in California and Arkansas in the spring of 2011, and second to Zenyatta in the 2010 Lady’s Secret Stakes at Hollywood Park.

[Complete coverage of racing at Del Mar: News, PPs, and video]

Thu, 08/02/2012 - 15:43

Saratoga: Dullahan may ship to Del Mar for Pacific Classic

Bill Denver/Equi-Photo
After a fifth-place finish in the Haskell, Dullahan's connections may give him another try on Polytrack.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. –Trainer Dale Romans said that Dullahan, fifth in last Sunday’s Haskell, could make his next start on the Polytrack at Del Mar against older horses in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic on Aug. 26.

“He came out of the race fine and he’s back at Churchill Downs right now,” said Romans. “We’re going to talk about it this week and see what our options are. The Pacific Classic is one of those options. I’d like to try him on the Poly again. Turf’s an option as well but really the big turf race is the Secretariat and Jerry has Finnegan’s Wake for that spot.”

Thu, 08/02/2012 - 15:35

Saratoga: Spy in the Sky takes Smithwick by inches

Tom Keyser
Spy in the Sky wins the A. P. Smithwick at Saratoga on Wednesday despite coming off the last jump awkwardly.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – With less than a quarter mile to run, all 10 starters in Thursday’s $100,000 A.P. Smithwick Memorial at Saratoga were bunched within just a length of one another as the field turned into the stretch. And at the wire, after 2 1/16 grueling miles over nine hurdles, only inches separated the winner of the Grade 1 Smithwick, the 25-1 Spy in the Sky, from the hard-luck runner-up Left Unsaid.