With Grace Hall seemingly thriving at Delaware Park, trainer Tony Dutrow is in no hurry to ship her to Saratoga, where she will make her next start in the $600,000 Alabama Stakes on Aug. 18.
So, Dutrow left Saratoga on Friday to be at Delaware Park on Saturday morning where Grace Hall worked four furlongs in 47.20 seconds under exercise rider Carol Fisher over the main track in preparation for the Alabama. It was the first work for Grace Hall since she won the Delaware Oaks on July 14.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Air Support, winless since rallying to capture the Grade 2 Virginia Derby 13 months ago, will attempt to rectify that situation when he returns to allowance competition in Monday’s co-featured ninth race at Saratoga, carded at 1 1/16 miles on the turf.
CHESTER, W.Va. – Maybe So outdueled heavily favored Circle Unbroken to open the West Virginia Derby program Saturday at Mountaineer Racetrack, edging ahead in the final half-furlong to prevail by a neck in the $100,000 Mountaineer Juvenile.
Maybe So returned $6.60 after finishing the six-furlong distance in 1:10.09, a stakes record in eight runnings of the Juvenile. Circle Unbroken, the 2-5 favorite off two wins at Churchill Downs, was a neck behind the winner and another seven lengths before third-finisher Pitch N Roll in a field of seven.
Idle Talk, who won a turf stakes at Laurel Park in her season debut in April, owns a class advantage. But will that be enough to overcome the proven form going 1 1/8 miles that Raiders Fan and Starsilhouette share in the intriguing $50,000 feature Tursday at Parx Racing?
Pilot Point Lady and Starsilhouette, the only runners in a field of 10 who have won going nine furlongs on grass, get a weight break from the 6-year-old Idle Talk in a starter allowance for fillies and mares who have started for $16,000 or less the past two seasons.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – On Friday, trainer Roger Attfield and jockey John Velazquez will be forever linked as they are formally inducted into Thoroughbred racing’s Hall of Fame. Monday, they hope to be forever linked as the winning connections of the $100,000 Waya Stakes at Saratoga.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Owner/trainer Paul Buttigieg should have a powerful one-two punch in the $125,000 Shepperton on holiday Monday, when he runs Gypsy Ring and Royal Egbert in the 6 1/2-furlong Ontario-sired stakes at Woodbine.
Commander stands out in the $50,000 Don Fleming Handicap at Northlands Park on Monday. The 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds and up drew six horses and headlines the nine-race Heritage Day holiday card that begins at 1 p.m. Mountain.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Taylors Deal didn’t scare anyone from running in the $50,000 B.C. Cup Stellar’s Jay at Hastings on Monday. The 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds drew 10 horses and is easily the most-interesting race on the 10-race B.C. Cup Day card.
DEL MAR, Calif. – A controversial new state rule regarding claiming of injured horses will be on the front-burner this month at Del Mar, owing to a protest over the claim of a horse on Friday, and a California Horse Racing Board meeting later this month during which the rule is scheduled to be discussed.
At issue is whether, and when, a claim goes through when a horse suffers a catastrophic injury that necessitates the horse being euthanized.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Taylor Said is being asked to tote a heavy load of 128 pounds and go farther than he has ever in his eight-race career. Nonetheless, it is hard to go past him in the $75,000 British Columbia Cup Classic at Hastings on Monday. The 1 1/8-mile Classic for 3-year-olds and up drew five horses and headlines the B.C. Cup Day card that features six stakes races restricted to B.C.-breds. First post for the 10-race card is 12:50 p.m. Pacific.
