Tapitsfly, front-running winner of the Grade 1 Just a Game at a mile on Belmont Stakes Day, worked five furlongs in 1:01.33 Saturday morning in preparation for a start in next Saturday’s Grade 1, $600,000 Diana at 1 1/8 miles.
Under Tammy Fox, Tapitsfly broke off quickly, going in fractions of 11.75 seconds, 23.36, and 35.44.
“She went very well, looked good doing it. Made me think about running her back on the dirt, but that can wait,” trainer Dale Romans said.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – And on the second day, there was running water, audio, and Internet at Saratoga.
Saturday, after technical difficulties interrupted an otherwise pleasant opening day here Friday, everything seemed to be in working order at the Spa.
But even with the hiccups, Saratoga’s 114th opening day turned out to be quite successful for the New York Racing Association.
West Virginia-breds get a rare opportunity to compete on turf against fellow statebreds in a pair of seven-furlong allowances for nonwinners-of-two lifetime on Monday night’s card at Mountaineer Racetrack. The fact that both fields are full of horses with little or no turf experience makes races 3 and 4 on the program pretty much a guessing game for handicappers.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Two years after setting the local course record going 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf, Fiddlers Patriot returned to nearly eclipse his own mark when he drew away to a 2 1/2-length victory over Perfect Officer in Saturday’s $100,000 Willard Straight Stakes at Saratoga.
Fiddlers Patriot established the current standard of 1:00.59 winning a second-level optional claiming race for New York-breds during the summer of 2010. On Saturday, he fell just .04 of a second short of equaling that standard while posting his second stakes win in three starts this season.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Atigun’s third-place finish in the Belmont Stakes was a breakthrough race for the steadily improving 3-year-old. Now trainer Ken McPeek has come to Saratoga hoping for even bigger and better things from Atigun, beginning with Saturday’s Grade 2 Jim Dandy.
Atigun turned in his final prep for the Jim Dandy shortly after the renovation break here on Saturday, working five furlongs in 1:01.88 in company with stablemate Hogue. Regular rider Julien Leparoux was aboard for the drill.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Lunar Victory appeared to be a New York-bred on the rise this winter, until a bleeding episode short-circuited his season back in March.
After a bit of a freshening, Lunar Victory will seek to pick up where he left off Monday when he returns to New York-bred competition in the $100,000 Evan Shipman Stakes at Saratoga. The Evan Shipman, run at 1 1/8 miles, is the feature on a 10-race card that brings the first week of the Saratoga meeting to a close.
DEL MAR, Calif. – The 2-year-old filly Tilde will remain with California-breds for the remainder of the Del Mar meeting after winning her first stakes in Friday’s $100,000 California Thoroughbred Breeders Association Stakes for statebred 2-year-old fillies.
Trainer Mike Harrington, who owns and bred the filly, has the option of a start against open company in the $150,000 Sorrento Stakes over 6 1/2 furlongs, but said on Saturday she is likely to stay with California-breds.
“She’s a nice filly but she may have her limitations,” Harrington said.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Tilde led throughout Friday’s $100,000 California Thoroughbred Breeders Association Stakes to win her first stakes in the sprint for California-bred 2-year-old fillies at Del Mar.
Ridden by Rafael Bejarano, Tilde ran 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:04.50 and was never truly threatened in the stretch, finishing 3 1/2 lengths in front of the maiden Cotton’s Point. Tribal Peace, the 4-5 favorite, closed from sixth in the field of seven to finish third.
Awe Golly Molly was fourth, followed by AkissForarose, Awe’ Some Kitten, and JillyBaylee.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - When Tony Dutrow on Tuesday entered So Many Ways in Friday's Grade 3, $150,000 Schuylerville Stakes at Saratoga, he said he told the entry clerk the filly would win the race.
"I've won this race before and finished second a couple of times with horses that couldn't come close to her," Dutrow said.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- John Velazquez confirmed that he will return to the saddle on Wednesday. He is expected to ride Stephanie’s Kitten in the Grade 2, $200,000 Lake George for 3-year-old fillies.
Velazquez, who sustained a broken collarbone in a spill at Churchill Downs on June 16, has been getting on horses since Monday. Thursday, he breezed three horses, and Friday he breezed two more.
Velazquez said he would probably limit himself to riding one or two horses a day, at least for the first week or so.
