SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Prank looks to be a serious racehorse.
A half-sister to Belmont Stakes winner Mo Donegal, Prank used speed her brother does not possess to blitz a field of 2-year-old maidens by 9 1/2 lengths Sunday at Saratoga. Under Irad Ortiz Jr., Prank ran a quarter in 21.91 seconds, a half-mile in 45.11 and covered 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:03.94 while wrapped up. She earned a 91 Beyer Speed Figure.
DEL MAR, Calif. - An hour after American Theorem won the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar on Saturday, trainer George Papaprodromou was back to work, standing in the paddock and waiting to saddle Lady Clementine in the 11th race.
The nation’s newest Grade 1-winning trainer, Papaprodromou had a brief moment after the $402,000 Bing Crosby Stakes to savor American Theorem’s win, which secured the 5-year-old ridgling a berth in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Keeneland on Nov. 5.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - When a horse has won 11 graded stakes, five Grade 1s including a record one Grade 1 at Saratoga for three consecutive years, there is little left to accomplish. When it comes to Jackie’s Warrior, however, trainer Steve Asmussen still has one more for goal for the freakishly fast 4-year-old colt.
Win a Breeders’ Cup race.
Munnys Gold, the 2-year-old filly who won her debut by 14 1/2 lengths at Monmouth Park on June 17, remains sidelined and won’t be seen until the fall at the earliest, trainer Todd Pletcher said.
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Charge It, the 23-length winner of the Grade 2 Dwyer Stakes at Belmont Park on July 2, picked up his preparations for the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers on Aug. 27 by working a half-mile in 50.12 seconds Saturday morning. Charge It went his opening quarter in 26.03 and galloped out five furlongs in 1:03.06 and six furlongs in 1:16.06.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Trainer Todd Pletcher could run as many as three horses in next Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Whitney Stakes at Saratoga, and a week before the race, all three put in their final workouts over the main track.
Life Is Good, under exercise rider Amelia Green, put in his usual strong move, going four furlongs in 48.25 seconds, followed by a stellar gallop-out. Life Is Good went out five furlongs in 1:00.94, six furlongs in 1:13.15 and seven furlongs in 1:26.47.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Going a mile and one-eighth around two turns against older, open-company allowance horses wasn’t exactly what trainer David Donk had in mind for the third career start of his undefeated New York-bred filly Fingal’s Cave.
Shedaresthedevil is the top nominee for the top stakes next week at Del Mar, where the three-time Grade 1 winner will seek her second consecutive victory in the Grade 1 Clement L. Hirsch.
The $400,000 Hirsch, a mile and one-sixteenth on dirt Aug. 6, is a Win and You’re In for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff and one of five Del Mar stakes Friday through Sunday, Aug. 5-7. Nominations for the five stakes closed this week. Below are short previews.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Overshadowed by the euphoria of Classic Causeway’s upset victory in the Grade 1 Belmont Derby on July 9, was the disappointing ninth-place finish in the same race of stablemate Tiz the Bomb, who was beaten 13 1/2 lengths as the 5-1 third choice in the 12-horse field.
Much was expected from Tiz the Bomb since he was previously a stakes winner on turf and finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf last November at Del Mar.
Ken McPeek, the trainer of Tiz the Bomb, said that the horse did not ship well from Kentucky to New York.
