DEL MAR, Calif. - The race strategy for Celtic New Year in Sunday’s $200,000 Del Mar Handicap was to try to lead throughout the turf marathon over 1 3/8 miles on turf.
It could not have gone any differently, and in the end could not have worked out any better for owner Michael Jawl, trainer John Sadler, and jockey Victor Espinoza – with long-term ramifications this fall.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.- Hurricane or no hurricane, trainer Todd Pletcher was back at his desk in his stable office early Sunday morning, a little more than 12 hours removed from coming within inches of sweeping all three Grade 1 races on Saturday’s card at Saratoga.
Pletcher captured the Travers with Stay Thirsty and the Ballerina with Hilda’s Passion here Saturday. The one that painfully got away was the King’s Bishop, when Uncle Mo was picked up in the final jump by the lat- striding Caleb’s Posse.
Great Warrior will not make his stakes debut in Sunday’s $1 million Pacific Classic.
The 3-year-old Brazilian-bred Great Warrior was scratched from the Grade 1 Pacific Classic on the morning of the race. Trainer A.C. Avila said that Great Warrior will be entered for the $100,000 El Cajon Stakes on Friday and the $250,000 Del Mar Derby on Sunday, with a decision to be made later in the week on which race will be tried.
“I’m looking to go in the derby,” he said.
Dougs Buddy remained undefeated in three starts by taking the $50,000 Birdcatcher Stakes for 2-year-old colts and geldings at Northlands Park on Saturday.
Blushing B.J. dealt Princess Cecilia her first career defeat when she blew past the tiring leader coming into the stretch and scored by two lengths in Saturday night’s $50,000 Sylvia Bishop Memorial Stakes for West Virginia-bred 3-year-old fillies at Charles Town.
Only three horses contested the seven-furlong race on a sloppy, sealed track after four scratches.
Striking Time was a big winner on Heritage Stakes Day at Marquis Downs on Saturday, rallying to capture the one-mile Shortgrass Heritage by 4 1/4 lengths under jockey Neville Stephenson.
The Shortgrass was one of four $12,500 stakes for Saskatchewan-breds on the nine-race evening program.
Trained by Fern Zdunick, Striking Time ($5.50) had taken last year’s Western Heritage by 12 3/4 lengths.
Stephenson also was aboard this year’s Western Heritage winner, Langfuhr Max ($13.80), who scored by 2 1/4 lengths in the six-furlong race for 2-year-old colts and geldings.
Lucky Lady Go, the second longest shot in the field of five at 5-1, got the win when first-place finisher Mosaico had her number taken down in the $25,000 Jack Hardy for 3-year-old fillies at Assiniboia Downs on Saturday evening.
Mosaico, stepping up off a $3,000 claim, was seeking her fifth straight win in the one-mile Jack Hardy and was very game in prevailing by one length but was disqualified after the stewards ruled she had come over and interfered with runner-up Lucky Lady Go in deep stretch.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Hilda’s Passion came out of her sensational victory in Saturday’s Grade 1 Ballerina at Saratoga with a non-displaced condylar fracture of her right front leg trainer Todd Pletcher revealed on Sunday. Hilda’s Passion moved to the top of the filly and mare sprint division with a 9 1/4-length triumph in the seven-furlong Ballerina.
DEL MAR, Calif. – A photo finish finally went in favor of Caracortado in Saturday’s $200,000 Del Mar Mile.
After losing the Grade 1 Frank Kilroe Mile by a head at Santa Anita in March and the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile by a neck at Hollywood Park on July 2, Caracortado edged the upstart 3-year-old Mr. Commons by a nose to win the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Despite the impending threat of Hurricane Irene as the storm made its way up the East Coast toward Saratoga, both attendance and handle for Saturday’s Travers Day program was off only slightly from a year ago.
A crowd of 43,050 came out under perfect weather conditions to witness Stay Thirsty’s game triumph over Rattlesnake Bridge in the Travers as well as the return of reigning juvenile champion Uncle Mo. The attendance was down just under 6 percent from the 45,764 on hand to watch Afleet Express’s thrilling nose win in the 2010 Travers.
