Russell Road and Son of a Bear both won six-figure stakes on the West Virginia Breeders’ Classics program two years ago, and they will try to earn themselves another shot at glory on Breeders’ Classics night when they clash in Saturday night’s $50,000 Frank Gall Memorial Stakes at Charles Town.
The seven-furlong Gall is a local prep for statebred horses pointing to either the featured 1 1/8-mile West Virginia Breeders’ Classic or the seven-furlong Onion Juice on Oct. 15.
Although the Beyer par for the last 15 runnings of the Grade 3, $150,000 Endine Stakes is 100, none of the 10 fillies and mares in Saturday’s lineup for the six-furlong sprint at Delaware Park has ever hit that number. In fact, only four of the runners have ever come within six points of par and just one, locally based Eve Giselle, beaten as the 1-5 favorite in her most recent start, has posted her career best within the past six months.
DEL MAR, Calif. − People called, they cajoled, and they begged Eric Kronfeld to get on a plane from New York and travel to California, Arkansas, or Kentucky.
He would have none of it. No matter where Zenyatta ran or in what kind of race, Kronfeld refused to watch a filly whom he bred run in person. He missed her entire historic career, from late 2007 until last fall, and settled for watching it all on television.
“I’m a superstitious son of a gun,” he said.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - For the second time in nine days, trainer Todd Pletcher had to cancel a scheduled workout for his top 2-year-old Overdriven, casting doubt over the colt’s ability to be ready for the Grade 1 Hopeful here on Sept. 5.
Overdriven was scheduled to work four furlongs over Saratoga’s main track Thursday morning in company with Restitution. Pletcher didn’t like the way Overdriven was moving on the track and decided to have exercise rider Patti Krotenko gallop him about 1 1/2 miles.
Balooga Bull, who ran his record to 2 for 2 with an impressive win in the Graduation Stakes, looms a solid choice on Saturday in the $25,000 Osiris at Assiniboia Downs.
The Osiris, a six-furlong stakes for 2-year-olds, will go as the third race on an eight-race card which also includes a top-level open allowance race for 3-year-olds and upward.
The anchor event in the Kentucky Cup series at Turfway Park has been shortened by a sixteenth of a mile and now will be run at 1 1/16 miles when the series is revived Sept. 24, it was announced Thursday by officials at the Florence, Ky., track.
In addition to the shortened distance, the Kentucky Cup Classic, as it was formerly known, has been renamed the WinStar Kentucky Cup to reflect the sponsorship of the Versailles, Ky., farm.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Raetodandty ($23) closed from third in a field of eight to win Wednesday’s $105,745 Green Flash Handicap at Del Mar, giving owner-trainer Val Brinkerhoff his first stakes win.
Raetodandty ran five furlongs on turf in 55.64 seconds, winning by a neck over Streakin’ Mohican. Ventana, the 5-2 favorite, finished third.
Brinkerhoff, of St. George, Utah, races primarily at Turf Paradise. Raetodandty, a 4-year-old gelding by Freespool, was his first stakes starter at Del Mar.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - It was a down day for apprentice jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. First he fell down, then he was taken down.
In the eighth race, Ortiz looked to be seriously injured when his mount, My Nan Nell, clipped heels with Money Magnet, unseating the 19-year-old jockey, who hit the ground hard and rolled head over heels three times. Ortiz lay on the ground for several minutes before being taken off the track on a stretcher.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Though he was riding the heavily favored Bridgetown, jockey John Velazquez had some concerns going into Wednesday's $75,000 Troy Stakes at Saratoga.
The 5 1/2 furlongs of the race was a sixteenth of a mile further than Bridgetown had run his last four starts, and heavy rains early in the week made for a yielding turf course.
