Jackson Bend, impressive winner of the James Marvin Stakes here opening day, worked four furlongs in 49.30 seconds Thursday morning over the Oklahoma training track at Saratoga in preparation for a start in the Grade 1 Forego on Sept. 3. Jackson Bend, with exercise rider Maxine Correa up, worked in company with Our Dark Knight.
“He looked good,” trainer Nick Zito said. “Maxine had a ton of horse. We just have to keep him that way.”
John Velazquez, who won the Kentucky Derby aboard the now-sidelined Animal Kingdom, will ride Rattlesnake Bridge in the $1 million Travers Stakes on Aug. 27 at Saratoga, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin confirmed Friday.
Velazquez replaces Eddie Castro, who rode Rattlesnake Bridge to victory in the Long Branch Stakes at Monmouth on July 9.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – At this time last year, the connections of Trappe Shot were painstakingly trying to determine if their best chance to win a Grade 1 race was going long or short. Though their choice of the Travers seemed to make sense – he did go off the favorite in the race – it turned out to be the wrong move, as Trappe Shot finished ninth of 10 in the 1 1/4-mile race.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Trainer John Shirreffs is likely to have the favorites in the two major stakes at Del Mar next weekend.
Friday, Shirreffs said he is seriously considering starting Mr. Commons in the $150,000 La Jolla Handicap for 3-year-olds over 1 1/16 miles on turf next Saturday. Sunday, the Shirreffs-trained Harmonious will be favored in a tough running of the $250,000 John Mabee Stakes for fillies and mares over 1 1/8 miles on turf.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. − Trainer Phil Serpe has made more visits to Saratoga Hospital than he has to the winner’s circle this meet.
The day before the meet started, Serpe suffered a cracked rib in a minor motor vehicle accident. On July 29, he needed five stitches after getting kicked on the top of his head by a horse who had gotten injured − and ultimately had to be euthanized − while training.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Pop Artist and Foxcreek look like the main players in a $25,000 claiming race for 3-year-olds and up that headlines an eight-race card at Hastings on Sunday. The 6 1/2-furlong sprint drew six horses and goes as the seventh race.
Pop Artist figures to be a slight favorite over Foxcreek. Trained by Dino Condilenios, Pop Artist won three straight races at this level before he jumped up to face a tough group of $35,000 optional horses July 2. The winner, Cherokee Notion came back to finish second in the B.C. Cup Sprint last Monday.
DEL MAR, Calif. – It has been 15 years since owner Heinz Steinmann and trainer Mike Harrington won the Best Pal Stakes at Del Mar with Swiss Yodeler, a five-time stakes winner in his career.
They may have a 2-year-old as good as, or better than, Swiss Yodeler this summer with Creative Cause, the likely favorite in Sunday’s $150,000 Best Pal Stakes.
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Say a Novena, battled-tested in the Grade 2 Matron at Belmont Park, tops the field for the $70,000 Colleen Stakes on Sunday at Monmouth Park.
The 5 1/2-furlong Colleen is the prep for $100,000 Sorority, the meet’s top event for 2-year-old fillies on Sept. 5.
The announcement this week by Turfway Park president Bob Elliston that the track was reviving its Kentucky Cup races thanks largely to sponsorship from WinStar Farm came at a particularly important time for the series, considering the graded status of the races would have been lost if they were canceled for a second straight year.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Mark Casse sent out three horses for this year’s Queen’s Plate, with his best result being a second-place finish with Hippolytus.
Enduring Star, who finished 11th, and Strike Oil, 14th in the field of 17, currently are hors de combat.
Casse, however, still will field another trio for Sunday’s $500,000 Breeders’ as Hippolytus wll be joined by Control and Blackstone Bay in the 1 1/2-mile turf race that is the final leg of the triple crown for Canadian-bred 3-year-olds.
