Chinchon has traveled the globe since his victory last summer in the Grade 1, $750,000 United Nations Stakes at Monmouth Park.
Bred in Ireland and based in France, Chinchon has raced in Canada, Dubai, and Singapore since then without success.
A 6-year-old, Chinchon returns to defend his title Saturday in the premier turf event of the meet.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Alternation, winner of the May 14 Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont in his most recent start, will make a return trip to New York for the July 30 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga if all goes according to plan, trainer Donnie Von Hemel said Wednesday.
Von Hemel said he has secured four stalls for the Saratoga meet, though the three horses he sends with Alternation have yet to be determined. Von Hemel’s small string will ship 10 days to two weeks before the Jim Dandy, giving Alternation a chance to gallop and work over the Saratoga track.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Billy Denzik paid a mere $6,000 for a yearling colt at auction last fall before asking his friend from high school, Brook Smith, if he wanted to partner up. Smith said yes, and now the two are hoping to realize one of their best days in racing when the colt named Green Mouse runs Saturday at Churchill Downs in the Grade 3, $100,000 Bashford Manor Stakes.
Rodman, runner up to Tizway in the Metropolitan Handicap, heads the six-horse field in the Grade 2, $300,000 Suburban Handicap on Saturday at Belmont Park.
The top event of the holiday weekend at Belmont Park came up light in numbers and quality.
This is an excellent chance for Rodman to shine in his fourth start since missing the entire 2010 season with a foot injury and a bout of colic.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Week after week through June, Smiling Tiger recorded blisteringly quick workouts at Hollywood Park, leading toward Saturday’s $250,000 Triple Bend Handicap over seven furlongs.
A five-furlong workout in 58.60 seconds on June 9 was followed a week later by another work in 58.80, and, finally, a six-furlong workout in 1:11.40 on June 23. Always a fast worker, Smiling Tiger seems even quicker this summer.
“He’s had time between races, and that’s when he blasts off,” trainer Jeff Bonde said. “He’s doing really good right now. We think he’s at his apex.”
AUBURN, Wash. – Tony Schiro is alive. That was the good news this week in the wake of a scary incident Saturday afternoon at Emerald Downs in which two horses heading from the paddock to the racetrack threw their jockeys, veered onto a horse path and broke into a full-speed sprint toward the barn area.
After running about 200 yards, one horse struck a tree, resulting in fatal injuries. The other trampled Schiro, 70, a longtime horseman and a popular figure on the Emerald Downs backside.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Local 3-year-olds will take their first step towards the Grade 3, $200,000 British Columbia Derby on Sept. 11 in the $50,000 Chris Loseth at Hastings on Friday. The 1 1/16-mile feature named after the all-time leading jockey at Hastings is the first middle-distance stakes for 3-year-olds at the meet. Half of the 10 horses entered – including the probable favorite, Inhisglory – will be going around three turns for the first time.
Turf Paradise will open its stable area Friday, Aug. 5, a month earlier than usual, the track’s general manager, Vince Francia, said Wednesday.
“We’re opening the stable area early to help horsemen still feeling the effects of Yavapai Downs canceling its summer meet,” said Francia. He said the local horsemen’s association and the track will share in the expenses.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Ellafitz and Artuya give trainer Bob Baffert two formidable starters in allowance races at Hollywood Park on Friday evening, a chance for the Hall of Famer to further pad his lead at the top of the trainer standings of the spring-summer meeting.
Through Sunday, Baffert had a three-race lead on trainer Mike Mitchell, with 27 wins at the meeting.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Happy Week and R Betty Graybull, who finished third and fifth in the Grade 2 Shuvee Handicap last time out, head a field of six older fillies and mares in Friday’s $60,000 Sky Beauty overnight stakes.
The Todd Pletcher-trained Happy Week was disqualified from third and placed fourth in the Shuvee after coming out in the stretch under left-handed pressure. She gets a switch back to John Velazquez, who rode the 4-year-old filly to back-to-back allowance victories at Saratoga and Keeneland last year.
