SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The one thing trainer Neil Howard has learned about Lou Brissie is that the juvenile colt would benefit from running long. Without a dirt option, Howard hopes to learn that Lou Brissie likes the turf as well when he runs in Friday’s Grade 3, $100,000 With Anticipation Stakes at Saratoga.
The With Anticipation, scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on the outer turf course, is the feature on a nine-race program that begins at 2:30 p.m.
DEL MAR, Calif.– Unbeaten in four sprints, Goggles McCoy starts in the $100,000 El Cajon Stakes at Del Mar on Friday, trying a mile for the first time.
The El Cajon is an important race for Goggles McCoy’s future, and for trainer Steve Sherman and his family. For the first time, Sherman, 46, and his father, Art, 73, will have runners in the same stakes. Art Sherman starts Haimish Hy, who has not started since finishing second in the Grade 3 El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields in April.
“His horse can run,” Steve Sherman said of Haimish Hy.
OPELOUSAS, La. – Here in the heart of Cajun Country, there is certainly no shortage of jockey lore. This summer, however, it is a native of Lima, Peru, that has had a meeting for the ages.
John Jacinto has been so dominant in the saddle that he has distanced himself by almost 50 winners from his nearest competitor in the standings. With a week remaining in the current stand, he has visited the winner’s circle 123 times, compared to 76 for longtime Evangeline regular Gerard Melancon.
AUBURN, Wash. – Koala Beach, a stakes winner less than 10 weeks ago, is scheduled to start in a $15,000 claiming race Friday as Emerald Downs heads into the final four weeks of its 90-day meeting.
Koala Beach would seem to be a bargain for $15,000 – he has earned an average of $12,169 per start during his fledgling career for owner Jeff Harwood. But the 3-year-old gelding finished a distant last in the Emerald Derby in his most recent outing Aug. 15, his second consecutive subpar performance following a victory in the $50,000 Pepsi Cola Handicap in late June.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Following Krazy Koffee’s last-place finish in the B.C. Cup Classic on Aug. 2 his connections have decided to retire him. There will be a ceremony held in his honor prior to the Richmond Derby Trial at Hastings on Monday.
“He’s developed an issue we just can’t do too much about so instead of cheapening him up we’ll let him retire with a little dignity,” said trainer Cindy Krasner.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The rapid Essence Hit Man’s only try around two turns was good, and a repeat of that performance would probably be good enough to get the job done in Friday’s headliner, a 1 1/16-mile allowance race for 3-year-olds that serves as a prep for the Sept. 25 Ontario Derby.
Essence Hit Man is unquestionably the leading 3-year-old sprinter at Woodbine. In the spring, he captured the six-furlong Woodstock Stakes with a 93 Beyer Speed Figure and won the seven-furlong Queenston Stakes with a 99 Beyer.
It was about this time a year ago that co-owner Adele Dilschneider and trainer Al Stall Jr. came up with a Super Derby horse in Blame. Now they have Apart, who put his name in the hat for the Grade 2, $500,000 race by winning last weekend’s $100,000 Prelude at Louisiana Downs.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Carem Crescent, a winner of two stakes and runner-up to Tribal Belle for the new filly and mare sprinter Sovereign Award last year, has yet to find her best stride this season.
On Saturday at Woodbine, Carem Crescent will be looking to turn things around in the $150,000 Seaway, a seven-furlong race for fillies and mares which attracted a field of five.
“She’s been a little disappointing, after the year she had last year,” said Malcolm Pierce, who trains the homebred Carem Crescent for owner Eugene Melnyk.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Adding injury to insult for Team Rachel Alexandra, their top 2-year-old colt, Kantharos, has been retired from racing after suffering fractured sesamoids in his left foreleg following a Monday workout at Saratoga.
On Monday, Kantharos worked five furlongs in 1:03.90 over the Oklahoma training track, but apparently took a bad step galloping out. Back at the barn, he appeared to be uncomfortable as he was led around the walking ring. X-rays revealed the injury.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Charles Lopresti has been training horses since 1994, but has never run a horse at Saratoga, nor has he run in a Grade 1 stakes. Both of those streaks will come to an end Saturday when he sends out Here Comes Ben in the Grade 1, $250,000 Forego Stakes going seven furlongs over Saratoga’s main track.