Sat, 08/28/2010 - 18:29

Discreetly Mine leads start to finish in King’s Bishop

Barbara D. Livingston
Discreetly Mine, with John Velazquez riding, wins the King's Bishop with a front-running change in tactics.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Saturday’s $250,000 King’s Bishop Stakes may not have gone exactly as Todd Pletcher would have envisioned it earlier in the day. But the end result was just what the meet’s leading trainer was looking for after Discreetly Mine led throughout to post a 1 1/4-length decision over a game Bank Merger in the Grade 1 dash for 3-year-olds.

Sat, 08/28/2010 - 18:23

Enriched takes Del Mar Mile on the front end

DEL MAR, Calif.- Alone on the lead, Enriched proved to be unbeatable in Saturday’s $190,000 Del Mar Mile Handicap, recording the first stakes win of his 21-race career.

The way the race unfolded, jockey Joel Rosario had growing confidence through the final half-mile. Enriched was allowed to set a slow pace of 23.97 and 48.53 seconds and held off a late threat from Meteore to win the Grade 2 turf race by three-quarters of a length.

Sat, 08/28/2010 - 18:14

Afleet Express noses out Fly Down in thrilling Travers

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - They ran the Travers Stakes for the 141st time on Saturday at Saratoga and one would be hard-pressed to find a closer finish. In a result that was befitting the type of summer it has been for jockeys Javier Castellano and Jose Lezcano and trainer Nick Zito, Afleet Express, under Castellano, won the Mid-Summer Derby by a nostril over the Zito-trained and Lezcano-ridden Fly Down.

Sat, 08/28/2010 - 17:50

Rightly So all the way in Ballerina

 

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Utilizing her speed on a speed-favoring track, Rightly So became a Grade 1 winner Saturday by going gate to wire in Saturday’s Grade 1, $250,000 Ballerina Stakes by four lengths.

She was the fifth gate-to-wire winner in as many dirt races to that point on the card.

Sat, 08/28/2010 - 17:28

Barracks Road upsets Ontario Colleen

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Barracks Road ($20.50) established an easy lead and kept on going to take the $193,900 Ontario Colleen Stakes over 26-1 shot Jenny’s So Great at Woodbine Saturday.

The temporary rail on the turf course was placed in the outermost lane for the one-mile event, a position which aided the speed style of Barracks Road, who set quick fractions of 23.45 and 46.23 seconds under Corey Fraser.

Sat, 08/28/2010 - 17:19

Rapport wires Victory Ride

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Had things worked out a little better, trainer Bob Baffert would have been at Saratoga on Saturday trying to win the main event, the Travers, with Lookin At Lucky. Instead, he had to settle for one of the minor prizes after sending out Rapport to a wire-to-wire victory under jockey Martin Garcia in the $100,000 Victory Ride Stakes.

Sat, 08/28/2010 - 17:10

Taptam leads throughout at Hoosier

Taptam led from start to finish to win the $104.900 Wigwam at Hoosier Park Saturday afternoon.

Trained by Bret Calhoun, Taptam dueled for the early lead before taking over after a half-mile. The 5-year-old had a 2 1/2- length lead coming into the stretch and jockey Francisco Torres kept the mare’s mind on business, winning by two lengths.

Afleet Deceit under Leandro Goncalves held on for second, 2 1/2 lengths in front of entrymate W W American in third.

Sat, 08/28/2010 - 16:30

Dynaslew digs in to win Ballston Spa

Barbara D. Livingston
Dynaslew (center) wins the Grade 2 Ballston Spa over Silver Reunion (right)

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Seth Benzel’s breakout meet hit a crescendo Saturday at Saratoga when Dynaslew overtook the pacesetting Silver Reunion outside the eighth pole, then outfinished that rival to the wire to win the Grade 2, $200,000 Ballston Spa Stakes by one-half length.

Sat, 08/28/2010 - 16:24

Vineyard Haven ready for Forego

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Vineyard Haven likely solidified his role as the favorite for Saturday’s Grade 1 Forego after working an impressive six furlongs in 1:12.39 under the cover of darkness here early Saturday morning.

Sat, 08/28/2010 - 16:01

For All Who Conga comes back quick at Presque Isle

For All Who Conga ran poorly six days ago at Presque Isle Downs but trainer Jamie Ness expects improvement when he sends out the 4-year-old in a fourth-level allowance at a mile and 70 yards Tuesday evening.

Last Wednesday, For All Who Conga finished fifth of six in a six-furlong allowance race.

“He just kind of ran around the track, we train him for a route.” Ness said.