SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - On Monday morning, the Saratoga barn area was abuzz over Rachel Alexandra and her jaw-dropping performance the previous afternoon in the Grade 1 Haskell. On Tuesday morning, Quality Road became the focal point of similar praise following his record-setting performance Monday afternoon in the Grade 2 Amsterdam.
Both 3-year-olds may now be headed for what would be the most anticipated showdown of the year if they were to meet here Aug. 29 in the Grade 1 Shadwell Travers.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - It appears that there will be a strong Canadian theme for Saratoga's Alabama Stakes on Aug. 22.
Milwaukee Appeal is the latest Woodbine-based filly to toss her hat into the ring for the Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama, a 1 1/4-mile race for 3-year-old fillies.
Trained by Scott Fairlie, Milwaukee Appeal could join Tasty Temptation and Careless Jewel on the road from Woodbine to Saratoga.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - It is one of the early-week rituals of the Arlington Million: foreign horses getting acquainted with the Arlington Park turf course. Cima de Triomphe, an Irish-bred who will be one of the top contenders for the 27th Million on Saturday, cut a striking figure on a very quiet Tuesday morning, cantering around the spacious course while his assistant trainer looked on approvingly.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Historically, Christophe Clement has been more of a ladies' man.
He has won the last two editions of the Grade 1 Beverly D. Stakes, with Mauralakana last year and with Royal Highness in 2007, and Clement is the only three-time winner of the Beverly D. Most of the top horses to have passed through his barn during an 18-year training career have been fillies that race on grass, horses like his other Beverly D. winner, England's Legend, and Relaxed Gesture.
CHICAGO - The Arlington Million will be contested on Saturday in suburban Chicago at 1 1/4 miles - a distance roughly 22 miles shorter than that separating Arlington Park and the ESPN Zone in downtown Chicago, where the Million and its two supporting Grade 1 turf features, the Beverly D. and the Secretariat, were drawn Tuesday afternoon. The draw had Marines, Arlington-produced music videos, morning-line odds niftily posted on digital display boards next to a wall of television monitors.
A severe flash flood Tuesday morning in the Louisville, Ky., area forced Churchill Downs officials into emergency mode, with 30 to 35 horses shuttled out of the stable area to the Trackside training facility because of flooding in barns.
Invaders dominated Monday's $75,000 Manitoba Derby, with Smuggler's Hold and Tease the Tiger finishing one-two in the 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-olds at Assiniboia Downs.
Smuggler's Hold, with Adolfo Morales in the irons, came from off the pace to take charge around the final turn and go on to score by three-quarters of a length.
Tease the Tiger also came from out of it and was up in the final strides to finish second ahead of another closer, the longshot Celtic Thane.
Trainer Cindy Krasner and jockey Dave Wilson had the same thoughts about their contender Krazy Koffee when heavily favored Spaghetti Mouse was a late scratch during the post parade in the $110,920 B.C. Cup Classic at Hastings on Monday.
"I wanted to go back to the paddock and talk to Cindy about changing our strategy," said Wilson.
"I wanted to talk to Davie and make sure he didn't get too far behind," said Krasner
No instructions were necessary as Krazy Koffee broke sharply and then outlasted Till the Storm to win by a half-length.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Longshot Palladio captured the Grade 3, $152,150 Seagram Cup Stakes off a six-month layoff on a holiday Monday at Woodbine.
Palladio, Canada's champion 3-year-old in 2005, raced three lengths off the lead in fourth until the far turn of the 1 1/16-mile event. He began to mount a five-wide rally at that point, and hit the front in midstretch before drawing clear for 1 1/4-length score in 1:43.84.
Favored Ready's Echo finished second and was followed by Vacation, Marlang, Ghost Hour, Approval Rating and Mike Fox.
Let the Rachel Watch begin anew.
After disposing of 3-year-old males - again - in Sunday's $1.25 million Haskell Invitational at sloppy Monmouth Park, Preakness winner Rachel Alexander ratcheted up her star power another notch. Now, the racing world will wait - again - with bated breath for owner Jess Jackson and trainer Steve Asmussen to decide when and where she will strut her stuff next.
