Top Executive and Bayakoas Image came out of their respective wins in the $50,000 Muckleshoot Derby and $50,000 Washington Oaks last Sunday at Emerald Downs in good shape, but are headed in different directions.
The Blaine Wright-trained Top Executive, who was all-out to beat Coastal Kid in the Muckleshoot, is taking a planned four-month break. His hard-fought victory in the Derby was his third-straight stakes win at Emerald.
The $10 million renovation of the Churchill Downs turf course is progressing on schedule. Drainage and foundation work is complete on the 85-foot-wide course, while a six-inch sub-base of masonry sand is currently being topped by a blended mix of topsoil and grit sand. The actual seeding of the seven-furlong course with fescue and bluegrass won’t be undertaken until after the 12-day September meet concludes Oct. 3. No turf racing will be conducted until the 2022 spring meet at the earliest.
Larry Collmus will go solo in handling the Kentucky Downs race-calling duties throughout the six-day meet, unlike last year, when he and Michael Wrona shared time on the stand.
Wrona called the 2019 meet, taking over from John Lies, who had called the previous 11 years following the July 2008 death of Luke Kruytbosch. In 2020, with no ontrack fans permitted because of the pandemic, Wrona and Collmus alternated calls on opening day, with Wrona then calling the next two cards and Collmus the last three cards.
Tyler Picklesimer is now in his ninth year as Kentucky Downs racing secretary, so he has borne first-hand witness to how the racing program has become immensely popular with horsemen.
“Last year we had the pandemic, and this year is unique in that the Churchill Downs barn area has been closed, so horses are coming from all over and shipping directly here,” Picklesimer said. “Entries are actually down a little bit compared to 2019, but we’re still doing really well.”
Harvey Diamond enjoys Kentucky Downs like few others. The retired occupational physician was part of the group that owned Da Big Hoss, winner of the Kentucky Turf Cup in 2015 and 2016, but beyond that, he revels in the fun and friendly atmosphere the track provides.
“I absolutely love it down there,” Diamond said this week from his Louisville home.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Just nine horses were nominated to the second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, the $400,000 Prince of Wales Stakes for Canadian-bred 3-year-olds going 1 3/16 miles on Sept. 14 at Fort Erie.
Safe Conduct and Riptide Rock, the top two finishers in the $1 million Queen’s Plate on the Tapeta, were not nominated, with their connections citing the dirt surface as the reason.
Trainer Kevin Attard nominated H C Holiday, Harlan Estate, and Haddassah, who finished third, seventh and eighth, respectively, in the Queen’s Plate on Aug. 22.
Get tied on, jock. A Sunday-to-Sunday spree of rapid-fire action at Kentucky Downs is sure to sustain horseplayers looking to avoid Saratoga/Del Mar decompression as the turf-only track in south-central Kentucky gets going with a six-day boutique meet featuring massive purses.
The dates are Sept. 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, and 12.
Trainer Junior Coffey, an icon in the Seattle sports world, died from congestive heart failure Monday.
Prior to becoming a successful trainer at Longacres and Emerald, he was a star running back at the University of Washington where he led the Huskies in rushing in 1962 and 1964. In his first year in the National Football League, he was on the 1965 Green Bay Packers team that won the NFL championship for legendary coach Vince Lombardi. He also played for the Atlanta Falcons and New York Giants.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Galt, a 2-year-old full brother to multiple champion filly Songbird, will make his career debut in Saturday’s seventh race, which appears to be coming up one of the stronger maiden races of the meet.
In the summer of 2015, Songbird won her debut by 6 1/2 lengths on her way to a career in which she won 13 of 15 starts including nine Grade 1 stakes. She was a champion at 2 and 3 and earned $4.69 million for owner Rick Porter while being trained by Jerry Hollendorfer.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The connections of Grade 2 Saratoga Special winner High Oak were planning to wait until the Grade 1 Champagne on Oct. 2 at Belmont Park to run their unbeaten 2-year-old again. High Oak obviously had other ideas.
After evaluating how well the horse is doing, trainer Bill Mott and owners Lee Einsidler and Mike Francesa have opted to run High Oak in Monday’s Grade 1, $300,000 Hopeful Stakes, setting up a showdown with undefeated Sanford Stakes winner Wit in the closing-day feature.
