DEL MAR, Calif. – C Z Rocket worked five furlongs at Del Mar in 1:01.60 on Sunday morning, a slow time for a gelding who has won four sprint stakes and finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Keeneland last November.
Trainer Peter Miller timed C Z Rocket in an even slower 1:02 and did not care one bit.
“I don’t want a quick time,” Miller said. “We’ll save it for the afternoon.”
DEL MAR, Calif. - Madone needed a career-best effort to end Going Global’s five-race winning streak in a thrilling running of the Grade 2 San Clemente Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at a mile on turf at Del Mar on Saturday.
With a wide rally, Madone held off a determined Going Global to win by a half-length for her fourth career stakes win.
The rematch will occur on Aug. 21 in the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks at 1 1/8 miles on turf, a $300,000 race that the fillies’ respective trainers were looking forward to on Sunday morning.
DEL MAR, Calif. - It was mission accomplished for United after the 6-year-old gelding won the Grade 2 Eddie Read Stakes on turf for the second consecutive year at Del Mar on Saturday.
Now comes the tricky part of trying to win the Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap on Aug. 21 for the first time in an effort to gain a fees-paid berth for a possible third appearance in the Breeders’ Cup Turf here on Nov. 6.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Females have won the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint each of the last two years and four times in the 13-year history of the race.
Caravel's connections hope to get the opportunity to continue that trend later this year. Caravel, who won Saturday’s Grade 3 Caress Stakes at Saratoga on Saturday, will be aimed at the Turf Sprint, this year a five-furlong race at Del Mar on Nov. 6.
The path to get there could include at least one start against males perhaps as early as Aug. 22 in the Grade 1, $300,000 Highlander Stakes at Woodbine.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Even some 20 hours later, Rob Atras still sounded in shock when talking about his filly Maracuja’s upset over heavily favored Malathaat in Saturday’s $500,000 Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga, which gave the trainer his first career Grade 1 victory.
“Every win’s great. To win a race like that, a prestigious Grade 1, especially in Saratoga, I can’t put it into words,” Atras said. “I never expected it, caught me off guard.”
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - There will be a pick-six carryover of $257,811 into Sunday’s card at Saratoga after the wager went unhit Saturday.
There were live tickets to five of the 11 horses entering the last leg, but when Mike’s Girl ($19) won the finale, that triggered the carryover.
The pick six, which is a $1 minimum wager, had a pool of $405,240 on Saturday.
The sequence began in race 6 with first-time starter Midnight Worker ($22) upsetting a field of 2-year-old maidens. Sifting Sands, despite being a turf horse trained by Chad Brown, returned $58 in race 7.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Life Is Good was the top 3-year-old this winter. Essential Quality, last year’s 2-year-old champion, emerged as the top 3-year-old of the spring. First Captain is attempting to get into the conversation this summer.
On Saturday, at dawn in Saratoga, the trio of 3-year-olds, each put in workouts within about a 10-minute span.
Life Is Good, now in the barn of Todd Pletcher, worked four furlongs in 48.88 seconds just after the Oklahoma training track opened at 5:30 a.m. He got his last quarter in 23.76 seconds.
Two jockeys have been suspended five days each and fined $500 by Monmouth Park stewards for violating the strict whip rules put in place this year by the New Jersey Racing Commission.
The pair of cases are the first to come up at the Monmouth meet, which began in late May.
Carlos Montalvo was suspended from Aug. 24 through Aug. 28 after stewards held a July 16 hearing regarding his case. Carlos Lopez waived his right to a hearing and was suspended July 24 through 28.
Because the inner rail on the main track incurred damage, two of the last four races Friday at Ellis Park (races 5 and 7) were switched to the turf course. The other two remaining races already were scheduled for the turf.
Track spokeswoman Jennie Rees said a safety issue became apparent when, during a routine resurfacing, a tractor accidentally ran into the rail about 100 yards from the wire, damaging it. Whether main-track races could be run Saturday and Sunday was still to be determined as of late Friday afternoon.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Maxfield got his first feel for the Saratoga main track Friday when he worked five furlongs in 1:01 09 in company with Business Model. Maxfield got his final quarter in 24.40 seconds and galloped out six furlongs in 1:14.41 and seven furlongs in 1:27.46.
Maxfield, winner of the Grade 2 Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs in his most recent start, is pointing to the Grade 1 Whitney on Aug. 7.
