DEL MAR, Calif. – What in Blazes gave Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer his first winner at Del Mar in 11 months when he won a maiden special weight race for California-bred 2-year-olds on Saturday.

The colt closed from fourth to take the lead on the turn and won the five-furlong race by 5 3/4 lengths at 2-5 under jockey Mike Smith. What in Blazes was second in his debut in a similar race on June 27 at Los Alamitos.

“I think he was unlucky to lose his first race,” Hollendorfer said. “He got trapped on the inside at Los Alamitos, which was not the place to be.”

DEL MAR, Calif. – Award Winner ran the best race of his career when he scored a mild upset in the Grade 2 Charles Whittingham Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on turf on May 29 at Santa Anita. Award Winner will have to run at least as well to win against a tougher field Saturday in the Grade 2 Eddie Read Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf at Del Mar.

A 5-year-old gelding trained by David Hofmans, Award Winner beat three rivals in the Whittingham, including United, a five-time stakes winner who was last in the Whittingham and is part of the field for the $250,000 Eddie Read Stakes.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – All-sources handle for the opening week of Saratoga was $90,112,254, a 12.1.-percent increase over the $80,325,660 handled during opening week 2020.

There were 41 races run during opening week in both years. This year, 26 races were run on dirt with 15 on turf. Five scheduled turf races were taken off the turf.

In 2020, there were 23 dirt races and 18 on turf with two scheduled turf races moved to the main track.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The presence of undefeated Kentucky Oaks winner Malathaat and the defections of Crazy Beautiful and Tabor Hall due to the quarantine of Saratoga Barn 86 figure to leave Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Coaching Club American Oaks with a short field.

Clairiere, Maracuja, and Rockpaperscissors were three confirmed opponents for Malathaat, who will be making her first start since the Kentucky Oaks on Saturday.

Another possible entrant is Town Avenger, who is 1 for 2 with both starts coming on turf.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Steve Asmussen got his Saratoga summer off to a fast start winning four races from his first 14 starters, including the unveiling of a pair of 2-year-olds and the second start of a very promising 3-year-old.

The 3-year-old Beau Liam validated his 7 1/2-length debut win at Churchill on May 29 with a gritty nose victory Saturday over fellow second-time starter Witsel in a seven-furlong first-level allowance race. Beau Liam, a son of Liam’s Map, ran seven furlongs in 1:22.90 and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 106, as did Witsel.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Jockey agent Tom Patton has made some noise at Woodbine by lining up the accomplished journeymen Shaun Bridgmohan and Antonio Gallardo to ride here full time beginning this week.

Bridgmohan, 42, the brother of former local rider Jermaine Bridgmohan, has won 3,349 races in North America, including 285 stakes. He was the Eclipse Award-winning apprentice in 1998. Gallardo, 34, has 2,066 victories. He has five riding titles to his credit at Tampa Bay Downs, and was the leading jockey four times at Presque Isle Downs.

Jockey Geovanni Franco took off his mounts on Sunday after he was involved in a spill during morning training.

Franco was aboard Arson, an unraced 2-year-old trained by Richard Baltas who sustained a fatal injury during a workout.

Earlier on Sunday morning, Needless to Say, a maiden race winner here in August 2020 for trainer Dean Pederson, died of an apparent internal injury during exercise, according to a track official.

Franco was taken to a local hospital and was released in late morning, according to his agent, Mike Ciani.

DEL MAR, Calif. - Racing near the front throughout, Express Train fought off a late challenge from Tripoli to win his second stakes of 2021 in Saturday’s Grade 2 San Diego Handicap at Del Mar.

That sort of perseverance has not been an every-race occurrence this year for Express Train, who ended a three-race losing streak in the $251,500 San Diego Handicap dating to the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes at Santa Anita on Jan. 30.

“Everything went right for him,” trainer John Shirreffs said Sunday. “He made a nice move and ran all the way to the finish.”

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Todd Pletcher has won the Grade 3 Sanford Stakes eight times, with none of those victories more impressive or emphatic than Wit’s popular eight-length triumph here Saturday. 

Unfortunately for the soon-to-be-inducted Hall of Fame trainer, he wasn’t on hand to enjoy the performance in person.

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Hot Rod Charlie and Mandaloun, the first two across the finish, are headed in different directions after the chaotic conclusion to the Grade 1, $1 million Haskell on Saturday at Monmouth Park.