SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Golden Damsel, a stakes winner previously trained by Gary Contessa, makes her first start for new connections in Wednesday's $65,000-added Saratoga Dew at Saratoga.
The Saratoga Dew, a 1 1/8-mile dirt race for New York-bred fillies and mares, drew seven runners.
Despite having not raced since March, is the most accomplished horse in the Saratoga Dew, and therefore the likely favorite.
With Ocean Drive's win in the $201,000 , trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey John Velazquez combined to win five races at Saratoga on Monday's nine-race card.
Ocean Drive, the 2-1 favorite, capped the remarkable feat by winning the Grade 3 Ballston Spa by 1 1/4 lengths over Personal Legend. It was another 1 3/4 lengths back to High Court in third in the 1 1/16-mile turf race. Film Maker, who figured to vie for favoritism with Ocean Drive, was scratched because her trainer, Graham Motion, believed the turf condition - yielding - wouldn't be to her liking.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Roman Ruler, the unbeaten leader of the 2-year-old male division in California, worked a half-mile in 46 seconds on Sunday and now may start in the $250,000 Del Mar Futurity on Sept. 8.
The workout, the second-fastest of 41 timed works at the distance, was Roman Ruler's first since a win in the Best Pal Stakes on Aug. 15, his stakes debut.
Trainer Bob Baffert timed Roman Ruler galloping out five furlongs in 58.40 seconds on Sunday.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Excessively Nice was so impressive winning a maiden race on Aug. 8 that trainer Bob Baffert considered her a candidate for the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante last Saturday.
But with other fillies in his stable pointed for that race, Baffert decided to take the less lucrative path with Excessively Nice. Wednesday, Excessively Nice makes her stakes debut in the $100,000 Generous Portion Stakes for statebred 2-year-old fillies at Del Mar.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - Trainer Jim Ryerson had no regrets following Park Avenue Ball's second-place finish in the Grade 3, $100,000 Sapling Stakes on Saturday at Monmouth Park.
"Everything went good," said Ryerson. "Everything went the way we wanted except for the outcome."
The race set up perfectly for Park Avenue Ball. The winner of the Tyro Stakes, Park Avenue Ball got a ground-saving ride from Dale Beckner and looked like a winner when he moved past the pacesetting Upscaled a furlong from the finish.
CHICAGO - Rocky River, arguably the most impressive 2-year-old to race this summer at Arlington, earned a slot in the Sept. 19 Arlington-Washington Futurity with his dominating win Sunday in the $50,000 Spectacular Bid Stakes here.
"I thought he was very impressive, and he came out if it in fine form," trainer Don Von Hemel said Monday morning. "We're very excited about him."
CHICAGO - Arlington's Summer Festival of Racing has ended, and summer itself - what there was of it during this strangely chilly season - is playing final chords. But judging from the Wednesday racing program here, the meet will not go out with a whimper.
The details of a proposed partnership between horse owner Mike Pegram and Fair Grounds Race Course have been made public through court filings, but late Monday afternoon there still was no word whether a bankruptcy court judge would approve the partnership and dismiss Fair Grounds's Chapter 11 bankruptcy case.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - My Vintage Port, last year's Canadian champion 2-year-old filly, heads Wednesday's $131,125 Eternal Search Stakes, a 1 1/16-mile race for Ontario-sired 3-year-old fillies at Woodbine.
My Vintage Port competed in all three legs of this year's Canadian triple tiara. She was a distant third to Eye of the Sphynx and Touchnow in the Woodbine Oaks, but was beaten only two lengths by that duo when third in the second leg of the series, the Bison City Stakes at Fort Erie.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Soaring Free established himself as the probable favorite for the $1 million Atto Mile here at Woodbine Sept. 19 with a comfortable score in last Saturday's Grade 3 Play the King Handicap, but it didn't come without a few anxious moments.
Carrying high weight of 126 pounds, Soaring Free stumbled when he bumped with Dalavin at the start of the seven-furlong turf race. After regrouping, he assumed a three-wide stalking position, took a clear lead early in the stretch, and then repelled two challenges to prevail by three-quarters of a length.
