A full field is expected Sunday for the $200,000 Runhappy Ellis Park Derby, one of the final chances for a 3-year-old to earn his way into the 146th Kentucky Derby.
Even with Art Collector as a heavy favorite, racing officials at Ellis in western Kentucky were expecting a capacity field of 12 for the 1 1/8-mile race. Entries were to be drawn Thursday.
:: KENTUCKY DERBY 2020: Derby Watch, point standings, prep schedule, news, and more
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Linda Rice has enjoyed a productive summer at Saratoga shipping horses in from Belmont Park a few days before they race and not breezing them over the main track here. She hopes it’s a trend that continues Saturday when she runs Max Player in the Grade 1, $1 million Runhappy Travers Stakes, the marquee event of the Saratoga meet.
Listed, $98,000 Shared Belief Stakes, 1 1/16 miles, Del Mar, Aug. 1, 2020
(50 Derby qualifying points for first, 20 for second, 10 for third, 5 for fourth)
Winner: Thousand Words, by Pioneerof the Nile
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Jockey: Abel Cedillo
Owner: Albaugh Family Stables and Spendthrift Farm
Beyer Speed Figure: 104
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - On paper and on the track, Bill Mott views South Bend as a horse who is better on dirt than he is on turf. So, when presented the options of running the 3-year-old in Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Runhappy Travers or the $500,000 Saratoga Derby on turf on Aug. 15, to him it’s a no-brainer.
“I’m not interested in running him on the grass until I exhaust the dirt options,” Mott said Sunday. “I don’t see any reason to do it.”
DEL MAR, Calif. – Thousand Words and Honor A. P. are both headed to the Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5 at Churchill Downs after emerging in good order from the Shared Belief Stakes on Saturday at Del Mar, their trainers said Sunday morning.
The Shared Belief was the final West Coast prep for the Derby, and it produced a surprisingly high 104 Beyer Speed Figure after the four runners all finished within 1 1/2 lengths of each other.
DEL MAR, Calif. – The postponement of the Kentucky Derby has allowed several late-developing 3-year-olds a chance to make the field, as well as a reprieve for a colt who was headed the wrong direction three months ago.
Thousand Words, whose early promise at 2 had largely failed to translate at 3, continued his second act with a victory on Saturday in the $98,000 Shared Belief Stakes at Del Mar, which came at the expense of the West Coast’s top-ranked Derby prospect, Honor A. P.
Sole Volante breezed five furlongs over the turf in 1:02 on Friday morning at Palm Meadows, his first work since a disappointing sixth-place finish in the Belmont Stakes.
Sole Volante worked in company with stablemate Kelsey’s Cross, breaking a couple of lengths behind and finishing a head back while going easily throughout. The pair breezed inside the dogs but well off the inside fence.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Honor A. P. already has proven he belongs in the Kentucky Derby. Cezanne and Thousand Words are trying to get to that level. Those three are among an abbreviated field that will compete on Saturday at Del Mar in the $100,000 Shared Belief Stakes, which is a final Derby prep for Honor A. P., but a proving ground for his two main rivals.
DEL MAR, Calif. – First it was an uncle who played the daily double every racing day. Then came visits to Santa Anita and Hollywood Park to see the likes of Buckpasser, Round Table, and Swaps. Before there was Sunday racing in California, family trips to Caliente in Tijuana, which raced on Sundays, were part of the rotation.
Lee Searing was introduced to racing at a young age. His interest took hold and never left, and over the years he has progressed from passionate fan to passionate owner.
Thousand Words
Pioneerof the Nile – Pomeroys Pistol, by Pomeroy
Bred in Florida by Hardacre Farm ($1 million Keeneland September yearling purchase by Albaugh Family Stable and Spendthrift Farm)
For Thousand Words, who will be looking to get back to his winning ways in this weekend’s Shared Belief Stakes at Del Mar, his pedigree is a classic case of stamina crossed over speed.
