Saratoga Race Course Notes | ||||
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Less than 12 hours after her impressive victory over the boys in the Grade 1, $750,000 Woodward, Havre de Grace was on the road back to trainer Larry Jones’ base at Delaware Park. “We left early to beat the traffic, and the trip was fine,” said Jones after their arrival late this morning. “She came out of the race well, and everything is good.” Jones and owner Rick Porter have the Grade 1, $300,000 Beldame at Belmont Park on October 1 penciled in for the 4-year-old filly’s next start as she points toward either the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic or the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs in November. “More than likely it will be the Beldame, depending on the next couple of days,” said Jones, who celebrated Havre de Grace’s victory with a trip to Boston Market for take-out. “But she came out of the race very, very well.” * * * Nick Zito was still aglow this morning over Jackson Bend’s victory in the Grade 1 Forego, which, coupled with his win in the James Marvin on opening day, provided the Hall of Fame trainer a neat bookend for the meet. “This is, by far, the toughest meet anywhere,” said Zito, who through Saturday was 4-1-4 from 41 starters. “That’s why it’s a cool thing to win the Forego, and it’s big. It picked everyone’s heads up around the barn. This is the No. 1 meet in the country, and the whole nucleus is so competitive. There are so many good trainers here, nothing else comes remotely close. Not everyone is blessed with a horse like Jackson Bend.” Jackson Bend, who is owned by Robert LaPenta, most likely will make his next start in the Grade 2 Kelso at Belmont Park on Super Saturday, October 1, as he targets the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile a month later. “If I’m thinking of the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, I want to run in the [one-mile] Kelso,” said Zito. “The Vosburgh is six furlongs, and he’d be at a disadvantage going three-quarters, and then what? The Breeders’ Cup Sprint? He’s not a big horse. What is he going to do, weave through the field? We’re going to stick with the original plan.” * * * Ask the Moon, winner of Saturday’s $300,000 Personal Ensign, may be pointed toward a confrontation with top filly Blind Luck in the Grade 1 Lady’s Secret on October 1 at Santa Anita. The $75,000 claim by Farnsworth Stables came to Saratoga this summer and won two Grade 1 races, the Personal Ensign and the Ruffian, for trainer Martin Wolfson. “I’m pleased but not surprised,” Wolfson said. “I’ve been very high on this [mare].” The only reason Wolfson wouldn’t put Ask the Moon to the Grade 1, $350,000 Beldame on October 1 at Belmont Park is he believes the 6-year-old daughter of Malibu Moon prefers two-turn races. Wolfson said that ultimately Ask the Moon would point toward the Breeders’ Cup and then be sold in the November Breeding Stock Sale at Keeneland. “That’s been the plan all along,” Wolfson said. * * * Martin Schwartz’s Stacelita had her second breeze since winning the Grade 1 Beverly D. on August 13, covering five furlongs over the Oklahoma turf training course in 1:00.20 on Saturday as she prepares for her next engagement, the Grade 1 Flower Bowl Invitational at Belmont Park on October 1. “I’m just going race-to-race,” said her trainer, Mechanicville native Chad Brown. “We’re pointing her to the Flower Bowl; if she does well there, the Breeders’ Cup [Filly & Mare Turf]. I think she’s as good as the rest here. We’ll just march on to the Breeders’ Cup.” After beginning her career in Europe, the 5-year-old Monsun mare made her American debut as the favorite in the Grade 1 United Nations, finishing third. In the Beverly D., she came through on the rail to post a 1 ¼-length victory. A multiple Group 1 winner in France, she is now 9-2-2 from 15 starts. “I’ve been lucky,” said Brown. “I was around a lot of top turf mares when I was with [late Hall of Famer] Bobby [Frankel], including ones that already won the Breeders’ Cup, and to me, she’s in that category. She’s a pretty all-around solid horse. She’s got good size to her, she’s strong, she’s sound, she’s smart, and she’s got a lot of class.”
* * * Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott reported Sunday morning that Royal Delta emerged “just fine”after breezing on Saturday for the first time following her victory in the Grade 1 Alabama on August 20. The 3-year-old filly went an easy half-mile in 51.64. “We don’t have anything definite for her at this point,” said Mott. “We’ll go to Belmont, and she’ll be nominated for the Beldame [Grade 1, October 1].” Mott added that Courageous Cat, who opened his 2011 campaign with a victory in the Grade 3 Poker at Belmont Park on June 10 and followed that with a win in the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile at Hollywood Park a month later, would be pointed to the Woodbine Mile on September 18. Courageous Cat worked seven furlongs in 1:25.66 on Saturday, also over the Oklahoma turf course. * * * Opening weekend stakes action at Belmont Park is all turf, with the Grade 2 Bowling Green at 1 3/8 miles set for Saturday, September 10, and the 1 1/8-mile Ashley T. Cole for New York-breds scheduled as the Sunday feature. Probable for the Bowling Green, according to NYRA stakes coordinator Andrew Byrnes, are Bold Hawk, Center Divider, Citrus Kid, Colonialism, Grassy, Kindergarden Kid, Sanagas and possibly Bim Bam, Rahystrada, and Sal the Barber. The Ashley T. Cole is expected to attract Compliance Officer, Karakorum Legend, Midnight Billy, Pocket Cowboys, Solvent, Straight Story, Uncle T Seven and Writingonthewall.
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