Things to know today
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Summer Starlet is unbeaten in two starts after taking the Grade 1 Spinaway at Saratoga on Saturday for Steve Asmussen and Ricardo Santana Jr. The City of Light filly beat Harper’s Corner by four and three quarter lengths, with Angel of Kirk third, and earned a place in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Keeneland on 30 October. Later on the same card Todd Pletcher won the Grade 3 With Anticipation for a record eighth time, Liam’s Law holding his stablemate Broad Leadership by a neck under Santana with Perfect Dream third (Paulick Report, The Daily Gazette) |
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Miss Monica won the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante on Saturday, seven furlongs in 1:23.54 for Bob Baffert and Juan Hernandez, in the colours of Michael Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman. “She’s that good of a filly,” Baffert said. Yesterday’s edition had the race down for Sunday, in error. Earlier on the card Observed gave Juddmonte’s Mandaloun a first graded stakes winner in the Grade 3 Del Mar Juvenile Turf, a mile in 1:36.40 for Jonathan Thomas, also ridden by Hernandez, from Shadow Nation and Off in the Corner (Thoroughbred Daily News) |
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Possiblemente took the Grade 2 Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint on Saturday by a length and a quarter in 1:09.28, José Ortiz riding for Joe Sharp and T and E Racing, with Golden Afternoon second and Mondogetsbuckets third. “I know this horse well,” Ortiz said. “He broke so sharp.” The 1.5 million dollar Grade 2 Music City on the same card went to Somerset West, a three-year-old Kantharos filly who rallied five wide for John Sadler and Luis Saez, with Light Won Up second and Sapphire Beach third (Horse Racing Nation, Thoroughbred Daily News) |
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Mark Casse will not send Nitrogen to the Grade 2 Locust Grove at Churchill Downs next Saturday because of the Kentucky heat, with Louisville forecast at 91 degrees on the day after a high of 100 the day before. “It’s just too hot. I don’t want to ship her,” Casse said. The Medaglia d’Oro four-year-old, owned by D. J. Stable, won the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps and was second to Sovereignty in the Grade 1 Whitney. The Jockey Club Gold Cup, the Beldame and the Grade 1 Spinster at Keeneland are the alternatives (Paulick Report) |
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A federal jury has convicted Sean Alfortish, the former Louisiana HBPA president, of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, two counts of mail fraud, two counts of obstruction of justice and witness tampering, in a case heard before Chief Judge Wendy B. Vitter. He was acquitted on two counts of paying an inmate to commit perjury, and the jury could not reach a verdict on charges relating to the death of a federal witness. United States Attorney David I. Courcelle called the verdict an important step towards justice for the victims of the scheme. Alfortish faces a statutory maximum of 90 years. No sentencing hearing has been scheduled and no sentence has been passed (Paulick Report) |
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Apprentice Jonathan Santos rode his first winner on Friday, taking the second race on the opening day of Gulfstream Park’s fall Sunshine Meet aboard Bleu Martini, a three-year-old Maryland bred gelding owned and trained by Javier Morzan. The 26-year-old from Puerto Rico made his debut on 18 July and had three seconds and two thirds from 27 mounts at the Royal Meet. He spent three years galloping horses for Mike Maker, Jose D’Angelo and Mark Casse, and his agent is the Hall of Famer Edgar Prado. “It’s amazing. No words to describe it,” Santos said (Paulick Report) |
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Keeneland has catalogued 4,635 horses for the 83rd September Yearling Sale, twelve sessions running from 14 to 26 September with a dark day on 18 September. Book 1 takes the first two days, 181 horses on the Monday and 184 on the Tuesday, both starting at 1pm Eastern. The catalogue carries yearlings by 189 sires, 1,072 of them by 24 first crop sires. “This year’s September Sale offers remarkable quality and depth from the opening session through the final day,” the vice president Tony Lacy said (Keeneland) |
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The Good Life stayed unbeaten in the Grade 1 Spendthrift Farm Hopeful at Saratoga on Sunday, seven furlongs in 1:24.08, giving the freshman sire Life Is Good a first Grade 1 winner. Brad Cox trains the colt and Manny Franco rode, leading throughout after a quarter in 22.71 and a half in 45.40, to beat Mystrix by four lengths with Booked third. The owners are WinStar Farm, First Go Racing and CHC. “Turning for home, looked like we had some horse and he responded down the stretch,” Cox said. The Breeders’ Futurity and the Champagne are the options next (Thoroughbred Daily News) |
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Mashallah took the Prioress, the Grade 3 six furlongs at Saratoga on Sunday, by five lengths in 1:09.93, and the win clinched the Angel Cordero Jr. riding title for Manny Franco, his first at Saratoga. The Maxfield filly beat Mythical with Hen Party third, for Brendan Walsh and JR Ranch, and Goodall was scratched. “It means everything,” Franco said. On the same card Jean Valjean, a seven-year-old Uncle Lino gelding trained by Elizabeth Merryman for Martha Nevins and Michael Pawasarat, won the Disco Partner over five and a half furlongs on turf in 1:01.82 under Jomar Torres, from Determined Kingdom and Creditworthy (Thoroughbred Daily News, Horse Racing Nation) |
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Bless the Broken won the Grade 2 Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf on Saturday on her turf debut, a mile in 1:34.80, by two lengths from Buttercream Babe with Classic Q third. Florent Geroux rode the daughter of Laoban for Brad Cox and the owners Qatar Racing, Mountmellick Farm and Hunter Valley Farm, and Hang the Moon was scratched. The Grade 2 Nashville Derby Invitational on the same card went to Caroline St. Beat, a New York bred colt by Tiz the Law, a mile and five sixteenths in 2:08.49 for Miguel Clement and Tyler Gaffalione, with Glacius second and Go Grey third (Paulick Report, Thoroughbred Daily News) |
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May Day Ready won the 500,000 dollar One Dreamer at Kentucky Downs on Sunday, a mile and a sixteenth on turf in 1:42.81, by four and a half lengths from Miwa. Flavien Prat rode the daughter of Tapit for Richard Mandella and KatieRich Stables, in blinkers for the first time (Horse Racing Nation) |
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