Things to know today
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Desert Gate and Vanta filled out the same Del Mar card. Desert Gate won the Listed Shared Belief Stakes over a mile in 1:36.25, prevailing by five and one half lengths over Mo Koko with Start the Ride third, Juan Hernandez riding for Bob Baffert and the owners Michael Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman. Vanta stayed unbeaten in two starts in the Listed Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf, a two-turn mile on firm turf in 1:36.30, after jumping at the start and dropping to eighth, Umberto Rispoli riding the Greatest Honour filly for Jeff Mullins and the owners Dutch Girl Holdings and Irving Ventures (Horse Racing Nation) |
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Book’em Danno has been ruled out of the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Keeneland. The reigning champion sprinter, a six-year-old Bucchero gelding owned by Atlantic Six Racing, was scratched from the Forego on 29 August after getting cast in his stall, was found unsound by a regulatory veterinarian on race morning and went on the HISA veterinarian’s list for fourteen days. Derek Ryan said the gelding is walking the shedrow but has not returned to training, cannot be ready for the Vosburgh on 26 September or the Phoenix on 2 October, and will not be asked to run off a 106-day layoff. Ryan is pointing instead at the Grade 3 Elite Power at Belmont Park on 5 December and possibly the Grade 2 Riyadh Dirt Sprint on 6 February. It is the second year running he has missed the race (Paulick Report, Thoroughbred Daily News) |
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Stellify repeated in the Grade 3 Global Tote Ladies Marathon Invitational at Kentucky Downs on Sunday, a mile and five sixteenths worth 1.5 million dollars, in 2:09.54. The five-year-old Justify mare hit the wire five and a half lengths clear of Golden Sunshine, with Hey Jessie third, Flavien Prat riding for Brad Cox and the owners Elements Racing, George Messina and Michael Lee. Prat rode six winners on the card and swept both stakes. “It’s great, I’ve been riding good horses which helps,” he said (Paulick Report, Horse Racing Nation) |
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Bill Mott says Sovereignty is only 50-50 to make the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup on 18 September, after an abscess in a hind foot stopped the four-year-old’s training. Mott said the foot will take a few days to calm down enough to where they can train him, and named the Grade 2 Lukas Classic at Churchill Downs on 26 September as the alternative route to the Breeders’ Cup Classic. The colt is unbeaten at a mile and a quarter, the Classic trip, from three starts in 2025 (Thoroughbred Daily News) |
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Magnitude worked a half mile in 51.60 seconds over the Oklahoma dirt training track, his first breeze back since finishing sixth in the Grade 1 Whitney on 8 August. “He went by himself, first work back, it was easy,” the assistant trainer Scott Blasi said. Steve Asmussen has said he plans to train the Winchell Thoroughbreds four-year-old up to the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Goodall was scratched from Sunday’s Grade 3 Prioress, and Spendthrift Farm’s stallion sales manager Mark Toothaker said she will need 60 to 90 days off (Thoroughbred Daily News) |
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Gulfstream Park has cancelled its 10 September card, the first Thursday of the Sunshine Meet, for a shortage of entries. The racing office said races that filled for the 10 September card will be carded on the Friday instead, and that other races may come back as extras on the 12 and 13 September programmes. The meet opened on 4 September on a Thursday to Sunday week and carries fourteen stakes worth 1.925 million dollars (Horse Racing Nation) |
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Bruce Lunsford, the owner and breeder of Art Collector, has died at 78. Horse Racing Nation reported early on Monday that the Kentucky businessman died on Saturday and that a close friend confirmed it on Sunday. BloodHorse carried the death separately. Art Collector won the 2023 Pegasus World Cup Invitational in his silks, and Lunsford also owned the graded stakes winner Madcap Escapade (Horse Racing Nation, BloodHorse via Equibase) |
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Jamie Spencer rode a Labor Day double for European raiders at Kentucky Downs on Monday. Haatem won the Grade 3 Mint Millions Invitational, a mile on turf worth two million dollars, in 1:34.32, holding Lagynos by a neck with Brilliant Berti third, Richard Hannon Jr. training for the owner Wathnan Racing. The horse broke slowly and came four wide into the stretch on his American debut. “The best horse wins if they get a good spot,” Spencer said. In the Grade 2 Franklin-Simpson, six and a half furlongs worth 1.5 million dollars, Take Charge Star came from last at the half mile to win by two lengths in 1:15.45, also on a first American start, from Two Out Hero with Alpyland third, for Johnny Murtagh and the owner Maribeth Sandford (Horse Racing Nation, Daily Racing Form) |
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Saratoga closed its 45-day summer meet on Monday, and Manny Franco won his first riding title there. He clinched it on the penultimate day on 70 wins to 68 for Flavien Prat, his 69th passing the meet record of 68 set by Ramon Dominguez in 2012 and his 70th coming in the Grade 1 Hopeful on The Good Life. “This means everything to me,” Franco said. “I’ve won at Aqueduct, and I’ve won at Belmont. I wanted this one for sure.” On the closing card Siyouincanada led from gate to wire in the Gio Ponti, a two-turn mile on the inner turf in 1:34.71 by two and a quarter lengths, Kendrick Carmouche riding for Joe Sharp and the owners Newtown Anner Stud Farm and LNJ Foxwoods, and Scramjet stayed unbeaten in two starts in the Funny Cide, six furlongs in 1:10.15 by two lengths, Ricardo Santana Jr. riding for Linda Rice and the owner and breeder Steve Barberino (Thoroughbred Daily News, Horse Racing Nation) |
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