These races are for Saturday (read more after the jump):
10th Race - Saratoga - Saturday, August 27th, 2011
STAKES. 7 Furlongs Dirt. Purse $250,000. Ballerina S. (Grade 1). FOR FILLIES AND MARES THREE YEARS OLD AND UPWARD. (04:38 PM) (7)
PP Horse A/S M/E Wgt Jockey Trainer
1 Hour Glass 5 M L 117 Velazquez John R. Pletcher Todd A.
2 Tamarind Hall 4 F L 117 Cohen David Englehart Jeremiah C.
3 Hilda's Passion 4 F L 122 Castellano Javier Pletcher Todd A.
4 Bronx City Girl 4 F L 115 Leparoux Julien R. Wolfson Martin D.
5 Devil By Design 5 M L 117 Nakatani Corey S. Mott William I.
6 Tar Heel Mom 6 M L 119 Solis Alex O. Hough Stanley M.
7 Sassy Image 4 F L 122 Albarado Robby Romans Dale L.
Sassy Image is the hot horse going in winning her last three starts. Keep an eye on Tamarind Hall, she's already defeated Hilda's Passion in their last start and is latest star based out of Finger Lakes. Tar Heel Mom rebounded last time out on this track.
Top Three:
Tamarind Hall
Tar Heel Mom
Sassy Image
11th Race - Saratoga - Saturday, August 27th, 2011
STAKES. 7 Furlongs Dirt. Purse $250,000. Foxwoods King's Bishop S. (Grade 1). FOR THREE YEAR OLDS. No nomination fee. $2,500 to pass the entry box. All starters will receive a $1,250 rebate.The purse to be divided 60% to the winner, 20% to second, 10% to third, 5% to fourth, 3% to fifth and 2% divided equally among remaining finishers if there are six (6) or more starters. All starters will be guaranteed no less than $1,000. If there are five (5) or less to start the purse will be divided 60% to the winner, 20% to second, 10% to third, 6% to fourth and 4% to fifth. Any horse that competes in both the Amsterdam and the King's Bishop will have their entry fee waived for the King's Bishop. 123 lbs. Non-winners of a Grade 1 in 2011; or a Grade 2 twice in 2011 allowed 2 lbs.; a Grade 1 or Grade 2, 4 lbs.; A sweepstake, or three races, 6 lbs. (Maiden, claiming, starter or restricted allowance races not considered). Trophies will be presented to the winning owner, trainer and jockey. Closed Saturday, August 13, 2011 with 27 Nominations. (05:12 PM) (8)
PP Horse A/S M/E Wgt Jockey Trainer
1 Flashpoint 3 C L 121 Velasquez Cornelio H. Ward Wesley A.
2 Caleb's Posse 3 C L 121 Maragh Rajiv Von Hemel Donnie K.
3 Runflatout 3 R L 117 Albarado Robby Sadler John W.
4 Dominus 3 R L 121 Leparoux Julien R. Asmussen Steven M.
5 Poseidon's Warrior 3 C L 119 Pennington Frankie Reid, Jr. Robert E.
6 Justin Phillip 3 C L 121 Dominguez Ramon A. Asmussen Steven M.
7 Uncle Mo 3 C L 121 Velazquez John R. Pletcher Todd A.
8 Cool Blue Red Hot 3 C L 117 Cruz Manoel R. Penna, Jr. Angel J.
He's BACK!! The highly anticipated return of Uncle Mo. Believe it or not, he is the first of the Wood Top 3 to return. This race did lose a little bit of it's luster when The Factor stayed home to take on older. Even without him, this is still a very good field. Flashpoint and Caleb's Posse are different horses running sprints. Dominus could be a horse whose a bit under the radar, and Runflatout is also a very interesting horse. I think it's going to take a race for Mo to get back in the swing of things, but I would not be suprised if he wins.
Top Three:
Caleb's Posse
Runflatout
Dominus
12th Race - Saratoga - Saturday, August 27th, 2011
STAKES. 1 1/4 Mile Dirt. Purse $1,000,000. Travers S. (Grade 1). FOR THREE YEAR OLDS. No nomination fee. $10,000 to pass the entry box. All starters will receive a $5,000 rebate. The purse to be divided 60% to the winner, 20% to second, 10% to third, 5% to fourth, 3% to fifth and 2% divided equally among remaining finishers. 126 lbs. Any horse that competes in both the Jim Dandy and the Travers will have their entry fee waived for the Travers. Trophies will be presented to the winning owner, trainer and jockey. Closed Saturday, August 13, 2011 with 21 Nominations. (05:45 PM) (10)
PP Horse A/S M/E Wgt Jockey Trainer
1 Bowman's Causeway 3 C L 126 Dominguez Ramon A. Brown Chad C.
2 Rattlesnake Bridge 3 C L 126 Velazquez John R. McLaughlin Kiaran P.
3 Moonshine Mullin 3 C L 126 Wilson Emma-Jayne Baker Reade
4 Ruler On Ice 3 G L 126 Valdivia, Jr. Jose Breen Kelly J.
5 Malibu Glow 3 C L 126 Maragh Rajiv Weaver George
6 Raison D'etat 3 C L 126 Castro Eddie Mott William I.
7 Coil 3 C L 126 Garcia Martin Baffert Bob
8 J W Blue 3 C L o 126 Velasquez Cornelio H. Dutrow Anthony W.
9 Stay Thirsty 3 C L 126 Castellano Javier Pletcher Todd A.
10 Shackleford 3 C L 126 Castanon Jesus Lopez Romans Dale L.
4 horses have a chance to ice 3yo Championship Honors with a win in this race (Ruler On Ice, Coil, Stay Thirsty and Shackleford). Their credentials are pretty much well known, so I will be focusing on the rest of the field. Bowman's Causeway lost to Inglorious who did not like the dirt last week in the Alabama. Rattlesnake Bridge was second to Uncle Mo in the Timely Writer and won the Long Branch last time out. It could be a big weekend for female Canadian jockeys should Moonshine Mullin pull a big upset. Malibu Glow really hasn't shown anything that he's a graded stakes horse. Raison D'etat by far is the most well bred horse in the field (AP Indy out of Sightseek), but he is taking a huge step up in class. JW Blue should is another horse who hasn't shown anything. So who am I going with in this race? While Coil has legacy on this side, so does Stay Thirsty. He's my pick for this year's Travers.
Top Three:
Stay Thirsty
Coil
Ruler On Ice
I really hate leaving Shack out of it, but I just don't think a mile and a quarter is his thing.
8th Race - Del Mar - Saturday, August 27th, 2011
STAKES. 1 Mile Turf. Purse $200,000. Del Mar Mile H. (Grade 2). FOR THREE-YEAR-OLDS AND UPWARD. By subscription of $200 each, which shall accompany the nomination, $1,000 to pass the entry box and $2,000 additional to start, with $200,000 Guaranteed, of which $120,000 to the winner, $40,000 to second, $24,000 to third, $12,000 to fourth and $4,000 to fifth. Weights Sunday, August 21. The field will be limited to 10 starters. High weights preferred. A trophy will be presented to the owner of the winner. Nominations closed Thursday, August 18, 2011 with 16. (Rail at 14 feet). (05:35 PM) (6)
PP Horse A/S M/E Wgt Jockey Trainer
1 Champ Pegasus 5 H L 121 Rosario Joel Mandella Richard E.
2 Caracortado 4 G L 120 Talamo Joseph Machowsky Michael
3 Mr. Commons 3 C L 114 Smith Mike E. Shirreffs John A.
4 Calimonco 5 H L 118 Espinoza Victor Sadler John W.
5 Our Nautique (NZ) 6 G L 117 Gomez Garrett K. Hollendorfer Jerry
6 Victory Pete 6 H L 115 Bejarano Rafael Barba Alexis
Mr. Commons is taking on older horses here for the first time. Champ Pegasus is making his first start since Dubai.
Top Three:
Caracortado (if he goes)
Mr. Commons
Champ Pegasus
On Sunday:
10th Race - Saratoga - Sunday, August 28th, 2011
STAKES. 1 1/4 Mile Dirt. Purse $300,000. Personal Ensign S. (Grade 1). FOR FILLIES AND MARES THREE YEARS OLD AND UPWARD. By invitation only with no subscription fees. The purse to be divided 60% to the winner, 20% to second, 10% to third, 5% to fourth, 3% to fifth and 2% divided equally among remaining finishers if there were six (6) or more starters. All starters will be guaranteed no less than $1,000. If only five (5) were to start the purse will be divided 60% to the winner, 20% to second, 10% to third, 6% to fourth and 4% to fifth. Three year olds, 116 lbs.; Older, 122 lbs. Non-winners of a Grade 1 twice since August 31, 2010 allowed 2 lbs.; a Grade 1 in 2011, 4 lbs.; a Grade 2 in 2011, 6 lbs. Trophies will be presented to the winning owner, trainer and jockey., trainer and jockey. (05:56 PM) (6)
PP Horse A/S M/E Wgt Jockey Trainer
1 Super Espresso 4 F L 116 Dominguez Ramon A. Pletcher Todd A.
2 Tiz Miz Sue 4 F L 116 Rocco, Jr. Joseph Hobby Steve
3 Ask The Moon 6 M L 120 Castellano Javier Wolfson Martin D.
4 Pachattack 5 M L 116 Alvarado Junior Butler Gerard A.
5 Acronym 5 M L 116 Lezcano Jose Mott William I.
6 Protesting 4 F L 116 Velazquez John R. McGaughey III Claude R.
Because of Irene, don't be suprised if Saratoga cancels. This race lost the luster it would have had this year with the defections of Blind Luck and Havre de Grace. Ask the Moon won the Ruffian here, but honestly I think she was a flukey winner. Super Espresso has been pretty awesome this year defeating Life at Ten and finishing third behind the now injured Awesome Maria. Tiz Miz Sue was dq'ed to fourth in the Ruffian and Pachattack is making her dirt debut.
Top Three:
Super Espresso
Tiz Miz Sue
Acronym
3rd Race - Del Mar - Sunday, August 28th, 2011
STAKES. 1 3/8 Mile Turf. Purse $200,000. Del Mar H. (Grade 2). FOR THREE-YEAR-OLDS AND UPWARD. (02:00 PM) (6)
PP Horse A/S M/E Wgt Jockey Trainer
1 Make Music For Me 4 C L 115 Bejarano Rafael Barba Alexis
2 Medici Code (GB) 7 G L 113 Pedroza Martin A. Vienna Darrell
3 Bourbon Bay 5 G L 121 Talamo Joseph Drysdale Neil D.
4 Celtic New Year 4 G L 114 Espinoza Victor Sadler John W.
5 Soul Candy 5 G L 115 Rosario Joel Gallagher Patrick
6 Imponente Purse (BRZ) 5 G L 117 Sutherland Chantal Avila A. C.
Bourbon Bay was supposed to go to the Pacific Classic, but will be forced to run here instead since it's earlier on the card. Never the less, I'm going to make him my top selection for this race.
Top Three:
Bourbon Bay
Medici Code
Celtic New Year
5th Race - Del Mar - Sunday, August 28th, 2011
STAKES. 7 Furlongs Dirt. Purse $250,000. Pat O'Brien S. (Grade 1). FOR THREE-YEAR-OLDS AND UPWARD. By subscription of $250 each, which shall accompany the nomination, or by supplementary nomination of $2,500 each by the closing time of entries, $3,750 additional to start, with $250,000 Guaranteed, of which $150,000 to the winner, $50,000 to second, $30,000 to third, $15,000 to fourth and $5,000 to fifth. Three-year-olds 120 lbs.; Older 123 lbs. Non-winners of a Grade I since November 4 allowed 2 lbs.; of a Grade II in 2011 or a Grade I in 2010, 4 lbs. STARTERS TO BE NAMED THROUGH THE ENTRY BOX THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, BY THE CLOSING TIME OF ENTRIES. A trophy will be presented to the owner of the winner. Nominations closed Thursday, August 18, 2011 with 12. (03:00 PM) (6)
PP Horse A/S M/E Wgt Jockey Trainer
1 Don Tito 4 C L 119 Quinonez Alonso Sadler John W.
2 Caracortado 4 G L 119 Espinoza Victor Machowsky Michael
3 Camp Victory 4 G L 119 Talamo Joseph Mitchell Mike R.
4 The Factor 3 C L 120 Garcia Martin Baffert Bob
5 Smiling Tiger 4 C L 123 Rosario Joel Bonde Jeff
6 Crown Of Thorns 6 H L 121 Gomez Garrett K. Mandella Richard E.
Carocortado is cross-entered into the Del Mar Mile. While this is a G1, I really hope he goes Sat. since I think he has a better chance there then here. This is not a great group of horses, but The Factor should do well here. I'm just not sure he can win.
Top Three:
Crown of Thorns
The Factor
Smiling Tiger
9th Race - Del Mar - Sunday, August 28th, 2011
STAKES. 1 1/4 Mile Dirt. Purse $1,000,000. TVG Pacific Classic S. (Grade 1). FOR THREE-YEAR-OLDS AND UPWARD. (05:00 PM) (11)
PP Horse A/S M/E Wgt Jockey Trainer
1 Don Cavallo 4 C L 124 Contreras Luis Attfield Roger L.
2 Jeranimo 5 H L 124 Pedroza Martin A. Pender Michael
3 Stately Victor 4 C L 124 Smith Mike E. Maker Michael J.
4 Tres Borrachos 6 G L 124 Bejarano Rafael Jones Martin F.
5 Acclamation 5 H L 124 Valenzuela Patrick A. Warren Donald
6 Setsuko 4 C L 124 Espinoza Victor Mandella Richard E.
7 Great Warrior (BRZ) 3 C L 118 Berrio Omar A. Avila A. C.
9 Game On Dude 4 G L 124 Sutherland Chantal Baffert Bob
10 Twirling Candy 4 C L 124 Rosario Joel Sadler John W.
11 Quindici Man 5 H L 124 Garcia Martin Lewis Craig Anthony
Obviously, Blind Luck not being in here (she's waiting for the Lady's Secret at SA) it's a wide open race. Twirling Candy is the one with the most to prove here. Acclamation and Jeranimo are coming from the turf, Setsuko is up and down, Game on Dude has been having a bit of seconatis lately and Tres Borrachos finally won again. So who wins? I'm going with Stately Victor. Why him? The past 2 years Mike Smith won the Pacific Classic on Victor's Cry. Both times he came into the race under the radar. Victor is coming off a 3rd place finish in the Dominon Day, he's won on Poly twice (including a G1).
Top Three:
Stately Victor
Game on Dude
Acclimation
So that's it! I hope that you all enjoy the weekend. If you are like me and will be pinned down by Irene, stay safe. I'll post ASAP.
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