Today's Edition:  Record-Setting $1.4M Justify Filly Leads The Way at OBS · Baeza Set for Summer Showdown · Royal Ascot Coverage 2

Saratoga

Summer Breezes, Sponsored By OBS: August 1, 2024

Some of the most highly anticipated races during the summer racing season are the 'baby' races during the boutique meetings at Saratoga and Del Mar and at Ellis Park, which attract its fair share of high-priced offspring from a variety of top national outfits. Summer Breezes highlights debuting 2-year-olds at those meetings that have been sourced at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year, with links to their under-tack previews. Here are the horses entered for Thursday at Saratoga and Del Mar: Thursday, August 1, 2024 Saratoga 6, $90k, 2yo,...

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Summer Breezes, Sponsored By OBS: July 31, 2024

Some of the most highly anticipated races during the summer racing season are the 'baby' races during the boutique meetings at Saratoga and Del Mar and at Ellis Park, which attract its fair share of high-priced offspring from a variety of top national outfits. Summer Breezes highlights debuting 2-year-olds at those meetings that have been sourced at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year, with links to their under-tack previews. Here are the horses entered for Wednesday at Saratoga: Wednesday, July 31, 2024 Saratoga 5, $90k, 2yo, f, (S), 1...

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Gasaways' Four G Breaks Spa Maiden With Reining Flowers

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.--Two and a half months after winning the GI Kentucky Derby as co-breeders and co-owners of long shot Mystik Dan (Goldencents), Four G Racing picked up its first victory at Saratoga Race Course Sunday with another runner overlooked by handicappers. With a powerful run through the stretch under John Velazquez, Reining Flowers (Midnight Storm) completed a rally from well off the pace to win the sixth race, a $100,000 maiden special weight contest for 2-year-old fillies, by a length over Good Long Cry (Long on Value). Four G's...

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Reliable Source Gets Gutty Win To Break Maiden At Saratoga

SARATOGA SPRING, N.Y.--Three Chimneys Farm, LLC has a 'volatile' situation on their hands. And that is a good thing. Volatile, who had a pretty fair career as a racehorse, is continuing to shine in the breeding shed. That showed at Saratoga Race Course on Sunday when Volatile progeny Reliable Source gutted out a stretch drive with first-timer Margot's Angel (Practical Joke) and won a $100,000 maiden special event for 2-year-old fillies, the first race on the card. She is the sixth individual winner for her freshman sire (by Violence). Reliable...

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Give John Kimmel An Assist for Brown's Maiden Win with Chancer McPatrick

SARATIOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.--Give an assist to trainer John Kimmel for fellow conditioner Chad Brown's latest 2-year-old win at Saratoga Race Course. Come again? Well, after the seventh race at the Spa was complete Saturday afternoon and Chancer McPatrick (McKinzie) was getting his picture taken, it was rival trainers Kimmel and Brown who were huddled together. They shared some laughs and a handshake. While Brown got Chancer McPatrick ready for his debut, a 6 1/2-furlong $100,000 maiden special weight, it was Kimmel who got the horse to Brown's barn. Chancer McPatrick...

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Champion Fierceness Bounces Back, Fends Off Sierra Leone in Thrilling Jim Dandy

Last year's champion 2-year-old colt and 'TDN Rising Star' Fierceness (City of Light), a very disappointing 15th as the favorite in the GI Kentucky Derby last out, showed up in a big way Saturday, defeating favored 'Rising Star' Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) by a length in a fantastic renewal of the GII Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga. It was another 5 3/4 lengths back to Batten Down (Tapit) in third. Drawn widest of all in post six, the 9-5 second-choice exited the stalls running beneath John Velazquez and was perfectly...

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Saratoga Notebook, Presented by NYRA Bets: It's Post Time for Russell in Whitney Stakes

SARATOGA SPINGS, N.Y. - It's 'Post Time' for the 97th running of the $1-million GI Whitney Stakes. Well, actually, the race is still a week away, but if you are trainer Brittany Russell, you're darn right it's Post Time. As in Post Time (Frosted), the 4-year-old colt that will make a return trip to Saratoga Race Course. Last month, Post Time, owned by Hillwood Stable, LLC, won the race for second in the GI Metropolitan Handicap. Post Time beat Hoist the Gold (Mineshaft) by a neck. No one was going...

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Chancer McPatrick A First 'TDN Rising Star' For McKinzie

A $725,000 2-year-old out of OBS April, Chancer McPatrick (McKinzie) became his freshman sire's (by Street Sense) first 'TDN Rising Star' and third overall winner with a come-from-behind win in Saturday's seventh race at Saratoga. The 2-1 favorite broke with the field but was outsprinted early and plummeted back off of heels to the back of the pack as T Kraft (Connect) and Invictus (Into Mischief), the first foal out of GI Kentucky Oaks winner Serengeti Empress, led up the backstretch. Nearly last of the 10-horse field, Chancer McPatrick was...

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Nakatomi Upsets Skelly In Alfred G. Vanderbilt

Qatar Racing and Mrs. Fitriani Hay's Nakatomi (Firing Line), a longshot third in last year's GI Breeders' Cup Sprint at Santa Anita, broke through with a career-best effort to capture Saturday's GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap at the Spa. Backed at odds of 7-2, Nakatomi broke smartly from his rail draw and, somewhat surprisingly, showed good early speed while chasing favored 10-time winner Skelly (Practical Joke) from second through an opening quarter in :22.20. Traveling nicely approaching the quarter pole, Nakatomi set his sights on Skelly at the top of...

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'Veteran' Simulate Shows the Way in Saratoga Maiden Special

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - A pinch of seasoning produced a maiden-breaking recipe for Simulate (Kitten's Joy) Saturday in the opener at Saratoga Race Course. Making his second career start for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, Simulate was in front from gate to wire on the inner turf course to win the $100,000 maiden special weight for 2-year-olds by a head over State's Rights (Constitution). The son of Camou (War Front), a half-sister to GI winner Lea, completed the 1 1/16 miles contest in 1:45.46. He paid $19.60 as the...

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Bright Future Leads Whitney Workers

Bright Future (Curlin), a last out winner of the Salvator Mile Stakes at Monmouth June 15, posted his final work in preparation for next Saturday's GI Whitney, covering a half-mile in :48.75 (32/104) Saturday over the Saratoga Race Course main track. Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, last year's GI Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes winner went in company with MGSW and Whitney possible Charge It (Tapit). "He worked well and I'm happy with him," Pletcher said. "Charge It also went well. I think Bright Future is training great and...

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Constitution's Speak Easy Backs Up Dazzling Debut With 'Rising Star' Win At Saratoga

Unraced since a gate scratch in the GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth Stakes in March, Speak Easy (Constitution) returned to the races off a six-month layoff Saturday to become the newest 'TDN Rising Star'. A dazzling debut winner going seven furlongs at Gulfstream in January, the WinStar and Siena Farm-owned colt tossed up a 100 Beyer Speed Figure in a race that has since produced Sir Barton Stakes winner Corporate Power (Curlin) and GIII Ohio Derby victor Batten Down (Tapit). Shortened to six furlongs for his first start back, Speak...

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