Stars and Stripes

The Bill Mott barn was poised for a big Saturday at Oaklawn Park but Stars and Stripes (Not This Time) made sure it was equally exciting for the Keeneland division with a powerful performance in the GIII Ben Ali Stakes. A horse with buzz about him after he dazzled in his June graduation at the Belmont Big A meet last year--a 10 1/2-length masterclass--in start number two, he followed that up with an equally sterling effort in mid-July at Saratoga. Blitzing a field of first-level allowance runners by 7 1/4...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Two years ago, the GI Whitney Stakes was a whiteout. As in White Abarrio (Race Day), who crushed the field by 6 1/4 lengths. Fast forward to now and White Abarrio is back for another run in Saturday's $1 million Whitney, the premier race for older horses at the 40-day meet at Saratoga Race Course. The 6-year-old horse will look to shrug off a disappointing fourth place finish in the GI Met Mile last month and prove to his trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. that he deserves...

8th-Saratoga, $110,000, Alw, 7-17, (NW1$X), 3yo/up, 1 1/8m, 1:51.22, ft, 7 1/4 lengths. STARS AND STRIPES (c, 3, Not This Time--Pearl River, by Quality Road) went off at odds of 31-1 in his debut at Aqueduct May 17 and, though he wound up third, impressed with a 92 Beyer Speed Figure. Slammed down into favoritism to break his maiden going this distance at Aqueduct on a sloppy track June 15, he responded with a resounding 10 1/2-length win. Facing winners for the first time Thursday at Saratoga, the 4-5 favorite...

LAMBO, 6/12, CD, Race 8, 6 furlongs, video Beyer Speed Figure - 86 (c, 4, by Uncle Mo-Sunshiny Day, by Bernardini) O-Lawrence Roman. B-Aaron Sones (Ky). T-Peter Jacobson. J-Jose Ortiz. In his first start since being purchased privately by Larry Roman (a New Yorker who also owns current stakes runner Banishing) and trainer David Jacobson, six-race maiden Lambo finally saw another fast-track sprint and celebrated by speeding 6 furlongs in 1:08.63 on the lead throughout. DESERT GATE, 6/13, SA, Race 2, 5 furlongs, video Beyer Speed Figure - 86 (c,...

Who were the five fastest maiden winners based on the Beyer Speed Figures this week? We counted them down. 5. Varney, PIM, 5/17, 1 1/16 miles Beyer Speed Figure-86 (c, 3, by Vekoma-Summer of Fun, by Include) O-Talla Racing, Spendthrift Farm and St. Elias Stables, B-Spendthrift Farm, T-Bob Baffert, J-Flavien Prat. Yet another first-crop winner for Spendthrift's ascending stallion Vekoma, Varney's wire-to-wire score on the Preakness undercard was unique for several reasons. He was the fifth next-out winner to emerge from the Santa Anita Apr. 6 maiden sprint won by...