Vekoma

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.--In the opener of the Travers Day program Saturday, Bottas (Vekoma) delivered a double maiden-breaking victory. Not only did he win his career debut in the $100,000 maiden special weight race for 2-year-olds, he notched the first triumph for the Dahman stable of Qatari businessman Abdulhadi Mana Al Hajri. With a last-to-first run under Flavien Prat, Bottas secured the lead by the sixteenth pole and finished 2 1/4 lengths ahead of Franklin Delano (Liam's Map) in the 1 1/16 miles on the inner turf course in 1:41.70. The...

Some of the most highly anticipated races during the summer 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 juveniles from a variety of top national outfits. Summer Breezes, sponsored by OBS Sales, highlights debuting and stakes-entered 2-year-olds at those meetings that have been sourced at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year, including links to their under-tack previews. Here are the horses entered for Saturday at Saratoga, Ellis Park and Del Mar. Saturday,...

2nd-Del Mar, $82,200, Alw (NW1$X)/Opt. Clm ($40,000), 8-3, 3yo/up, f/m, 6f, 1:09.14, ft, 6 1/2 lengths. FORMULA ROSSA (f, 3, Vekoma--Fay Na Na, by Majestic Warrior), named a 'TDN Rising Star' in a four-length debut Feb. 21 going six furlongs at Santa Anita--which netted a 91 Beyer Speed Figure--hadn't been seen since, even skipping the worktab entirely in April and May. Resuming timed works in June, she reappeared here as the 1-5 choice. Ears pinned after bumped from both sides out of the gate, she emerged from the fray in...

Winless since October of his juvenile year, Governor Sam (Improbable) finally broke out of his slump with a smart effort in the GIII Quick Call Stakes at Saratoga. The George Weaver charge managed to string together four victories in a row last season, and begrudgingly faded to third Nov. 1 at Del Mar in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint to wrap that campaign. Back in action Apr. 30 at Churchill Downs for his 3-year-old bow in the William Walker Stakes, Governor Sam again faded to third behind SW...

1st-Churchill Downs, $117,975, Msw, 6-29, 3yo/up, f/m, 1m, 1:34.03, ft, 1 3/4 lengths. LEMON ZEST (f, 3, Nyquist--Larkin, by Bernardini) came into this second jump out of a live maiden on debut May 17 beneath these Twin Spires. The winner of that contest, Me and Molly McGee (Vekoma), won a first-level allowance at this venue June 22 after a prolonged duel and earned an 85 Beyer for the effort. The runner-up Spun Candy (Hard Spun) broke her maiden June 28--also at Churchill--and earned an 86 for her troubles while High...

Trainer Bob Baffert earned his ninth consecutive Los Alamitos Derby Saturday when favored Nevada Beach led in stablemate Varney to top an exacta for the Hall of Famer. In a field scratched down to just four (Baffert had a third entrant in Tiz Secure {Maximum Security}), it was clear the money was on the less experienced of the stablemates with Nevada Beach having broken his maiden Apr. 19 before running second to Gaming (Game Winner) in the Affirmed Stakes June 8. Drawn just to inside, Varney was making start five,...

Scratched from the GI Woody Stephens S. on the blockbuster GI Belmont Stakes program at Saratoga June 7, 'TDN Rising Star' Colloquial (Vekoma) will be given 60 days off, per co-owner Jack Wolf of Starlight Racing. "He's at Fair Hill right now with Bruce Jackson," Wolf said. "Dr. Yarborough and (trainer) George (Weaver) didn't like the way that he was moving. Even though--we'd been pointing to that thing for some time--it was a tough call, it was the right call. He'll probably be back in 60 days or something like...

Bracket Buster (Vekoma) was all about the slop as he bounded home with ears pricked in the NYRA Bets Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth Park. Kicking off his 2025 season in a big way two back Apr. 12, he was run down late in the lane to claim second in the GIII Lexington Stakes at Keeneland behind the "almost" GI Preakness shocker Gosger (Nyquist), who came a half-length shy of spoiling the fun for MGISW Journalism (Curlin) at Pimlico. He faded to seventh last out May 3 against optional claimers at...

Drawn widest in a field of 11 for Saturday's Chick Lang Stakes at Pimlico, Retribution found another gear in the final 150 yards to become the 11th first-crop stakes winners (from 120 starters entering Saturday's action) for champion 2024 freshman sire Vekoma. One of the first to break the line, the $87,000 Keeneland September acquisition was a forward factor early on, then retreated to sit just ahead of midfield as favored One Nine Hundred (Dialed In) blazed an opening quarter in :22.86. Advancing three or four off the inside around the...

3rd-Pimlico, $50,960, Msw, 5-17, 3, 4, 5/6yo, 1 1/16m, 1:43.80, gd, 5 1/2 lengths. VARNEY (c, 3, Vekoma--Summer of Fun {SW & GISP, $306,671}, by Include), who cost a whopping $775,000 at the 2023 Keeneland September Sale, got the Preakness program off to a winning start for the Bob Baffert barn, leading every step of the way to break his maiden at career start number four late Saturday morning at Pimlico. Favored at 4-5 at post time stretching out to two turns off a fourth to his 'TDN Rising Star'...

'TDN Rising Star' Colloquial (Vekoma), a front-running winner of Keeneland's Lafayette S. Apr. 7, will make his next start in the GI Woody Stephens S. on the blockbuster GI Belmont Stakes program at Saratoga June 7. He worked four furlongs in :47.60 (5/54) at trainer George Weaver's Keeneland base Thursday morning, his second breeze since winning the Lafayette. He'll ship up to the Spa this weekend, per Weaver. "He's training well, we're looking forward to raceday," Weaver said. "He's proven that the talent is there. Now, it's just a matter...

GII Gulfstream Park Oaks winner Five G (Vekoma) will not contest Friday's GI Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs, according to Daily Racing Form. Trainer George Weaver told DRF's Dave Grening, "This is the type of race where you've got to be 110% and we don't feel like she is." A four-length winner in her second career start while facing New York breds at the Big A last fall, the Gatsas Stables-owned filly won this season's Cash Run Stakes in addition to finishing second behind fellow Oaks contender Quietside (Malibu Moon)...