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Sophomore Turfers Front And Center Friday at Saratoga

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A pair of Grade II contests for 3-year-old grass horses anchor an 11-race program Friday at Saratoga, featuring the 8 1/2-furlong National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes on the inner turf course a few hours after the induction ceremonies just up the road and the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Oaks at 9 1/2 panels on the Mellon Turf Course.

The Juddmonte braintrust had the option of entering ‘TDN Rising Star’ presented by Hagyard Touch of Fire (Constitution) in Saturday’s GI Belmont Derby, but instead opt for this softer spot at a slightly shorter trip. The homebred colt has won three of his five trips to the races, including a visually impressive three-length success from just off the speed in the May 30 Audubon Stakes at Churchill. Drawn outside in a field of 10 for the GI Belmont Derby on July 4, Touch of Fire was asked to make the running and held well into the final furlong before finishing fourth, beaten just over a length. Irad Ortiz, Jr., who was in the irons for the Audubon, is back aboard on Friday, and from the inside gate, Touch of Fire should be ridden more quietly this time around.

“We’re cutting him back a little and we’re hoping there’s a little pace in there and there’s a horse he can track,” trainer Brad Cox said. “He may finish up a little better with a target. I thought his race last time was a good run, I just think the cutback might mean more pace in the race.”

Flavien Prat did the steering on Touch of Fire last time, but reunites here with Peter Brant homebred Arizona Territory (Tapit). Having gone through the grades at Tampa and Aqueduct earlier this year, the gray couldn’t quite overcome a wide passage from a double-digit alley and settled for fourth in the restricted Saranac Stakes July 3, finishing immediately behind Blinging It Back (Volatile) and Glavine (Not This Time), who is cross-entered for the Saratoga Derby. Arizona Territory should sit a less taxing trip from the six hole in the Hall of Fame.

Kensington Lane (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) more or less bossed her rivals from the front in the GI Belmont Oaks back on July 4, and while she is missing from Friday’s GII Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Oaks, four of those left in her wake will take their chances.

Faithful Departed (Yoshida {Jpn}) is at the peak of her powers, having scored in Churchill allowance company in April before running out a ready winner of the GIII Regret Stakes on May 30. She was set a fairly hopeless task trying to close from last of 10 in the Belmont Oaks, but finished willingly to complete the exacta and figures the one to beat here.

“She’s doing excellent, and we’ve had a really good four weeks since the Belmont Oaks,” trainer Grant Forster said. “She really just seems to be thriving, despite all the races she’s had this year.”

Faithful Departed with Grant Forster | Sarah Andrew

Imaginationthelady (Not This Time) was only sixth in the Belmont Oaks after firing up and racing prominently from a high draw. Her back form makes her a live chance this weekend– anything resembling her near-miss second in Keeneland’s GII Appalachian Stakes in April or her narrow success in the GII Edgewood Stakes on the Kentucky Oaks undercard renders her a player at potentially bettable odds.

Just Aloof (Justify) was fourth in both the Appalachian and Edgewood, but was beaten a total of three-parts of a length in defeat. She looked to bobble in the early stages of the Belmont Oaks and faded through the lane to be seventh, but she, too, is a bounce-back candidate.

Fitz Right (Charlatan) took out a yielding-turf renewal of the Memories of Silver Stakes downstate in late April and added this track’s GII Wonder Again Stakes June 5. The chestnut was a mostly even, non-threatening third in the Belmont Oaks, but has worked well since and would be absolutely no surprise.

The post Sophomore Turfers Front And Center Friday at Saratoga appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Ontario TIP Unveils Four $150K Races For State Breds At Woodbine

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The Ontario Thoroughbred Improvement Program (TIP) will roll out four new $150,000 stakes races at Woodbine that are restricted to state breds who are 4-year-old and up, the organization said in a press release on Thursday.

The races were created by Ontario Racing’s TIP committee as part of its $5-million share of $35-million in additional funding.

The new 4-year-old/up stakes open to either males or females are:

• Caledon Stakes, 1 1/16 mile, Tapeta on Sunday, Aug. 30, closing Aug. 12;
• Grand Valley Stakes, 1 1/8 mile, turf on Sunday, Sept. 27, closing Sept. 9.

The new 4-year-old and older races for mares are:

• Belfountain Stakes 1 1/8 mile, turf on Sunday, Sept. 13, closing Aug. 26;
• Silver Creek Stakes 1 1/16 mile, Tapeta on Saturday, Oct. 10, closing Sept. 23.

The post Ontario TIP Unveils Four $150K Races For State Breds At Woodbine appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Sophomore Turfers Front And Center Friday at Saratoga

---

A pair of Grade II contests for 3-year-old grass horses anchor an 11-race program Friday at Saratoga, featuring the 8 1/2-furlong National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes on the inner turf course a few hours after the induction ceremonies just up the road and the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Oaks at 9 1/2 panels on the Mellon Turf Course.

The Juddmonte braintrust had the option of entering ‘TDN Rising Star’ presented by Hagyard Touch of Fire (Constitution) in Saturday’s GI Belmont Derby, but instead opt for this softer spot at a slightly shorter trip. The homebred colt has won three of his five trips to the races, including a visually impressive three-length success from just off the speed in the May 30 Audubon Stakes at Churchill. Drawn outside in a field of 10 for the GI Belmont Derby on July 4, Touch of Fire was asked to make the running and held well into the final furlong before finishing fourth, beaten just over a length. Irad Ortiz, Jr., who was in the irons for the Audubon, is back aboard on Friday, and from the inside gate, Touch of Fire should be ridden more quietly this time around.

“We’re cutting him back a little and we’re hoping there’s a little pace in there and there’s a horse he can track,” trainer Brad Cox said. “He may finish up a little better with a target. I thought his race last time was a good run, I just think the cutback might mean more pace in the race.”

Flavien Prat did the steering on Touch of Fire last time, but reunites here with Peter Brant homebred Arizona Territory (Tapit). Having gone through the grades at Tampa and Aqueduct earlier this year, the gray couldn’t quite overcome a wide passage from a double-digit alley and settled for fourth in the restricted Saranac Stakes July 3, finishing immediately behind Blinging It Back (Volatile) and Glavine (Not This Time), who is cross-entered for the Saratoga Derby. Arizona Territory should sit a less taxing trip from the six hole in the Hall of Fame.

Kensington Lane (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) more or less bossed her rivals from the front in the GI Belmont Oaks back on July 4, and while she is missing from Friday’s GII Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Oaks, four of those left in her wake will take their chances.

Faithful Departed (Yoshida {Jpn}) is at the peak of her powers, having scored in Churchill allowance company in April before running out a ready winner of the GIII Regret Stakes on May 30. She was set a fairly hopeless task trying to close from last of 10 in the Belmont Oaks, but finished willingly to complete the exacta and figures the one to beat here.

“She’s doing excellent, and we’ve had a really good four weeks since the Belmont Oaks,” trainer Grant Forster said. “She really just seems to be thriving, despite all the races she’s had this year.”

Faithful Departed with Grant Forster | Sarah Andrew

Imaginationthelady (Not This Time) was only sixth in the Belmont Oaks after firing up and racing prominently from a high draw. Her back form makes her a live chance this weekend– anything resembling her near-miss second in Keeneland’s GII Appalachian Stakes in April or her narrow success in the GII Edgewood Stakes on the Kentucky Oaks undercard renders her a player at potentially bettable odds.

Just Aloof (Justify) was fourth in both the Appalachian and Edgewood, but was beaten a total of three-parts of a length in defeat. She looked to bobble in the early stages of the Belmont Oaks and faded through the lane to be seventh, but she, too, is a bounce-back candidate.

Fitz Right (Charlatan) took out a yielding-turf renewal of the Memories of Silver Stakes downstate in late April and added this track’s GII Wonder Again Stakes June 5. The chestnut was a mostly even, non-threatening third in the Belmont Oaks, but has worked well since and would be absolutely no surprise.

The post Sophomore Turfers Front And Center Friday at Saratoga appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Ontario TIP Unveils Four $150K Races For State Breds At Woodbine

---

The Ontario Thoroughbred Improvement Program (TIP) will roll out four new $150,000 stakes races at Woodbine that are restricted to state breds who are 4-year-old and up, the organization said in a press release on Thursday.

The races were created by Ontario Racing’s TIP committee as part of its $5-million share of $35-million in additional funding.

The new 4-year-old/up stakes open to either males or females are:

• Caledon Stakes, 1 1/16 mile, Tapeta on Sunday, Aug. 30, closing Aug. 12;
• Grand Valley Stakes, 1 1/8 mile, turf on Sunday, Sept. 27, closing Sept. 9.

The new 4-year-old and older races for mares are:

• Belfountain Stakes 1 1/8 mile, turf on Sunday, Sept. 13, closing Aug. 26;
• Silver Creek Stakes 1 1/16 mile, Tapeta on Saturday, Oct. 10, closing Sept. 23.

The post Ontario TIP Unveils Four $150K Races For State Breds At Woodbine appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.