Horse Racing Capsules: Quality Road favorite in Woodward at Saratoga
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (AP) — Quality Road is the favorite to win the $750,000 Woodward Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday.
Quality Road experienced his first defeat of the season by Blame in the Whitney Handicap this summer at Saratoga.
"We were a half-a-head short of (being unbeaten) this year," trainer Todd Pletcher said. "Every race is paramount; they're all important. If you lose, you regroup and try again — to regain his confidence, and regain our confidence."
Beginning the season with three victories — including the prestigious, Grade 1 Donn Handicap at Gulfstream Park and Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont — the 4-year-old was ranked the nation's leading older male. That honor is now held by Blame, who isn't among seven entered in the 1 1/8-mile Woodward. Quality Road is an overwhelming 1-4 morning line favorite. John Velazquez will ride.
Quality Road set an unpressured pace in the Whitney before being run down in the late stages by Blame. Pletcher, who believes Quality Road is best when rated behind horses, is hoping the speedy if apparently overmatched Arcodoro will provide a target.
"We're hoping for someone to show enough initiative so he can follow someone," Pletcher said. "That would be our Plan A."
The New York Racing Association oddsmaker gives 4-year-old Convocation, 6-1 on the morning line, the best chance of upsetting the prohibitive favorite. The Jimmy Jerkens-trained colt finished second in the July 3 Suburban Handicap and was fourth to Quality Road in the Metropolitan Handicap. Javier Castellano, who rode Convocation to victory in a prep for this in Saratoga last month, has the call.
"He has a victory at the distance here," Jerkens said. "You have to think that's big going into a stakes."
Trainer D. Wayne Lukas hopes a change of rider will boost the performance of Mine That Bird, whose career has been in steady decline since a shocking victory at 50-1 odds in the 2009 Kentucky Derby. He will also race in blinkers. The 4-year-old has failed to win a race since gaining sudden fame at Churchill Downs and will be ridden in the Woodward by Rajiv Maragh, who replaced Mine That Bird's longtime partner Calvin Borel.
"We need to move forward," said Lukas, who took over the training of Mine That Bird this year. "The blinkers, the rider change — we weren't getting results with the way things were."
Convocation will break from the No. 1 post, Mine That Bird from 2 and Quality Road from 3. The others in order of post position: Arcodoro (David Cohen), Indian Dance (Kent Desormeaux), Tranquil Manner (Alan Garcia) and Mythical Power (Martin Garcia).
Hollywood Park to host Oak Tree meet in 2011
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Hollywood Park has agreed to host Oak Tree's meet traditionally run at Santa Anita for the second straight year in 2011.
The Inglewood track will play host to Oak Tree's meet that runs Sept. 30 to Oct. 31 for the first time this fall.
The Oak Tree Racing Association decided to move from its home since 1969 in Arcadia across town to Hollywood Park because of uncertainty about the condition of the main track at Santa Anita. The two sides finalized an agreement Friday to continue the arrangement in 2011.
The California Horse Racing Board has allocated racing dates for this year's Oak Tree meet, but dates have yet to be awarded for 2011.
Neither this year's meet nor next year's has yet secured the necessary licenses from the CHRB.
Long shot Haimish Hy takes El Cajon
DEL MAR, Calif. (AP) — The longest shot in the field Haimish Hy rallied from seventh at the top of the stretch to beat Lions Story by a neck Friday in the $100,000 El Cajon Stakes for 3-year-olds at Del Mar.
Ridden by Alonso Quinonez, Haimish Hy was eighth and last in the early going, moved up to seventh on the second turn and sped past the field three-wide for the win, covering the mile on the main track in 1:36.55.
Distorted Economy was a neck back in third.
The heavy favorite, Goggles McCoy, led for most of the race but finished a distant fourth.
Haimish Hy paid $64.20, $21.80 and $7.80. Lions Story paid $5.80 and $4.20. Distorted Economy paid $3.20 to show.
Soldat pulls away in Saratoga feature
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (AP) — Soldat and jockey Alan Garcia moved to the lead with more than a furlong to run, then drew away to a three-length victory in the $100,000 With Anticipation Stakes on the turf at Saratoga Race Course on Friday.
The Kiaran McLaughlin-trained 2-year-old had been winless in two starts prior to his stakes debut, but stalked a strong pace and finished with authority. Soldat covered 1 1/16 miles over the main turf course in 1:41.37. He paid $19.40, $7.40 and $5.90.
Soldat earned $60,000 for his owners, Harvey A. Clarke and Craig W. Robertson III.
Powhatan County paid $3.60 and $3.20, while Typhoon Slew returned $6.30 to show.
Me Love edges Ms. Short Pockets in Monmouth race
OCEANPORT, N.J. (AP) — Me Love outlasted Ms. Short Pockets in a duel over the final 100 yards to post a head-length victory in the $82,000 featured race at Monmouth Park on Friday.
Ridden by Eddie Castro, Me Love raced the mile and a sixteenth over a firm turf course in 1:41.4. The Dale Capuano-trained 4-year-old filly paid $11.40, $5.60 and $3.40 after winning for the first time in three tries at the racetrack.
Ms. Short Pockets paid $6 and $4.40. Yippety Yip finished third and was worth $3.20 to show.
Amber Grace, the 6-5 favorite in the field of nine fillies and mares, finished last.
BG's Folly scratched from Cane Pace on Monday
FREEHOLD, N.J. (AP) — BG's Folly has been scratched from the $300,000 Cane Pace at Freehold Raceway on Monday because of sickness.
The defection on Friday opened a spot in the opening leg of pacing's Triple Crown for Foreign Officer. The colt was the also-eligible list and will get the outside No. 8 post that was to have been the starting point for BG's Folly.
Dan Dube, who was named to drive BG.
