Hot weekend horse racing action set for Canada, France, the U.S.
Aug. 15 (UPI) -- A Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" in Canada, with the King's Plate on the same card, a filly formerly based in Norway running in a Grade I at Saratoga and a hot mile in France are the icing on the tasty cake that is weekend horse racing.
Here it is, fresh out of the oven.
Filly & Mare Turf
She Feels Pretty feels like a real solid contender in a field of seven set for Saturday's $750,000 (Canadian) Grade I E.P. Taylor Stakes at Woodbine, a "Win and You're In" for the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf.
The Karakonte filly, trained by Cherie DeVaux, finished second in the Grade I Diana in her last start, but before that ran off four straight wins, three of them in Grade I affairs. Overall, she has won seven of 11 starts, good enough for 3-5 odds on the morning line.
Diamond Rain invades from England for Godolphin, and the Charles Fipke homebred Ready for Shirl could be dangerous. The 2024 King's Plate winner, Caitlinhergrtness, attempts to become the first horse to win both that iconic race and the E.P. Taylor.
Thought Process, Lush Lips and Will Then top an overflow field for Saturday's $300,000 Grade I Del Mar Oaks.
A field of 11 is set for Friday's $100,000, 1 3/8-mile CCT and TOC Stakes at Del Mar. It's a competitive bunch, with Mrs. Astor as the 5-2 favorite on the morning line.
Turf
Emmanuel is a narrow morning-line favorite in a very competitive field of six entered for Friday's $150,000 Pennsylvania Governor's Cup at Penn National.
Turf Mile
Cruden Bay and Dresden Row are the morning-line picks in a field of locals for Saturday's $200,000 (Canadian) Grade II King Edward Stakes at Woodbine. War Strategy is going well but steps up and stretches out.
Turf Sprint
Future Is Now is the 6-5 morning-line favorite in a field of nine for Friday's $150,000 Smart & Fancy Stakes for fillies and mares at Saratoga.
Classic
Woodbine Oaks winner No Time is the only filly in a field of 13 set for Saturday's $1 million (Canadian) King's Plate for Canadian-bred 3-year-olds at Woodbine.
Fillies have prospered against colts in recent years and the Ontario-bred daughter of Not This Time is the morning-line favorite, albeit at a tepid 7-2, to extend that record. She hasn't been the most consistent thing for trainer Mark Casse, sporting only three wins from eight starts.
Among the males, the first three finishers from the Plate Trial return as does another Casse charge, Ashley's Archer, who defeated several of these in the Cup and Saucer last October.
Elsewhere, trainer Brad Cox may have found a cozy spot for First Mission in Saturday's $250,000 Grade III Philip H. Iselin Stakes at Monmouth Park.
The Godolphin runner finished third in the Grade I Stephen Foster in his last start, won the Grade II Oaklawn Handicap two starts back and his eight career wins include four graded stakes -- one more than Iselin opponent Repo Rocks. The other four combined have none.
Distaff
Good Cheer went undefeated through her first seven starts, including the Kentucky Oaks, before misfiring in the Grade I Acorn at Saratoga on June 6, finishing fifth. She returns in Saturday's $600,000 Grade I Alabama for 3-year-old fillies at the Spa to face the Acorn winner, La Cara, and four new foes.
La Cara has won five of 11 starts, but finished ninth in the Kentucky Oaks, 13 lengths adrift of Good Cheer.
Wait. There's more in this Alabama field. Kentucky-bred Queen Azteca started her career in Norway (yes, in Scandinavia) and then hit Dubai like a sandstorm early in the World Cup Carnival, winning the Group 3 UAE Oaks and finishing a respectable fifth in the Group 2 UAE Derby.
She returned to Sweden and finished second in the Swedish Derby shortly after being acquired by Team Valor. Now, here she is taking on America's best. This field also has Nitrogen, who had been dynamite on the turf earlier, won an off-the-turf heat at the Spa on June 7 and tries the dirt again.
Sprint
Simcoe and Victory Achieved, both dedicated to speed, are the morning-line favorites in Saturday's $150,000 (Canadian) Bold Venture Stakes on the Woodbine all-weather course.
The Young'uns
Saturday's $150,000 Skidmore at Saratoga is 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf.
Sandals Song, winner of the Royal Palm Juvenile, returns from a third-place finish in the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Tough Critic won his debut at Keeneland, but then finished 11th in the Windsor Castle at the Royal meeting. Trainer Wesley Ward unveils two -- Gypsy Art and Schwarzenneger.
Sunday's counterpart for 2-year-old fillies, the $150,000 Bolton Landing, has 2-for-2 Gerrards Cross and My Sweetheart returning to the turf after finishing second on the dirt in the Schuylerville on the Fourth of July.
While Thursday's "Best of Ohio" races at Thistledown were restricted to state-breds, the winners surely were impressive enough for their high-profile trainers to consider bigger things.
Crown the Buckeye won the $100,000 Best of Ohio Kindergarten Stakes for state-breds by 12 1/4 lengths for trainer Mike Maker. Kontiki was equally dominant in the $100,000 Miss Ohio Stakes, kicking loose to win by 12 lengths for trainer Brad Cox.
Around the world, around the clock
France
If all the entries actually go to the post, Sunday's Group 1 Prix Jacques Le Marois at Deauville should be quite the 1,600-meter show.
The cast, as of Thursday, included Zabiari, Rosallion and Docklands with the likes of Dancing Gemini, Notable Speech and The Lion In Winter looking to regain form or move up a peg.
That's only half the story, though, as Japan has dispatched ace miler Ascoli Piceno. The 4-year-old Daiwa Major filly is 2-for-2 this year, with victories in the Group 2 1351 Turf Sprint on the Saudi Cup undercard in February and the Grade I Victoria Mile at Tokyo Racecourse in May.
It's not a Breeders' Cup qualifier. But it might as well be one.
Ireland
Saturday's Royal Whip Stakes at the Curragh is a quarterfinal, so to speak, in trainer Aidan O'Brien's bid to get Los Angeles to the Group 1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
Should he show sufficient promise, the Coolmore runner would head for France and the Prix Foy on the Arc trials program.
England
York's iconic Ebor Meeting looms next week, featuring the Juddmonte International and a host of supporting heats. Great racing. Great venue. Stay tuned ...
Wednesday's otherwise unremarkable schedule included a potentially promising little heat at Salisbury Racecourse, hard by Stonehenge and virtually in the shadow of one of England's iconic cathedrals.
Only three turned out for the British Stallion Studs EBF Stonehenge Stakes for 2-year-olds, possibly because of the paltry £22,684 winner's share of the purse.
The heavy favorites were Godolphin's Morris Dancer and Paul and Claire Rooney's A Bit of Spirit, both by Palace Pier. The latter showed a bit of spirit, leading for much of the 1 mile.
Then, William Buick downshifted on Morris Dancer, blew by the rival and drove off to win by 4 lengths. Morris Dancer, trained by John and Thady Gosden, got his second win from four starts. He's entered for the big-time, late-season, 2-year old features.
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