Miscellaneous Notes for Saturday Night

Very nice to wake up and read the news that Saratoga is planning a “Funny Cide Day” in August.

0 for 70. That’s Four Acres’ record as he was no factor in the first race at Suffolk Downs today, besting only the one longer shot in the field, Sand Dragon.

Green but Game pointed out that Imawildandcrazyguy was quietly entered in the 12th race at Calder today, a one mile $28,000 allowance race that he did win go away. Nice to see the grey gelding building his confidence with a win.

Interesting that Alex Solis has asked off his regular ride on Awesome Gem for next Saturday’s G2 San Diego Handicap, since he is committed to Arson Squad. Maybe it has something to do with that sharp work the four-year-old gelding put in on Saturday at Del Mar, traveling three furlongs in :35.40.

Speaking of awesome workouts, Southwestern Heat’s two-year-old half brother, X-Rated Cat handily traveled five furlongs in 1.01.00 at Laurel Park today, best of 14 works. Maybe we will see him (and his half-brother?) at Saratoga?

Some nice races coming up on Sunday at Delaware, including the G3 Barbaro Stakes where the morning line favorite is Todd Pletcher’s King of the Roxy. I’m still not convinced this colt is anything but a miler, so we’ll see if he can prevail here. He certainly has been working well, and there’s not really the level of competition here that he has seen previously. An interesting jumping-around of jockeys, though, as Edgar Prado rides Xchanger instead of King of the Roxy (who won the G2 Hutcheson with Prado aboard), and Ramon Dominguez abandons not only Xchanger, but also Point Blake, to ride King of the Roxy. At least John Velazquez stays on Tony Dutrow’s Phone Home, who both stretches out in distance and tries stakes company for the first time. I’m leaning heavily towards Graham Motion’s Longley, with Jeremy Rose up, to upset this race. He’s 2 for 2 winning on this track, and boasts 3 wins in 4 tries at this distance.

In the $1 million G2 Delaware Handicap, $600,000 is the winner’s share, and both of Todd Pletcher’s horses—Indian Vale (John Velazquez) and Unbridled Belle (Ramon Dominguez)—look live, especially coming off sub-one minute five-furlong works. With Indian Vale the likely post-time favorite (closely followed by Patrick Biancone’s Asi Siempre), I’ll take a bit of a chance on Unbridled Belle as this is her second race off a long layoff, so she seems primed to improve off her very strong last start. I would also like to see Michael Gorham’s Peak Maria’s Way take this one going away.