Saturday brings the sprinters front and center as a pair of graded sprints take place on either coast.
The Grade I Bing Crosby takes place at Del Mar, with the Grade II Vanderbilt hitting the track at Saratoga. The Spa also has the Grade I Coaching Club American Oaks taking to the track.
Following is a look at the three races with 3-4 horses in each race that interest me.
Saratoga
Grade II Alfred G. Vanderbilt
(9th race, 2:07 p.m. PDT)
Damon’s Mound (Bill Mott, Junior Alvarado) has four starts this year with three wins and a second. The last two starts – both wins – came in Florida state-bred races. The latest was the $100,000 FHBPA Sprint at Gulfstream where he pressed the pace early, took over midway, and drew off to win by over five lengths. He’s always near the front and that seems like a given here with the rail-draw. He’s been heavily favored in all four starts this year.
Just Beat the Odds (Gregory Sacco, Manny Franco) has run twice this year and has run second and third. On Feb. 14 he shipped to the middle east and was second in the Grade II Riyadh Dirt Sprint. He shipped back to the United States and took some time off, not running until the Alapocas Run Stakes at Delaware Park on June 13. He was third after pushing the pace throughout. Always is on or near the pace.
Hymn (Ron Moquett, Ricardo Santana) has won three straight but only one came against stake company. Three back was an allowance race April 10 and two back was an $80,000 optional claimer at Churchill Downs. The last start was June 27 at Laurel in the $175,000 De Francis Memorial Dash. In all three races he stalked the pace and took the race in the lane.
Built (Wayne Catalano, Irad Ortiz) is a speed demon that has two wins, a second, and two thirds in five starts this year. In the last, the Grade III Bango on June 27 at Churchill, where he battled to finish second after a bobble at the start. Last year he toyed with the Kentucky Derby trail in the Louisiana preps finishing second in the Lecomte, third in the Risen Star, and fifth in the Louisiana Derby. On Derby day he ran in the Pat Day Mile and was dead last. After a lengthy break he returned to the track, starting with lower class races, working his way back to the graded races.
Grade I Coaching Club American Oaks
(10th race, 2:45 p.m.)
This one is for 3-year-old fillies at 1-1/8-miles featuring three horses that ran in the Kentucky Oaks this year.
Counting Stars (Mark Casse, Irad Ortiz) was third in the Oaks this year to winner Always a Runner. Counting Stars turned the tables a month later in the Grade I Acorn at Saratoga, winning the race by three lengths with Always a Runner finishing second. She has two wins in five starts this year, only not hitting the board back on Feb. 6 she stopped and walked off in a race.
Always a Runner (Chad Brown, Jose Ortiz) was a perfect three-for-three until falling to Counting Stars in the Acorn. She does not want anything to do with the lead until they hit the lane. There should be enough speed in this one to set up for a nice close.
Zany (Todd Pletcher, John Velazquez) was sixth in the Oaks bumping at the start and never getting into the race. Before the Oaks she was a machine winning her first three starts before running second in the Grade I Ashland April 3 at Keeneland. She has stalked the leaders in all five starts. Irad Ortiz had been in the irons the last four starts but now Johnny V gets the call as Ortiz is riding Counting Stars.
Del Mar
Grade I Bing Crosby
(10th race, 6:30 p.m.)
Maximum Bourbon (Phil D’Amato, Joel Rosario) was last seen winning the St. Matthews Overnight Stakes at Churchill by over five lengths. That was the lone stake start as he has three wins in four starts this year. The two other wins came at the Fair Grounds in Louisiana.
Dr. Venkman (Mark Glatt, Umberto Rispoli) is a 6-year-old that has only won four of 15 career starts but he always seems to be in the fight with five seconds and a third to go along with the wins. He was fourth in this race last year and then later in the year was third in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at 39/1. Took seven months off after the BC and came back June 27 to run sixth in the Bango at Churchill in the slop. Now he comes back to California and a track where he has four wins in seven starts. You might get a nice price here.
Cornucopian (Bob Baffert, Juan Hernandez) figures to be solid in this spot, coming off a win in the Grade III Aristides May 30 at Churchill. He broke second that day, then took over the race soon thereafter and held off the field. Before that he had his lone poor start of the year finishing fifth of 11 in the Grade I Churchill Downs. He’s got speed and likes to be in front or pushing the pace as he’s done in every start other than the Churchill Downs.
Gold Sweep (John Haran, Mike Smith) is making his first trip to the West Coast in 24 career starts. He has seen others entered here, running fourth in the Bango and third in the Aristides. No idea how he takes to the Del Mar track but if he does, then he could be a big factor as a stalker.