Part two of the Fourth of July weekend takes us coast to coast with racing action from Los Alamitos in Cypress, California, to Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The highlighted race is the $500,000 Belmont Oaks Invitational at Saratoga Race Course, a nine furlong Grade: 1 contest for three year old fillies that is spearheaded by Nitrogen, who is five for five this year.
1) Obliteration is well named, as he obliterated his foes in his debut at Churchill, winning by over seven lengths and scoring a good 77 Beyer. …tepid pick in a wide open horse race.
2) Blinging It Back is still a maiden but made up 10 lengths in a 4 ½ furlong debut (very hard to do). He then chased a good filly (second) last time and scored a field high 85 Beyer
3) Strategic Risk won his debut at Gulfstream in nothing more than an in-hand gallop, and the trainer said he “was only 80% ready” that day. If that’s true, this colt could easily win this.
1) Think Big’s last race was too bad to be true vs Grade:1’s last time out. Drops two class levels and should bounce back here
2) Donegal Momentum is four for six on the turf, including finishing in front of my top pick last time after getting off to an easy first quarter. The early pace scenario appears to be different in this spot.
3) Mountain Bear hit the board twice vs much better in his career, and had a very good prep race ahead of this assignment.
Also consider: Intellect, who ran well in his first two races after coming over from France……Nantasket Beach has won four of his last five, but steps up in class for this race.
1) Nitrogen has rattled off five straight graded stakes wins, including beating just two others in the slop by a colossal margin last time…hard to go against here
2) Fionn is a stretch runner who has won four of six on the turf and wasn’t that far behind Nitrogen the last time they met.
3) May Day Ready is a very talented filly who had legitimate excuses in her last two races. She is a major threat here if she runs back to her BC Juvenile Turf effort.
1) Instant Replay has clearly improved while winning three of his last four on three vastly different racestracks. Timid choice in a very competitive race.
2) Tip Top Thomas wired an NW1X field while getting a mile in a good 1:34.2 last time out
3) Big Truzz is cross entered and, at this writing, I am unclear of which race he will run in. That said, he chased crack sprinter Patch Adams twice of late, so there is no doubt about his talent. Can he get two turns? That is the big question.
Also consider: With a career mark of 6-1-4-0, it’s starting to look like Chunk of Gold has come down with a case of “second-itis”…Coal Battle is a nice horse with a good back story, but he has lost ground down the stretch in his last three races….The publisher is still a maiden after eight races. Could Saturday be the day for this late runner? …Master Controller, at 15-1, looks intriguing as his Brisnet Figure jumped 19 points with the addition of Lasix last time.
1) Off three straight sprint wins, including two Grade:1s, Kopian is your pro-tem older female sprint division leader. She is training well and should take another
2) Sweet Azteca had won five of her first six before faltering at 1/10 odds and going on the sidelines back in October. She has trained well for her comeback race, but this looks to be a tough assignment.
3) Although the top two are training very well for this race, One Magic Philly could actually be training the best of all. After watching her on video in the mornings, she should run well here.
1) Mickswagger is unbeaten on this track and was visually impressive, winning his prep race for this. Tepid choice in a race that’s crying out for a longshot to win,
2) Big Truzz sees the Indiana Derby. I’m not sure where he’ll run, but if he can handle two turns, he should be tough here.
3) Magnitude is your 9/5 favorite and rightfully so after running a hole in the wind in his last. There are two problems here, however. One, after a lackluster career to that point, where did that race come from? Two, he is coming back off an injury/layoff, so he may not be 100% ready for this.
The oddsmaker has this one right
1) Dragoon Guard has good speed, is a multiple graded stakes winner, and had an excellent prep race for this. Solid choice and solid favorite.
2) Heroic Move has been competitive vs some of this elite three year olds in 2025.
3) Gould’s Gold is quietly in very good form right now.
End of Rant!
Little Bets N’ Pieces
**** Old Friends Retirement Home announced that two-time Whitney Stakes winner Commentator was humanely euthanized on June 27 due to long-term complications from Potomac horse fever. The son of Distorted Humor was 24.
“He was well loved and we will miss him forever,” said Old Friends at Cabin Creek manager JoAnn Pepper. “He was a champion through and through and was very brave.”
All told, Commentator, trained by Nick Zito, won 14 races. In addition to his Whitney wins in 2005 and 2008, he won the last running of the Massachusetts Handicap in 2008 and five other stakes races. He retired in 2009 with more than $2.04 million in earnings.
Each summer, the New York Racing Association honors Commentator with the running of the Commentator Stakes for New York-breds at Belmont Park.
**** Preakness Stakes winner Journalism returned to the work tab June 29, breezing a half-mile at his home base, Santa Anita Park in :47 4/5.
Trainer Michael McCarthy said the son of Curlin came out of the work well, but has no goals yet for a summer campaign.
“I thought he went very well,” said McCarthy. “Seemed like he was happy enough to get back on the work tab; he was showcasing his ability here earlier in the week. We thought it was a good time to go ahead and let him stretch his legs.”
McCarthy was noncommittal to any summer race plans: “I just wanted to go ahead and get him back on the work tab”.
**** Maxfield Stakes winner Verifire, a $1 million son of Authentic who is now 3 for 3, is likely headed to the Grade 1, $500,000 Allen Jerkens Stakes on Aug. 23 at Saratoga, according to trainer Brad Cox
**** The well named Dazzle d’Oro, who ran to his 9/5 favoritism, beating 10 maidens while making his debut June 29 at Churchill, is pointing to the Saratoga Special Stakes on Aug. 2 at Saratoga as his next race.
A $250,000 yearling purchase, Dazzle d’Oro, by Bolt d’Oro, won by three lengths, stopping the clock in a snappy 1:08.3 for six furlongs, and scored a strong 84 Beyer Speed Figure in the process.
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