Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Dark Nile returns in Foxy J. G.
Dark Nile, the winner of last year’s Delaware Oaks, will make her first start since August in the $100,000 Foxy J. G. Stakes at Parx Racing on Saturday.
The Foxy J. G. and the $100,000 Lyman Stakes, for 3-year-olds and up, are the first stakes of the year at Parx. The races, for Pennsylvania-breds at seven furlongs, came up especially strong this year.
Page McKenney will make his first start in 10 weeks in the Lyman. He bruised a heel while training in March.
Dark Nile scored her fourth consecutive win in the Delaware Oaks but emerged from her next start, the Grade 1 Alabama at Saratoga, with an ankle chip. She has worked nine times since Feb. 5.
“This looks like a good spot to bring her back,” trainer Arnaud Delacour said. “She is doing very well and has been pretty aggressive in her training.”
Delacour’s stable is back at the Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland after spending the winter at Tampa Bay Downs.
Delacour said A. P. Indian, a finalist in Eclipse Awards voting last year for champion male sprinter, came out of his second-place finish in the Grade 3 Commonwealth at Keeneland well and he plans to run him at Pimlico on Preakness Day in the Grade 3 Maryland Sprint.
“I would think he will be pretty tough in there,” Delacour said.
No Dozing, who rallied to finish third, beaten a neck, in the Grade 3 Lexington at Keeneland, will make his next start at Churchill Downs.
“I am pointing him to the Pat Day Mile,” Delacour said. “I want to try him at a one-turn mile.”
The Grade 3 Pat Day Mile, a $250,000 race for 3-year-olds, will be run on the Kentucky Derby undercard.
Divining Rod, who dropped a head decision to Connect in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile at Aqueduct in his 2016 finale, has rejoined Delacour’s stable after having a physical setback in Florida this winter.
“He has been back with us two weeks and is galloping,” Delacour said. “I hope to have him back to the races this summer.”
Imperial Hint healthy again
After a month’s journey to Dubai in search of riches, Imperial Hint is back in his Parx stall, and if not wealthier, at least he has his health.
Imperial Hint became sick after shipping to Dubai and missed his intended race, the $2 million Golden Shaheen. The illness developed into pneumonia, and when the other North American horses headed home, Imperial Hint had to stay behind and recuperate. His trainer, Luis Carvajal Jr., remained in Dubai with him.
“Meydan is a beautiful facility,” Carvajal said. “Everything is top notch and he would have been taken good care of, but I couldn’t get myself to leave him.”
Carvajal finally returned to the States April 11. Imperial Hint flew from Dubai to Amsterdam on April 13, and then on to New York. He was released from quarantine April 17.
While Carvajal was glad to return to his family and see his other horses and clients, Imperial Hint was equally happy to be back, according to Carvajal.
“As soon as he went in his stall, he rolled and then got up and started bucking,” he said. “He knew he was back home.”
Imperial Hint has won four of his last five starts, including the Grade 3 General George at Laurel Park. Carvajal said he is pleased with Imperial Hint’s condition and expects him to be ready to race by mid- to late June.
“I was going to give him two weeks off when we got back but I couldn’t,” Carvajal said. “After I walked him for two days, I had to do something with him. So we’ve been jogging. He will be back in regular training soon. I always take my time with my horses. I will give him the whole month of May to train.”
Carvajal is philosophical about his Dubai trip.
“He went to Dubai for a month of rest,” Carvajal said of Imperial Hint. “We lost a little time, lost a little money. But everything happens for a reason. The horse is good, and that’s the main thing. Positive things might still come out of this trip. I met some very nice people when I was over there.”
Lynch rides 3 stakes winners
Trevor McCarthy won the most races at Laurel Park last week but Feargal Lynch won the right races.
McCarthy leads the jockey standings with 59 wins – 13 more than runner-up Horacio Karamanos. He went 6 for 23 last week.
Lynch won with five of his 16 mounts, but won three of the four stakes on Saturday. He won the $123,000 Federico Tesio aboard Twisted Tom for trainer Chad Brown, the $120,000 Weber City Miss on Lights of Medina for Todd Pletcher, and the $75,000 Henry Clark on Ascend for Graham Motion, who doubled up himself by winning the $75,000 Dahlia with Danilovna.
Lynch now has 35 wins at the meet, which concludes May 7, and is tied for third in the standings with Jevian Toledo and Steve Hamilton.
Forest Boyce also won five races last weekend from her 15 rides.
◗ On Friday at Laurel, the late pick five has a carryover of $4,898. The Rainbow 6 will start the day with a carryover of $2,671.
Navarro ready for Monmouth
Trainer Jorge Navarro came within a half-length of going 4 for 4 on last Saturday’s Charles Town Classic card. All of his runner’s that day have been sent to a New Jersey farm to prepare for the Monmouth Park meet, which begins May 13.
Navarro, who will be shooting for his fifth consecutive Monmouth training title, said on Saturday he will be sending his Florida-based stable to Monmouth in stages over the next few weeks.
At Charles Town, Navarro won the $100,000 Sugar Maple with Mia Torri, the $50,000 Russell Road with Shaft of Light, and the $35,000 Caixa Eletronica overnight handicap with Shaft of Light. He missed winning the $1.25 million Charles Town Classic by two necks when War Story finished third behind Imperative and Matt King Coal.