Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Ava’s Grace finally gets to try turf in Cupecoy’s Joy
ELMONT, N.Y. – Ava’s Grace will take a significant drop in class and make a surface switch when she runs in the Cupecoy’s Joy division of the New York Stallion Stakes series at Belmont Park. The Cupecoy’s Joy, for 3-year-old fillies, and the Spectacular Bid, for 3-yearolds, will both be run Saturday. Each is worth $150,000 and scheduled for seven furlongs on turf.
Ava’s Grace, a daughter of Laoban, has never raced on turf. She hasn’t run since finishing second to Pauline’s Pearl in the Grade 3 Fantasy Stakes on April 3 at Oaklawn Park. Ava’s Grace was entered in the Kentucky Oaks, but scratched two days before the race with what turned out to be a muscle pull in her hind end, trainer Robertino Diodoro said.
“We did some work on it,” Diodoro said. “Actually, she came around fairly quick out of it, which is good. She’s had some solid works of late. I look forward to running her Saturday. I think she’ll love the grass.”
Diodoro said that ever since Ava’s Grace won first out at Ellis Park, he wanted to get Ava’s Grace on turf. She finished third in the Grade 2 Adirondack on dirt at Saratoga in August before being sidelined the remainder of the year. Ava’s Grace wintered at Oaklawn Park, where there is no turf.
Ava’s Grace drew post 10 and will face 13 rivals in the Cupecoy’s Joy.
Diodoro will send out Dreamer’s Disease in the Spectacular Bid. Dreamer’s Disease, a son of Laoban, won a maiden race on turf at Ellis Park last summer. He then ran eighth in the Kentucky Downs Juvenile before moving to the dirt for his next three races.
Diodoro is basically throwing out the Kentucky Downs Juvenile, which was run on the European-style turf course at Kentucky Downs.
“That’s not real turf to me,” Diodoro said. “He couldn’t stand up on it. He loved it at Ellis. I haven’t run that much at Kentucky Downs. I’m thinking, ‘This is going to be great.’ He couldn’t get out of neutral.”
Dreamer’s Disease drew post 6 in a full field of 14 entered in the Spectacular Bid that includes stakes winners Step Dancer, Hold the Salsa, and The King Cheek.
David Cohen will be here to ride both Diodoro horses on Saturday and plans to ride the remainder of the Belmont meet before moving up to Saratoga for the summer.
Weyburn to Jim Dandy
Weyburn, beaten a neck when second to Mandaloun in last Sunday’s Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth Park, will be pointed to the Grade 2, $600,000 Jim Dandy Stakes on July 31 at Saratoga, trainer Jimmy Jerkens said Wednesday.
In the Pegasus, Weyburn was making his first start since running fourth in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial on April 3, having missed some time – and a planned start in the Peter Pan on May 8 – due to illness.
Jerkens said he was gratified to see the horse run a race similar to his effort in the Grade 3 Gotham, which he won by a nose in March.
“It was nice to see him run good,” Jerkens said. “He still seems to be a little confused by two turns. He runs in spots. Down the backside he was a little keen. When he inherited the lead, he spit the bit out and came on again. It was a good effort, that’s for sure.”
Saratoga to open fully
With most COVID-related restrictions lifted in New York by Gov. Andrew Cuomo effective Tuesday, the New York Racing Association announced Wednesday that Saratoga will be open this summer at 100 percent capacity.
Fans will no longer be required to show proof of vaccination, but non-vaccinated individuals will be required to wear a facial covering during their day at Saratoga. As previously announced, fans who do show proof of vaccination will receive free grandstand admission to the July 15 opening day.
Beginning June 26, the Whitney viewing stand on the Oklahoma training track will reopen to the pubic between 7 and 10 a.m. Prior to the opening of the meet, the stand will be accessible on Saturdays and Sundays only.
Meanwhile, Belmont Park is now open at 100 percent capacity for the remaining four weeks of the meet. However, walk-up general admission ($5) won’t be available until June 24. Until that time, fans must still pre-purchase tickets online.
Rodriguez sitting on win
Trainer Rudy Rodriguez has twice as many seconds as he does wins at this meet, something he hopes starts to turn around Friday when he sends out live contenders in a pair of New York-bred first-level allowances.
In race 7, a six-furlong race on dirt, Rodriguez sends out Trinni Luck, who finished sixth in a similar spot May 22. Rodriguez said Trinni Luck was compromised by a poor break that day and he hopes the addition of blinkers will help her on Friday.
“I thought she ran a good race, considering everything she went through,” Rodriguez said. “She got bumped leaving the gate, she didn’t break good, and then she got a lot of kickback. That was the first time she got a lot of kickback, and she was fighting the whole way around.”
The horse to beat is Laura’s Bellamy, who finished second, beaten a neck, in the same race in which Trinni Luck ran sixth.
In race 8, a six-furlong allowance on turf, Rodriguez sends out Scuttlebuzz, who finished second, beaten a half-length, in this same condition on May 15.
“That horse is training very good,” Rodriguez said. “I wish it was seven-eighths.”
Veterans Beach, twice second in this condition, makes his first start since Sept. 27. Joel Rosario rides for Christophe Clement.