Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Mind Your Biscuits returning
ELMONT, N.Y. – While a dozen or so New York-bred sprinters were set to do battle in Friday’s $100,000 Affirmed Success Stakes at Belmont Park, the top statebred sprinter will soon be returning to training.
Mind Your Biscuits, winner of the $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen at Meydan in March, is expected to ship to trainer Chad Summers’s Belmont Park barn Monday to prepare for the second half of the year.
Mind Your Biscuits has been at Taylor Made Farm in Kentucky since he returned to the United States from Dubai.
Summers said that while he will keep an eye on the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont on June 10, a more likely target for Mind Your Biscuits is the Grade 2, $350,000 Belmont Sprint Championship on July 8.
Summers said he would watch the Grade 3 Westchester on May 6 at Belmont with interest to see if that race produces a top contender for the Met Mile. Connect, the Grade 1 Cigar Mile winner, and Mohaymen are both expected for the Westchester.
Summers said the Grade 1 Forego at Saratoga on Aug. 26 is the major summer goal for Mind Your Biscuits. The major year-end goal is the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Del Mar. Mind Your Biscuits finished third in last year’s BC Sprint. He was elevated to second after the disqualification from purse money of runner-up Masochistic.
“He comes back Monday morning,” Summers said. “He’s doing good. He’s put on 60 pounds since he got over to Taylor Made. We’re excited about the second half of the year. Our goal is to try and get him a championship. We know the races you got to win to earn that title.”
Summers just took out his trainer’s license this year. He said he has 10 horses at Palm Meadows and will have 30 in New York split between Belmont and Saratoga.
Shaman Ghost to Pimlico
Shaman Ghost, winner of the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap in March, will make his next start in the $300,000 Pimlico Special on May 19, trainer Jimmy Jerkens said Thursday.
Shaman Ghost is owned by Frank Stronach, who also owns Pimlico. The Pimlico Special will be used as a stepping-stone to the Grade 2, $750,000 Suburban Handicap at Belmont on July 8, Jerkens said.
Shaman Ghost, second to Arrogate in the $12 million Pegasus World Cup in January, has worked twice since the Santa Anita Handicap, including a five-furlong move in 1:00.50 on April 19.
Meanwhile, Jerkens could have a second starter in the Pimlico Special in Dolphus. A half-brother to 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra, Dolphus won a one-mile allowance race Sunday at Aqueduct by 1 3/4 lengths, earning a career-best 105 Beyer Speed Figure.
Jerkens said he felt a race like the Met Mile might be “a little out of reach” for Dolphus. Jerkens felt Dolphus ran well enough in the Stymie Stakes going two turns at Aqueduct to think that the Pimlico Special might be doable.
“His two-turn race was good,” Jerkens said.
Shoulder surgery for Alvarado
Junior Alvarado will undergo surgery to repair his left shoulder and be out of action about two months, according to his agent, Mike Sellitto.
Alvarado was injured in a spill at Aqueduct on Sunday’s closing-day card. Though X-rays revealed no fractures, an MRI taken Tuesday did show some minor damage to the shoulder. Alvarado had surgery on that same shoulder last December to repair a tear in his rotator cuff.
Sellitto said Alvarado’s doctor told him that without the surgery, there would be no guarantee that his shoulder would not pop out of its socket while riding.
“You can’t ride if your shoulder has a shot to pop out,” Sellitto said.
The surgery will be performed Tuesday, and if he comes back in the expected time frame, Alvarado should be back in time to ride the end of the Belmont spring-summer meet and most certainly by Saratoga.
Venezia Award nominees
The New York Racing Association announced the five nominees for the Mike Venezia Award, given to the jockey who displays extraordinary sportsmanship and citizenship, and named after the rider who died from injuries suffered in a spill here in 1988.
The nominees are Joe Bravo, Kendrick Carmouche, Javier Castellano, Rajiv Maragh, and Cornelio Velasquez.
Online voting at nyra.com/ venezia was to begin Friday and will close at midnight May 16. The winner will be announced May 17.
◗ For the time being, the New York Racing Association will not be offering a late pick five on cards with at least 10 races, as it did last year. The first card expected to have at least 10 races is next Saturday’s Kentucky Derby Day program, when 12 races are scheduled.