Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Baffert hoping to strike fast
ELMONT, N.Y. – Last year, trainer Bob Baffert didn’t make his presence felt at Saratoga until late in the meet, when he sent Arrogate and Drefong across the country to win the Travers and King’s Bishop.
Baffert could make a much earlier entrance at Saratoga this summer.
Provided a scheduled workout at Santa Anita on Saturday goes well, Baffert plans to run Abel Tasman in the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks for 3-year-old fillies on July 23.
“I’m going to breeze her on Saturday, and I’ll know for sure,” Baffert said Thursday. “She has to work super on Saturday – up to my standards.”
Baffert had a most memorable Belmont Stakes afternoon at Belmont Park on June 10, winning stakes with all four horses he shipped from California, including Abel Tasman in the Grade 1 Acorn and Mor Spirit in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap. Mor Spirit is being considered for the Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga on Aug. 5.
Baffert won’t be shipping Arrogate to Saratoga this summer because the horse is being pointed to the San Diego Handicap at Del Mar on July 22, followed by the Pacific Classic, also at Del Mar, on Aug. 19.
With victories in the Kentucky Oaks and Acorn, Abel Tasman has positioned herself atop the 3-year-old filly division. Last year, Songbird shipped in from Southern California and won both the Coaching Club and Grade 1 Alabama, a race that Abel Tasman is also expected to run in.
A small field is expected for the Coaching Club. As of Friday, only Elate and Salty were confirmed to start. Berned and Jamyson ‘n Ginger were listed as possible by New York Racing Association officials.
Baffert was planning to send the recent maiden winner Serengeti for the Grade 3 Sanford Stakes on July 22 but said Thursday that he now likely will skip that race.
Serengeti, a son of Algorithims, won his maiden by 11 lengths on June 25, just 15 days after finishing second to Runaway Ghost. Both races were at Santa Anita.
Among those pointing to the Sanford are Admiral Jimmy, Bal Harbour, Direct Dial, Firenze Fire, Nauti Boy, and Psychoanalyze.
Schuylerville proves popular
The Grade 3, $150,000 Schuylerville Stakes, the co-feature on Friday’s opening-day card at Saratoga, is expected to attract 2-year-old fillies from as many as five different locales.
Dream It Is, based at Woodbine with trainer Barbara Minshall, is expected to make her dirt debut in the Schuylerville after winning a maiden race and the My Dear Stakes over Woodbine’s synthetic surface. From Kentucky, trainer Steve Asmussen is expected to run Buy Sell Hold, who beat males in the Kentucky Juvenile. He also has the maiden winner Laudation under consideration for the Schuylerville.
Limited View, a debut winner in Maryland, and Stainless, a debut winner for Todd Pletcher at Gulfstream, are also among those expected to run.
The locally based contingent will include Best Performance, the runner-up in the Astoria Stakes for trainer Christophe Clement, and Pacific Gale, a debut winner for John Kimmel.
The other feature on opening day is the Grade 3, $150,000 Lake George Stakes for 3-yearold fillies on turf. Fifty Five and Dream Dancing, second and third behind New Money Honey in the Grade 3 Wonder Again Stakes at Belmont in June, head the field.
Others expected to run include Chubby Star, Defiant Honor, Party Boat, Proctor’s Lodge, Sweeping Paddy, and Victory to Victory.
Hawksmoor shifts sights
Hawksmoor, the winner of the Grade 3 Beaugay and Grade 2 New York stakes, will miss the Grade 1 Diana next weekend at Saratoga after missing a week of training due to illness, trainer Arnaud Delacour said Thursday.
“She got sick last week, her blood work was not very good, so we gave her an easy week,” said Delacour, who last breezed Hawksmoor on July 1 at the Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland. “We’ll probably aim for the Beverly D.”
The Grade 1, $600,000 Beverly D. at Arlington Park will be run at 1 3/16 miles on Aug. 12.
Meanwhile, A. P. Indian, who missed the Grade 3 Belmont Sprint Championship at Belmont Park on July 8 due to an ankle injury, returned to the work tab last weekend at Fair Hill, breezing a half-mile in 48.80 seconds over the synthetic surface.
Delacour said A. P. Indian would breeze again this weekend and is being pointed to the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt at Saratoga on July 29. A. P. Indian won that race last year.
I Still Miss You looks tough
I Still Miss You, the undefeated winner of the Astoria Stakes on June 8, will drop back in with New York-breds when she heads a field of five entered to run in Sunday’s $125,000 Lynbrook Stakes, the closing day feature at Belmont Park.
The Lynbrook will go as race 4 on an 11-race card that begins at 1:30 p.m. Eastern.
Trainer Jeremiah Englehart said he chose the Lynbrook over the Schuylerville on opening day at Saratoga for I Still Miss You because he felt it would be an easier race and give him even more time for the Grade 1 Spinaway on Sept. 2.
I Still Miss You drew post 4 and will be ridden by Javier Castellano. Englehart also entered the maiden Miss big times, whom he does plan to run.
Engelhart’s pair will be going up against the duo of Pure Silver and One Last Cast, both trained by Todd Pletcher. Northern street gal, a maiden from the barn of trainer Gary Contessa, completes the field.