July Horse Racing Heats Up American Tracks
by Steve Davidowitz | Jul 4 2011
Welcome to the second half of 2011! Welcome to a fabulous July 4 weekend of Graded stakes races at several American tracks. And, if you’ll notice, only one of these races will be for 3-year-olds… the division that relentlessly occupied our interest from January through the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes.
Oh, the 3-year-olds will be back on center stage in August for the $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park and the $1 million Travers at Saratoga on Aug. 28. But for the July 4 weekend and many weeks after that we will see dozens of Graded stakes for older horses, fillies, sprinters, turf horses and 2-year-olds. Welcome to the meat of the American racing season!
There are three such Graded stakes on the July 4 weekend for juveniles, the Grade 3, $100,000 Bashford Manor at Churchill Downs on Saturday, July 2; plus a pair of $150,000 Grade-2 stakes for 2-year-olds on Saturday at Belmont – the Futurity – which is open to both sexes, but usually attracts an all male field, especially now that the Matron for 2-year old-fillies is offered on the same day.
At Monmouth, we will see one of the great turf races on the American racing calendar: The
Grade 1, $750,000 United Nations Stakes, a 1-3/8 mile grass race won by some of the top turf horses in American racing history including renown Hall of Famers REOUND TABLE, MONGO, DR. FAGER, MANILA and LURE.
Among those entered in this year’s U.N. is last year’s winner CHINCHON and the Chilean-sensation BELLE WAITING, Breeders’ Cup Marathon winner ELDAAFER, western based BOURBON BAY and the TEAKS NORTH, winner of the Grade 3 Monmouth Stakes over the course, on June 12.
In addition to the considerable purse, the UN is a Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” race that automatically will give a starting berth to the $3 million Breeders’ Cup Turf at Churchill Downs, Nov. 5.
Here are the 11 other Graded stakes set for this weekend at Belmont, Churchill Downs and Hollywood, all of which will feature a few dozen horses who will be featured in so many important stakes through the summer into the BC 15 BC races on Nov. 4 and 5 at Churchill Downs.
For most of the races, I have listed at least one horse who either will be the likely betting favorite, or the horse to beat. On Saturday at Belmont Park, for instance, the 6-year-old RODMAN is a likely contender in the $300,000, G-2 Suburban Handicap, at 1-1/8 miles around one turn.
Rodman is well suited by the conditions of this race , having finished second in the swiftly run Met Mile, also around one turn.
In the G-2, $150,000 Dwyer, for 3 year olds at 1-1/16 miles—the only Graded stakes for 3 year olds on the weekend-- ADIOS CHARLIE and DOMINUS have very good form and this race could help decide which one will point for the Travers.
On Sunday at Belmont, HILDA’S PASSION would tower over the field in the G-2 Bed o' Roses Handicap for fillies and mares at 7 furlongs, that is, if trainer Todd Pletcher lets her run under her 124 pound weight assignment. In her last start ‘Hilda’ smoked a similar field in the G-2 Vagrancy under 123.
In the $150,000, G-2 Futurity on the same Sunday card, POWER WORLD, who overcame a rough start to win his maiden sprint at Churchill June 11 will have to catch several youngsters with considerably more early zip. That is if he goes in this race and not the Bashford Manor at Churchill.
Likewise, in the $150,000 Matron at 6 furlongs, MORE THAN MINTED and MY DUE PROCESS will be coming off their sharp 1-2 finish in a swiftly run Churchill allowance race and will be tough to handle if either or both run in this spot.
On Monday, July 4 at the same NY track, the Grade-1, $250,000 Prioress for 3 year old fillies at 6 furlongs will have at least six fast fillies that were impressive in their most recent outings. Your move, my friends.
At Hollywood Park on Saturday July 2, the Grade-1 $300,000 Shoemaker Mile on the turf, honors the late great Hall of Fame rider who dominated So Cal racing for three decades. The top contenders in this year’s Shoemaker have Breeders’ Cup Mile possibilities, including COURAGEOUS CAT, who finished second to three time BC Mile winner GOLDIKOVA in that $2 million race last year.
On the same card, a pair of hard-hitting sprinters – SMILING TIGER and AMAZOMBIE – a will square off in the Grade-1, $250,000 Triple Bend Handicap for older horses at 7 furlongs.
On Monday, July 4, at Hollywood, top fillies and mares also will go a mile on the turf in the Grade-2, $150,000 Royal Heroine with the field yet to be determined.
At Churchill Downs on Saturday in the aforementioned Bashford Manor, a Grade-3 for promising 2-year-olds at 6 furlongs, POWER WORLD may go here and face the same issues if he were to run in the Futurity at Belmont. Otherwise, it is a wide open race with many horses set to improve.
In the final stakes of the spring Churchill Downs race meet – -the Grade-2 $175,000 Firecracker Handicap at one mile on the grass for 3-year-olds and up---the talented 3-year-old BANNED may fit against a good group of his elders including 4-year-old DEAN’S KITTENR and 5-year-old BARYSHNIKOV.
We all should have great fun this smorgasbord of Graded stakes and know for an absolute certainty we also should know that there will be dozens upon dozens of juicy stakes to feat upon from now through the summer.
Speaking of juicy stakes, enjoy your Fourth of July holiday with your family and friends!
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