Horse racing goes green with big weekend turf events at major tracks

July 12 (UPI) — Racing goes green this weekend, with Saratoga and Colonial Downs featuring nice turf races on their opening weekends, including the leading edge of an international invasion, and Delaware Park adding to the mix.

On the international scene, English racing features Newmarket’s July meeting. And the trainer championship remains up for grabs in Sunday’s final program of the 2023-24 Hong Kong season at Sha Tin Racecourse.

No waiting. Let’s go.

Turf

Saturday is “Million Preview” day at Colonial Downs with preps for the Grade I Arlington Million, $500,000 Grade II Beverly D. for fillies and mares and $500,000 Grade II Secretariat Stakes for 3-year-olds Aug. 10.

The $125,000 Million Preview itself got some good ones in a five-horse field, including the even-money favorite, Integration, as well as Forever Souper and Siege of Boston. The Secretariat Preview drew eight with In a Jam and Fulmineo topping the morning line.

Sunday’s $100,000 Prince George’s County at Laurel Park features two-time graded stakes winner Highland Chief against a field of mostly local allowance runners.

Already in the books: Desvio found the best late stride to win Monday’s $150,000 Kent Stakes for 3-year-olds at Delaware Park by 3/4 lengths over Nomos. The Yoshida gelding, with Ben Curtis riding for trainer Madison Meyers, finished 1 3/8 miles of firm turf in 2:16.39.

Filly & Mare Turf

Trainer Chad Brown is wasting no time attacking the Saratoga summer. Brown has five of the 11 entered for the meeting’s first Grade 1 race, Saturday’s $500,000 Diana at 9 furlongs on the grass.

Two of them, Chili Flag and 2023 Diana winner Whitebeam, finished first and second in the Grade I Just a Game Stakes during the Belmont Stakes special meeting at the Spa.

Mission of Joy and Evvie Jets, who were third and fourth, respectively, in a blanket finish in that race, also return. The 2022 Queen’s Plate and Woodbine Oaks winner, Moira, journeys down from Woodbine. Trainer Ignacio Correas IV seems to have Didia in top form.

Neil Drysdale brings Nadette from California and Cherie DeVaux imports Blissful from Keeneland as the favorites in an eight-horse field for Saturday’s $125,000 Beverly D. Preview at Colonial Downs.

Already in the books: Whiskey Decision stalked the pace in Monday’s $150,000 Christiana Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Delaware Park, took the lead when prompted by jockey Javier Castellano and won off by 2 3/4 lengths as the odds-on favorite.

Turf Mile

Godolphin’s 4-year-old Dark Angel gelding Mysterious Night faces off again with Talk of the Nation in Saturday’s $175,000 Grade III Kelso at Saratoga. They were second and third in their last start in the Grade III Poker at Aqueduct.

Twirling Point, last seen winning the Jersey Derby at Monmouth Park, tops the morning line for Saturday’s $150,000 Caesar’s Stakes for 3-year-olds at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

Turf Sprint

Monmouth Park has 3-year-olds on the grass all weekend, with six colts in Sunday’s $100,000 My Frenchman Stakes and 10 fillies entered for Saturday’s $100,000 Blue Sparkler. Both are 5 1/2 furlongs.

Godolphin returns with Charlie Appleby sending out Star of Mystery as the odds-on favorite in a field of nine for Sunday’s $175,000 Grade III Quick Call for 3-year-olds at Saratoga.

The Oaks Crowd

Already in the books: Power Squeeze stuck close to the lead in a tightly packed field early in Monday’s $300,000 Grade III Delaware Oaks, advanced with a three-wide move around the turn and got the decision by a nose over the odds-on favorite, Sidamara.

Power Squeeze is making a name for herself after winning the Grade III Gulfstream Park Oaks, finishing third in the Grade I Acorn and reporting sixth in the Kentucky Oaks.

Sprint

Dean Delivers came three-wide to take the lead in Monday’s $125,000 Alapocas Run Stakes at Delaware Park and drew off to win by 2 1/2 lengths over Prince of Jericho.

Juvenile Fillies

Already in the books: Thursday’s $175,000 Schuylerville, the first stakes race of the meeting, went to 44-1 long shot

The Queens M G. with Dylan Davis up, the daughter of Thousand Words rallied from off the pace and drew off to a convincing score. She won her career debut at Keeneland in April, but was seventh in the Astoria at the Spa two months later.

Saturday’s $125,000 (Canadian) My Dear, 5 1/2 furlongs on the Woodbine all-weather, has the 1-2 finishers from the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies at Gulfstream Park, You Need Me and Bullet furlongs.

Juvenile

Six of the eight entered for Saturday’s $175,000 Grade III Sanford at Saratoga come into the 6-furlong tilt off wins.

It’s an unusual year, as the June meeting at the Spa provided an early opportunity over the course in the Tremont Stakes on June 6. The winner and third from that, Studlydoright and Three Echos, respectively, return.

Around the world, around the clock

England

Newmarket is the place to be this week with a series of important races leading up to Saturday’s Group 1 July Cup for top sprinters.

Already in the books: Giavellotto powered to the lead in the final furlong of Thursday’s Group 2 Princess of Wales’s Stakes and ran on to a 3 1/4-length victory. Arrest, the early leader, was second, and the favorite, Hamish, finished fourth.

Whistlejacket, fourth in the Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot, scooted away from five rivals in the final furlong of the Group 2 Kingdom of Bahrain July Stakes and won by 1 3/4 lengths, despite drifting left through the last of 6 furlongs.

In the meeting opener, Ancient Wisdom, second in the Group 2 Dante Stakes at York and eighth in the Derby, made all in winning Thursday’s Group 3 Bahrain Trophy Stakes for 3-year-olds by 1 3/4 lengths.

Friday brings the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes at 1 mile and the Group 2 Duchess of Cambridge Stakes for 2-year-old fillies. Saturday’s July Cup, with Inisherin and Vandeek, is supported by the Group 2 Superlative Stakes for 2-year-olds at 7 furlongs.

Hong Kong

Pierre Ng holds a one-victory lead over Francis Lui in the trainer’s premiership battle with the season’s final 11 races set to go Sunday.

With second- and third-place results figuring into the standings, Lui needs two more wins than Ng, his former assistant, to secure the title for the first time. Lui runs 10 horses in nine of the 11 races. Ng has nine starters spread across seven heats.