Summer Racing is in full swing with both Saratoga (Saratoga Springs, New York) and Del Mar (San Diego, California) providing the racing action. We (Woodford Racing) ran Engage last Friday at Saratoga Racetrack off a 10 month layoff. While finishing fourth, Engage ran quite well as the 6 furlong race went in a minute and eight seconds. After the race our jockey (Jose Ortiz) told me, “that’s racehorse time”! His point being, we may have finished fourth but the race was extremely fast and it was clear Engage needed the race off the long layoff.
Jockey Jose Ortiz
Yesterday, we (Woodford Racing) ran Campaign at Del Mar in the Grade 3, $100,000 Thunder Road Stakes. The Thunder Road Stakes was run at the marathon distance of 1 1/2 miles which is a distance Campaign seems to relish.
Shortly after the starting gate opened, Campaign assumed his customary spot at the back of the field. As he bided his time early, he spotted the rest of the field 11 lengths. The announcer (Trevor Denman) at Del Mar noted Campaign was “double digit lengths” behind the other horses! Jockey Rafael Bejarano stayed after Campaign as he seemed to lose interest at times during the race. When the field turned for home, Campaign was charging hard with three horses to beat. In the last 100 yards he cruised by the eventual second place horse to win by 1 1/2 lengths. You can watch a replay of the race here.
Trainer John Sadler mentioned the hot, muggy weather in San Diego may have explained why Campaign seemed a little lethargic at times. In the end, the graded stakes win in the Cougar II provided Campaign his fifth win in ten starts and brought his lifetime earnings to $400,000. If Campaign trains well in the next few weeks, the plan is to target the Grade 1, $1,000,000 Pacific Classic at Del Mar on August 17.
Two of my other horses were entered to race at Saratoga last week and both were scratched due to heavy rain washing both races off the turf. Hopefully Tiple (owned by West Point Thoroughbreds, Dorsman, Bouchey and Masiello) and The Sinner Is You (owned by Hibiscus Stables, Dorsman and Allread) will both get to race in the near future.
Whether you are on the East or West Coast, you can’t help but enjoy racing this time of the year!