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Weekend Lineup Presented By NYRA Bets: Big Travers Card Features Six Grade 1 Races

A quartet of Breeders' Cup Challenge races and the $1.25 million Travers Stakes highlight this weekend's racing action in North America, with a total of six Grade 1 stakes on Saturday's card at Saratoga.

The Travers drew a field of seven headlined by last year's juvenile champion Essential Quality. The Brad Cox-trained 3-year-old was undefeated until he finished fourth in the Kentucky Derby, but returned to win both the Belmont Stakes and the Jim Dandy.

Other top runners expected to compete on Saturday include champion female sprinter Gamine in the G1 Ballerina, division leader Letruska in the G1 Personal Ensign, and the highly-regarded 3-year-old Life Is Good returns in the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens for new trainer Todd Pletcher.

On the West Coast, a Breeders' Cup berth is on the line in Saturday's G2 Pat O'Brien Stakes at Del Mar, where C Z Rocket is the morning-line choice. On Sunday, Kentucky Derby first-place finisher Medina Spirit returns to the races in the listed Shared Belief Stakes.

Here's a quick snapshot of this weekend's graded stakes schedule, starting with Saratoga's big races (all times Eastern):

Saturday

3:02 p.m. – $500,000 Grade 1 Ballerina Handicap at Saratoga

Michael Lund Petersen's Gamine, the Eclipse Award-winning female sprinter of 2020, will get another chance to flash her championship form over a track she dominated last summer when she heads a field of seven in Saturday's G1 Ballerina at Saratoga Race Course.

Also in from the West Coast is Bo Hirsch's 5-year-old homebred mare Ce Ce, who also shipped cross-country for her last start, the G2 Princess Rooney July 3 at Gulfstream Park, beating runner-up and fellow Ballerina entrant Estilo Talentoso.

Godolphin homebred Lake Avenue is chasing her second career graded stakes victory and first in a G1 after running second by a neck in each of her last two starts – the G3 Bed o' Roses June 4 at Belmont Park and G2 Honorable Miss July 28 at Saratoga.

Ballerina Entries

3:37 p.m. – $600,000 Grade 1 Forego Stakes at Saratoga

Calumet Farm homebred Lexitonian, a racing enigma who broke through with his biggest performance to date last month, goes after a second consecutive win for the first time in his career in Saturday's seven-furlong contest.

Five of the eight horses entered in the Forego are G1 winners, including Firenze Fire, Mind Control, Mischevious Alex, and Whitmore, the champion sprinter of 2020. Lexitonian joined the group with a half-length victory in the six-furlong Alfred G. Vanderbilt July 31, his 19th career start.

Also in the field, Yaupon won each of his first four career starts last year, two of them coming at Saratoga – an open allowance triumph over older horses and the G2 Amsterdam – as well as the Chick Lang. Following a troubled eighth in both the Breeders' Cup Sprint to end 2020 and the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen to open 2021, Yaupon returned to capture Pimlico's Lite the Fuse July 4 in his most recent outing.

Forego Entries

4:12 p.m. – $500,000 Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes at Saratoga

J. Kirk and Judy Robison's Jackie's Warrior will seek to solidify himself as the nation's leading sophomore sprinter when taking on a compact field. Jackie's Warrior, trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, has shown an affinity for Saratoga, having not come close to losing in three starts at the Spa.

Jackie's Warrior's biggest obstacle could come from the presence of returning graded stakes winner Life Is Good, who arrives off a five-month hiatus and makes his debut for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. The highly-regarded son of leading sire Into Mischief, owned by CHC Inc. and WinStar Farm, is unbeaten in three starts on the West Coast and has never been behind horses at any point of call, when racing from the barn of Bob Baffert.

Jerkens Entries

4:47 p.m. – $600,000 Grade 1 Personal Ensign Stakes at Saratoga

Despite Letruska's imposing presence, a field of nine top-class older fillies and mares will line up to go 1 1/18 miles at Saratoga. Trained by Fausto Gutierrez, the dual G1-winning Letruska will be attempting her fourth consecutive graded stakes score. She has already secured her Breeders' Cup Distaff spot with a dominating gate-to-wire 2 ¾ lengths victory in the G1 Ogden Phipps, also a “Win and You're In” event, two starts back at Belmont Park on June 5.

Kenny McPeek is returning Peter Callahan's Swiss Skydiver to the distaff division. After circumstances forced his hand earlier in the Saratoga meet, he ran her in the G1 Whitney against the boys last out on Aug. 7, and she finished fourth.

Bonny South will try to turn the tables on Letruska after a runner-up finish in the Ogden Phipps. The 4-year-old filly was a well-beaten fifth in her last start in the G2 Delaware Handicap as the odds-on favorite, but has been breezing impressively with stablemate, G1 Runhappy Travers Stakes 4-5 favorite [and Belmont Stakes-winner] Essential Quality.

As Time Goes By runs for the Coolmore connections and has been sent from the Southern California base of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert. She ran second to Swiss Skydiver in the G1 Beholder Mile and then racked up a pair of G2 wins, taking the Santa Margarita by 9 ¼ lengths and the Santa Maria by a nose, both at Santa Anita.

Personal Ensign Entries

5:25 p.m. – $750,000 Grade 1 Sword Dancer Stakes at Saratoga

Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown will saddle a pair of strong contenders in Tribhuvan and Rockemperor, who will square off against a talented field of G1 winners in the 1 1/2-mile turf contest, which offers a “Win and You're In” berth to the winner for the Breeders' Cup Turf.

With seven wins and more than $3.2 million in purse earnings, Channel Maker will make his fourth straight Sword Dancer appearance following a second in 2018, a fourth in 2019, and a win last year to highlight his championship campaign that also included a score in the G1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Belmont.

Japan, trained by Aidan O'Brien, will make his first start in North America. The 5-year-old, who boasts a record of seven wins and four thirds from 18 starts with purse earnings in excess of $2.1 million, posted consecutive G1 wins in 2019 in the 12-furlong Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp and the 1 5/16-mile Juddmonte International at York. Japan has notched a pair of G3 wins in four starts this campaign, taking the 1 11/16-mile Ormond in May at Chester and the nine-furlong Meld last out on July 15 at Leopardstown.

Sword Dancer Entries

6:12 p.m. – $1.25 million Grade 1 Travers Stakes at Saratoga

Juvenile champion Essential Quality overcame Hot Rod Charlie's blistering fractions to run down his rival in the G1 Belmont Stakes on June 5 and followed that 109 Beyer Speed Figure effort with a half-length win over Travers rival Keepmeinmind in the G2 Jim Dandy going 1 1/8 miles.

Keepmeinmind competed in the Triple Crown's second leg, running fourth in the Preakness before earning additional black type with a third place G3 Ohio Derby performance in June. Keepmeinmind matched his career-best 97 Beyer for closing on Essential Quality in the Jim Dandy last month, finishing second and 2 1/4 lengths ahead of fellow Travers foe Masqueparade.

Midnight Bourbon, the runner-up to Rombauer in the Preakness, has not raced since clipping heels with Hot Rod Charlie and unseating rider Paco Lopez in the G1 Haskell in July at Monmouth Park. Masqueparade bested King Fury by a half length in the Ohio Derby, extending his winning streak to three, before finishing third in a Jim Dandy contest that will see the trifecta rematch in the Travers.

King Fury, runner-up in the Ohio Derby, trained at Saratoga through an EHV-1 quarantine, causing him to miss the G2 Jim Dandy and instead return in the G1 Saratoga Derby Invitational on Aug. 7. He finished 10th after a wide trip in his turf debut.

Dynamic One – second in the G2 Wood Memorial – showed his affinity for the Saratoga track last out, rallying from last-of-seven to close strong, besting Miles D by 1 3/4 lengths in the Curlin on July 30 at Saratoga for his first stakes victory.

Travers Entries

9:35 p.m. – $200,000 Grade 2 Pat O'Brien Stakes at Del Mar

A field of 10 stout sprinters will travel seven furlongs the Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” Challenge race funneling into the Dirt Mile.

Morning-line choice C Z Rocket, a veteran gelding who found a new lease on life when he was haltered for $40,000 16 months ago and took up residence in the barn of trainer Peter Miller. The 7-year-old has since won seven races, four of them stakes, and placed in three other added-money tests to bank more than $1.1-million for his new connections.

Chief threat to C Z Rocket appears to be another classy veteran, the 7-year-old Flagstaff, a winner of seven races and $1,011,585. The gelding by sprint champion Speightstown has made five starts this year, but this will be his first in his California home base.

Trainer Bob Baffert has a pair in the dash in Eight Rings and Classier. The former, a 4-year-old colt by Empire Maker, was second beaten only a neck in the G1 Bing Crosby Stakes at six furlongs earlier in the meet. Classier, a 3-year-old colt also by Empire Maker, shortens up off a score in the Los Alamitos Derby at nine furlongs on July 4.

O'Brien Entries

Here's a look at the remainder of the weekend's graded stakes, courtesy of NTRA:

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Notable US-Breds in Japan: Aug. 29, 2021

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this Sunday running at Kokura and Niigata Racecourses:

Sunday, August 29, 2021
5th-KOK, ¥13,400,000 ($122k), Newcomers, 2yo, 2000mT
PEACE FINE (c, 2, Gun Runner–Status Pending, by Tale of the Cat) is out of a stakes-winning half-sister to MSW & GSP Rock Candy (Mineshaft), GSP Canadian Game (Curlin) and to the dam of recent New York Stallion S. winner Sport Model (Freud) and SW Twirling Devon (Twirling Candy). A $35K Keeneland September graduate, the late April foal fetched $70K from trainer Hideyuki Mori in a private sale after breezing a quarter-mile in :22 2/5. Gun Runner has already been represented in Japan by debut winner Gran Aplauso. B-KatieRich Farms (KY)

5th-NII, ¥13,400,000 ($122k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1600mT
OKAMMO SCHACHO (f, 2, Lord Nelson–Appealing Stella, by Closing Argument) becomes the first local starter for her well-regarded first-crop sire (by Pulpit). The Florida-bred, a $52K acquisition out of last year's OBS October Sale, was another of trainer Mori's eight OBSMAR purchases, hammering for $170K after working a furlong in :10 flat. The Florida-bred's stakes winning dam is also responsible for OBS grad Isshin (Take Charge Indy), a three-time winner and $400K earner in Japan. B-Cindy & Bill Nassal (FL)

SUETONIUS (c, 2, Carpe Diem–Dance With Kitten, by Kitten's Joy) is the second for to the races from his dam, a winning full-sister to the classy MGISW Divisidero, who was acquired by Shadai Farm in 2017. The mare's first produce is Kitten's Waltz (Air Force Blue), a maiden winner from nine starts in Japan. B-Shadai Corporation (KY)

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Frank Courtney: A Racetrack Life Like No Other

It is a horse racing life well lived, and one that many are grateful to have been part of.

Frank Courtney's career, one that reached the finish line on a picture-perfect day at Woodbine, spanned seven decades, and spawned a multitude of roles, both on and off the racetrack.

His most recent job, that of Horsemen's Bookkeeper, was one he held for 32 years.

Few, if any, have been able to view the world of Thoroughbred racing through such a unique lens, something Courtney is humbly grateful to have experienced.

“I've been in racing all my life. My father trained horses and rode, my uncles also rode. It's been in my blood since I was born.”

Actually, even before he arrived.

“On Sept. 4, 1952, my mother was at the races at Dufferin Park and she started having labour pains and then you used to go home and have your children. So a few of the owners and trainers said, 'You better get home and have your baby,' and needless to say I was born about 6 p.m. I was actually almost born at Dufferin.”

His racetrack life began in the early 1960s when he walked hots for trainer Andy Smithers.

“Growing up and learning to gallop horses for Andy Smithers, I consider him one of the best trainers I ever worked for,” offered Courtney. “Other notable trainers were Frank Merrill Jr., I went to Florida for three years with him trying to be a jockey, but my body structure was a little too large and I couldn't get down light enough to ride Thoroughbreds, but I rode Quarter Horses on Sunday nights after the races. We'd go up there and I rode for John McKenzie, who ended up being a horse trainer here at Woodbine.”

Not surprisingly, Courtney, who also spent time as an exercise rider, has no shortage of racing tales, horse and human, to share.

How he got – and kept – the Clerk of Scales role at Woodbine is one that stands out.

“When I was working in the jocks' room in 1976, the Clerk of Scales at the time was Robert Davie and he was the gentleman that taught me everything in the jocks' room. A couple years later I became his assistant Clerk of Scales and when he retired he made sure the job was given to me, even though I was only about 27 years old.”

In some ways, the odds of success were stacked against Courtney.

“Even senior management was concerned because I had galloped horses with a bunch of my friends like David Clark, Robin Platts, Gary Stahlbaum, all the top riders at the time, and they were worried that I would be intimidated by them, but he had said to me, and I love this quote, 'Frank, I'm giving you the opportunity to be the Clerk of Scales, it's up to you to either keep the job or lose the job.' I'll never forget when he said that. He said, 'It's your job, a good job, and you're going to have to do everything that I taught you, don't let your friends intimidate you.' Luckily, the ones that I had been real close with were probably the best to work with.”

Courtney also worked closely with some of the sport's top trainers and top horses, never taking any of those interactions or lessons learned for granted.

“One of the best horses I ever galloped for Frank Merrill was a horse called Lord Vancouver. He was a super turf horse and that was one of Merrill's that they had purchased horse off Conn Smythe.

“Another horse that I had the privilege of getting on was a horse One for All, a horse that was trained by Horatio Luro, the trainer of Northern Dancer, that was sent up to compete in the Canadian International. We had real fun with him because they were training him to get ready to go to the l'Arc de Triomphe in France, but because they run the opposite way in France, we got to go out every morning after late training and they closed the turf so we could gallop in the wrong direction and that unique because nobody else was allowed on.”

For as many stories as Courtney has, others have equally fascinating stories of the man himself.

Some speak of the meticulous work he did as a bookkeeper, others talk of his life on the Woodbine backstretch.

All of them note the profound impact Courtney has had on Thoroughbred racing in Canada.

For trainer Don MacRae, who began his training career over 25 years ago, the man he met early on in his racetrack life would become a mentor, and a game changer in his career.

A lifetime winner of 535 races, MacRae, to this day, remains grateful for Courtney's guidance.

“As a younger trainer starting out I was very cocky and thought I knew it all,” said MacRae. “Frank was a guy who would always try and teach me to be a better person and show me that kind of attitude was the wrong one to have. I have a lot of respect for him.”

Woodbine Entertainment CEO Jim Lawson, and Jessica Buckley, Woodbine Entertainment SVP, Standardbred & Thoroughbred Racing, shared equally high words of praise for Courtney.

“Frank has been a fixture at Woodbine,” started Lawson. “Like many of our employees, Frank has been working with us for decades and it is people like Frank that have made Woodbine into the familiar and caring community that it has become. When you walk into Frank's office to ask him to perform a special task for an owner he reliably got the job done, despite usually being overwhelmed with “special requests.” Frank always handled those requests in stride and with a smile. I will certainly miss him and our chats and I wish him the very best in retirement.”

“Frank's long tenure with Woodbine is a true testament to his love for racing and the people he deals with on a daily basis,” said Buckley. “His commitment to excellence, when serving the bookkeeping needs of horse people, will be greatly missed by all.”

Sue Leslie, President of the HBPA, and board member with Ontario Racing, noted Courtney's keen eye and attention to detail in his bookkeeping role, skills that were highly respected and appreciated by the thousands of horse people who depended on his diligent efforts each week.

“Frank maintained meticulous order in the bookkeeper's office,” noted Leslie. “Horsepeople could count on him for accurate information on their accounts. On behalf of all horsepeople, Frank, we thank you for your 40 plus years of committed service to HBPA members. We all wish you well in your retirement and hope you visit us often.”

Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame trainer Mike Keogh, the man behind Wando's 2003 Canadian Triple Crown triumph, applauded Courtney, not just for his flawless work throughout the years, but also for his ability to connect with trainers, owners and jockeys.

“Frank is one the nicest guys you could ever meet, nothing was ever a problem with him. He always made sure everything was correct. Also, he is a horseman, so he understands what your needs are. We will all be sorry to see him leave, but wish him nothing but the best.”

With one of horse racing's most one-of-a-kind careers now in the books, Courtney can look back fondly upon what he was able to accomplish.

“It's been a great experience. “I've met a lot of great people over the years. I've been teaching Tammy Frost to come in and help with Anne McMahon, general manager of the office. Anne and Tammy were also related with horse racing also and it's something that a lot of people… I mean for 47 years I've given up a lot of weekends because races are Saturday and Sunday, so the weekends are Monday, Tuesday, which a lot of friends could never understand. They call you up for a party Saturday night, but I had to work Sunday morning doing my accounting reports, so you go to a party but in the back of your mind you have to get up early and go to work.

Many are grateful he did, and that in some way, big or small, they were able to go along for part of the ride with hm.

“Over the years, I realized how much he had helped me in my career to become a better trainer and a better person,” said MacRae. “I wish him all the best in his future adventures.”

The last word, which goes to Courtney, is a heartfelt expression of gratitude to his family.

“I met my wife Rita in 1972. We've been married 46 years. I have two lovely daughters, Amy and Lisa, and all the times I was allowed to work here and work weekends and my daughters both competed show jumping and eventing, my wife became the van driver and support staff while I was here at work. The odd weekend I would try and go on a Saturday and Sunday to some of the events, but you didn't get out too often, but I'd really like to thank my wife for being there for the kids.”

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Perfect Clearance Rate For Wanamaker’s August Sale

Wanamaker's fetched a clearance rate of 100. percent for their August online auction.

The sale was topped by a 2-year-old colt by Curlin, out of Tonasah, commanding a final bid of $27,500. The sale grossed $62,500 and had an average of just under $9,000 with a total of seven horses changing hands.

“It is great to see continued growth in our selling and buying base alongside customers who have returned after their previous experiences. We were thrilled to see our first clearance rate of 100 percent and hope to continue to provide a year-round marketplace for buyers and sellers,” said co-founder Liza Hendriks.

Entries are now open for Wanamaker's October online auction. Entries will close on Oct. 5, the catalog will be released on Oct. 6, and the horses will sell on Oct. 14. Detailed selling information can be found at wanamakers.com/sell.

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