NY Traffic Likely for Preakness Following Sunday Work

Ny Traffic (Cross Traffic) was named likely to make the line-up for Saturday’s GI Preakness S. at Pimlico following a four-furlong work in :48 flat (2/88) at Churchill Downs Sunday.

“Most likely he’s going to go, but tomorrow we’ll make the decision,” trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. said. “We were very happy with the work.”

Ny Traffic came up a nose short of Authentic (Into Mischief) when second in the July 18 GI TVG.com Haskell S. Sunday’s work was his first since finishing eighth behind that rival in the Sept. 5 GI Kentucky Derby. He exited the Derby with a cut on his left front ankle.

Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) was confirmed for the Preakness following her five-furlong work in 1:00.80 (19/57) at Churchill Downs Saturday. Trainer Ken McPeek announced Sunday the sophomore will be ridden by Robby Albarado as she tries to become the sixth filly to win the Preakness.

“I know she will make the distance without any problem,” McPeek said of the GI Alabama S. winner. “I think she will like that racetrack. Of course, she has raced everywhere. Whatever racetrack she has raced over she has handled great. It was a tough call between racing against straight 3-year-olds or older fillies and mares or turf, which was briefly thought about. I think she will handle it fine.”

In her first attempt against males, Swiss Skydiver was second behind fellow Preakness hopeful Art Collector (Bernardini) in the July 11 GI Toyota Blue Grass S. at Keeneland. She won as she pleased in the 1 1/4-mile Alabama at Saratoga Aug. 15 and was most recently second behind Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil) in the Sept. 4 GI Kentucky Oaks.

“My preference would have been if they wrote a race like the Alabama back for this week,” McPeek said. “But that doesn’t exist. There are no 3-year-old filly Grade Is. She gets a little bit of weight off and she’s continuing to do good.”

Godolphin’s homebred Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper), winner of the Sept. 5 GII Jim Dandy S., breezed five furlongs Sunday in 1:01.60 (2/2) over the main track at Fair Hill Training Center, but trainer Mike Stidham has all but ruled out the Preakness for the sophomore.

“The work went great. It was on a wet track, but he handled it really well. We were comfortable with it being a safe track to work on,” Stidham said. “He just went evenly and finished up nice with a good gallop-out, but we’re pretty much focused on skipping the Preakness and going into the [Oct. 10 GI] Jockey Club [Gold Cup at Belmont Park].”

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Envoutante Tops Field Of Eight In Sunday’s Remington Park Oaks

Trainer Kenny McPeek has three of the eight horses entered for the Grade 3, $100,000 Remington Park Oaks on Sunday, including the heavy 7-5 morning-line favorite Envoutante.

The Remington Park Oaks tops the undercard on Oklahoma Derby Day this Sunday. The oaks is slated as race four with an approximate post time of 4:24pm.

McPeek is looking for his second victory in this race, having won the 2013 edition with Montana Native. His other two entrants also certainly have a shot Sunday with Jeweled Princess at 4-1 and Curls and Bows at 6-1. That gives him three of the top four favorites in this field.

The top trainer in the country by money earned this year with more than $14 million banked, Steve Asmussen, has won this race four times, including the last two. Asmussen, a Hall of Famer nationally and in Oklahoma, won last year with Lady Apple and in 2018 with She's a Julie. He has made two more trips to the winner's circle with More Than Promised in 2005 and Carlitta in 1999. Asmussen entered Seattle Slang this year and she was made 8-1 in the morning line.

Here's a look from the rail out on the eight fillies going to the gate in the 31st Remington Park Oaks at 1-1/16 miles:

1 – Trixie Racer, 10-1

Owner: Speed Racing 2018 of Cibolo, Texas

Trainer: Danny Pish

Jockey: Danny Sorenson

This Kentucky-bred filly by Orb, out of the Giant's Causeway mare Venetian Causeway, will carry the hometown flag as all three of her wins have come at Remington Park. She has won three-of-four tries in Oklahoma City, including a win in the $50,000 E.L. Gaylord Memorial Stakes, sprinting 6-1/2 furlongs on Sept. 29, 2019. She broke her maiden the race before that at Remington and returned to her favorite track with a win in her 2020 fall debut against conditioned allowance fillies and mares just eight days before the oaks, on Saturday, Sept. 19. Her only loss over this main track came in the $100,000 Trapeze last year, finishing fourth. She has three wins in eight starts for earnings of $101,283. Career mark of 8 starts-3 wins-2 seconds-0 thirds.

2 – Seattle Slang, 8-1

Owner: Phoenix Thoroughbred III LTD of Lexington, Ky.

Trainer: Steve Asmussen

Jockey: Stewart Elliott

This Kentucky-bred filly by Tapit, out of the Quiet American mare Seattle Smooth, is making her first career stakes start after winning a maiden race at Fair Grounds in New Orleans on March 14. She also won her last race, an allowance for non-winners of two races lifetime at Ellis Park in Henderson, Ky. on July 25. She hasn't raced since then, but has had a series of works over Remington Park's main surface, including a bullet move at five furlongs on Sept. 14. She was the fastest at that distance of 15 horses that worked that morning. Earnings of $77,050. Career mark of 7-2-0-2.

3 – Curls and Bows, 6-1

Owner: Lucky Seven Stable (Mike Mackin) of Louisville, Ky.

Trainer: Kenneth McPeek

Jockey: Ramon Vazquez

This Kentucky-bred daughter of two-time Horse of the Year Curlin, out of the Peteski mare Trickski, has only won twice in her career, but the victories have come in her last two starts in Kentucky. She broke her maiden at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky., two races back on July 12, sprinting six furlongs. McPeek stretched her out to a mile in her last race at Ellis Park in a first-level allowance race on Aug. 21 and she just got up at the wire to win. Unraced since, she has taken to the track at Churchill Downs in Louisville to prep for this, her first stakes try. Career mark of 8-2-0-0 for $56,603 in earnings.

4 – Envoutante, 7-5

Owner: Walking L Thoroughbreds and Three Chimneys Farm

Trainer: Kenneth McPeek

Jockey: David Cabrera

Kentucky-bred daughter of Uncle Mo has top money earnings in the field with $155,748. This filly, out of the Bluegrass Cat mare Enchante, has won two-of-seven starts lifetime. She won against maidens at the oaks distance at Gulfstream Park, romping by an open six lengths in wire-to-wire fashion. She then beat first-level allowance fillies easily at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., coming home by 2-1/4 lengths. Her connections thought enough of her following that race to try her against two of the top fillies in training, Swiss Skydiver and Speech, in the Grade 1, $400,000 Ashland Stakes at Keeneland in July, and the Grade 1, $500,000 Alabama Stakes at Saratoga in upstate New York in August. She finished a respectable third and fourth, respectively, in those Grade 1 races. Career mark of 7-2-1-2.

5 – Darlene Strong, 20-1

Owner: Probable Cause Racing Stable of Luther, Okla.

Trainer: Travis Murphy

Jockey: Lindey Wade

Another filly that gets into this race on a two-win streak. She won a six-furlong sprint at Prairie Meadows in Iowa on Aug. 13 against an allowance field of non-winners of two lifetime and then an allowance-optional claiming race for $30,000 fillies last time out in Iowa, stretching out to a mile. She won both races by daylight – 4-3/4 lengths and 4-1/2 lengths. She has run first or second in seven of her nine starts lifetime and will be making her stakes debut in this spot. Career mark of 9-3-4-1 with earnings of $70,393.

6 – Paige Anne, 9-2

Owner: Elie and Lori Feghali, and Kimberly and Mark Mathiesen

Trainer: Simon Callaghan

Jockey: Sophie Doyle

A Kentucky-bred filly by Take Charge Indy, out of the Milwaukee Brew mare Forbidden Brew, is third choice on the morning line at 9-2 odds and has hit the board in seven of nine tries. She is stakes-experienced, running in that kind of company in her last three starts while earning a paycheck in all three attempts. She finished fourth in the Grade 3, $100,000 Saint Ysabel Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., at 1-1/16th miles on March 8, third in the $75,000 Cal Oaks in Northern California at Golden Gate on May 31, and third in the Grade 3, $100,000 Torrey Pines Stakes at Del Mar near San Diego on Aug. 22. Her career mark is 9-2-1-4 for $94,540 in her bankroll.

7 – Hotasapistol, 10-1

Owner: Gary and Brenda Bergsrud of Rolla, N.D.

Trainer: Clinton Stuart

Jockey: Lane Luzzi

Stuart, a mainstay at Remington Park throughout the track's history, enters this filly by Flat Out from the Dayjur mare Alacazar while seeking his second victory in the Remington Park Oaks. He saddled standout War Thief to win the 1995 oaks, when it was contested at 1-1/16 miles over the turf. Hotasapistol has made eight starts in her career, three as a juvenile and five this summer, all in Minnesota-bred company at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn. The winner of the $100,000 Minnesota Oaks on Aug. 19, Hotasapistol put in her first local work for the Remington Park Oaks on Monday, Sept. 21. She went a half-mile in :49.72, handily, on a fast track. Her career mark is 8-3-1-1 for $123,985 in earnings.

8 – Jeweled Princess, 4-1

Owner: Walking L Thoroughbreds of The Woodlands, Texas

Trainer: Kenneth McPeek

Jockey: Orlando Mojica

Jeweled Princess rides into the Remington Park Oaks on a three-race win streak, at three different tracks. Her first win in the streak came at Keeneland on a sloppy track, going 1-1/16th miles against maiden, $50,000 claimers, winning by 1-1/2 lengths on July 9. She followed that with a one-length victory at Ellis Park in the mud against allowance-optional $25,000 claimers on July 31, and then took a little time off before winning on Sept. 4 at Churchill Downs against conditional allowance-optional claiming $62,500 horses. She has not won or raced in stakes-company yet. Her career mark is 10-2-3-2 for $112,888 in earnings.

Remington Park racing continues this week through Sunday, with a first post Thursday-Saturday of 7:07pm. On Sunday afternoon, a special 11-race Oklahoma Derby card is presented with the first event at 3pm. All times are Central.

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McPeek Still Deciding Whether Swiss Skydiver Will Start In Oct. 3 Preakness Stakes

Trainer Ken McPeek has heard the news about Tiz the Law's connections deciding to skip the Oct. 3 Preakness Stakes, but told the Daily Racing Form on Tuesday that he has not yet decided whether his stable's star filly, Kentucky Oaks runner-up Swiss Skydiver, will head to Pimlico.

“The filly has had a really good week,” McPeek told the Daily Racing Form. “There's no need to make any kind of decision just yet. Let's see how she works Saturday and we'll go from there.”

Swiss Skydiver, a 3-year-old daughter of Daredevil, first faced males earlier this summer in the G2 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland. She finished second in the July 11 contest, beaten 3 1/2 lengths by fellow Preakness hopeful Art Collector. Since then, Swiss Skydiver posted a 3 1/2-length victory in the G1 Alabama and finished second in the Kentucky Oaks to Shedaresthedevil, beaten 1 1/2 lengths at Churchill.

McPeek said the filly will breeze at Churchill on Saturday, and expects to announce a final decision on Monday.

Other likely Preakness contenders include: Art Collector, Authentic, Mr. Big News, Pneumatic, Thousand Words, Liveyourbeastlife, and Jesus' Team. Potential entries include Mystic Guide, Dr Post, and Happy Saver.

Read more at the Daily Racing Form.

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Swiss Skydiver Remains Possible for Preakness

GI Alabama winner Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) remains possible to contest the GI Preakness S. at Pimlico Oct. 3.

“It’s going to depend on who shows up,” said trainer Ken McPeek. “We are also nominating her to the [GI] Spinster [Oct. 4] and she’s been invited to the [GI] QEII [Oct. 10]. We’re shopping it, that’s all. We have three good choices. My strong preference would have been a 3-year-old filly Grade I [on dirt], but there isn’t one out there.”

Both alternatives to the Preakness, the nine-furlong Spinster for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and up, and Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup, a 1 1/8-mile turf stakes for 3-year-old fillies, will be contested at Keeneland.

Campaigned by Peter Callahan, the chestnut finished second behind Art Collector in the July 11 GII Toyota Blue Grass S. at Keeneland. Swiss Skydiver also captured the Aug. 21 Alabama at Saratoga and finished second in the Sept. 4 GI Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs.

“She’s likes to run, work,” said McPeek. She acts like she wants to do more. She never misses an oat. If she had backed out of the feed tub at any time, we would have spread her races, but she hasn’t done it,” McPeek said. “As long as she’s telling us she wants to do something, we’re going to consider it.”

McPeek indicated that a run in the Preakness would be more likely if Tiz the Law (Constitution), the GI Belmont S. winner who finished second behind Authentic in the Kentucky Derby, should skip this year’s third leg of the Triple Crown.

“We know the two toughies will be Art Collector [Bernardini] and Authentic [Into Mischief],” he said. “They’re both nice horses. We’re just waiting to see who else is going, Right now, we’re undecided. We’re doing the research.”

Swiss Skydiver won the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks, GIII Fantasy S. at Oaklawn and GII Santa Anita Oaks earlier this season.

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