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Souper Stonehenge Super Again In Vigil At Woodbine

For the second time in two races, Souper Stonehenge got the better of Pink Lloyd, taking the Grade 3 Vigil Stakes at Woodbine Race Track in Toronto, Ontario. Souper Stonehenge had ended Pink Lloyd's run of consecutive victories in the Jacques Cartier in their last meeting and got the better of the Sovereign Award-winning sprinter again Sunday.

Trained by Mark Casse, Souper Stonehenge took the lead early in the six-furlong sprint, striding out to lead by a length over Green Light Go and Not So Quiet, with Pink Lloyd sitting back in fifth. Around the race's only turn, Pink Lloyd got shuffled back to last as Green Light Go tired, Rafael Hernandez taking the 9-year-old gelding between horses as they entered the stretch. Souper Stonehenge maintained an easy lead throughout, but Patrick Husbands saw that advantage shrinking as Pink Lloyd made his run down the center of the track.

Souper Stonehenge's lead was too much for four-time Vigil winner Pink Lloyd, though, as the Live Oak gelding was three-quarters of a length in front at the wire. The final time for the G3 Vigil was 1:09.52. Not So Quiet was third, with Cash Dividend, Embolden, and Green Light Go rounding out the order of finish.

Find this race's chart here.

Souper Stonehenge paid $2.70, $2.10, and $2.10. Pink Lloyd paid $2.70 and $2.10. Not So Quiet paid $2.80 to show.

Bred in Florida by owner Live Oak Plantation, Souper Stonehenge is a 5-year-old gelding by Speightstown out of the Medaglia d'Oro mare Onepointhreecarats. With his win in the G3 Vigil, Souper Stonehenge 2-1-1 in six starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of five wins in 16 starts and career earnings of $343,705.

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Moquett May Send Whitmore In Forego

Trainer Ron Moquett said he is considering targeting the Grade 1 Forego with 2020 Champion Sprinter Whitmore, following his third-place finish in Saturday's Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Owned by Moquett in partnership with Robert V. LaPenta and Head of Plains Partners, the seven-time graded stakes winner rated in between horses down the backstretch while taking some kickback. Whitmore made a menacing move in the upper stretch when switching to the outside and gained on frontrunners Lexitonian and Special Reserve, but came up 1 ¾ lengths shy of victory.

The 8-year-old veteran captured the 2018 running of the seven-furlong G1 Forego over eventual Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner City of Light.

“We're looking at the Forego,” Moquett said. “I was very proud of how he came back out of the race. Obviously, we'll pay attention to him the next week or so and see if he's up for it, but that's what we're hoping for.”

Still in search of his first victory this year, Whitmore has finished in the money in all four starts, which consists of runner-up efforts at Oaklawn Park in the Hot Springs on March 13, which he won from 2017-21, and Grade 3 Count Fleet on April 10, a race he won in 2017-18 and 2020. He arrived at the Vanderbilt off a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Churchill Downs.

Moquett said taking dirt down the backstretch didn't do Whitmore any favors.

“I'm sure it didn't help. He's sensitive about his eyes so that may have been why he decided to run outside instead of through the rail, but it looked like a lot of horses were taking kickback,” Moquett said.

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Swiss Skydiver Gets Final Work For Whitney

Peter Callahan's three-time Grade 1 winner Swiss Skydiver put in her final piece of serious preparation for Saturday's Grade 1, $1 million Whitney at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

With Irad Ortiz, Jr. aboard, the Kenny McPeek-trained 4-year-old daughter of Daredevil went five-eighths in 1:01.21 Sunday over a Saratoga main track rated fast.

A winner over six different ovals, including Saratoga when capturing last year's Grade 1 Alabama, Swiss Skydiver has won with five different jockeys aboard.

Ortiz, Jr. will look to increase that number when he pilots the chestnut filly in the Whitney.

“He loved her and said she felt great,” McPeek said. “We're excited, we should be ready. She's adaptable to racetracks and jockeys, it doesn't really matter.”

Swiss Skydiver has posted six graded stakes wins over five different ovals with her biggest claim to fame taking place against males in last year's Grade 1 Preakness Stakes. The last female to capture the Whitney was undefeated Hall of Famer Personal Ensign in 1988.

McPeek breezed graded stakes winner King Fury over the Oklahoma training turf Sunday in preparation for Saturday's $1 million Grade 1 Saratoga Derby Invitational going 1 3/16 miles over the Mellon turf course.

The son of Curlin, out of Grade 1-winner Taris, worked with Jose Ortiz aboard in company with Fighting Seabee, winner of the 2019 Grade 3 With Anticipation, and finished off his five-furlong move in 1:01.25.

Owned by Fern Circle Stables and Three Chimneys Farm, King Fury scored in the Grade 3 Lexington on April 10 over a sloppy and sealed track at Keeneland two starts back. He arrives at his turf debut off a close second to Masqueparade in the Grade 3 Ohio Derby on June 26 at Thistledown.

McPeek said he would like to run King Fury in the $1.25 million Grade 1 Runhappy Travers.

“Jose seemed to think that he can handle the turf,” McPeek said. “We'll learn a little something about him and it's a big purse. That's been our goal all summer is to get him to the Travers. The turf race is looking deep but it shouldn't hurt him.

“It's a very good group of 3-year-olds and Essential Quality had another workmanlike win yesterday, but it's hard to separate the 3-year-olds until the Breeders' Cup,” McPeek continued. “That's the race that really separates everybody.”

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Maker Talks Next Starts For Cross Border, Somelikeithotbrown

Three Diamonds Farm's Cross Border continued his dominance on the Saratoga turf with a decisive 1 1/4-length score in Saturday's $250,000 Grade 2 Bowling Green at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

The 7-year-old New York-bred tracked in third position as Channel Maker and Channel Cat – fellow progeny of English Channel – set the early pace over the inner turf. Luis Saez tipped Cross Border out a path for the stretch run and the dark bay ridgling responded with a powerful turn of foot to secure the win and a 100 Beyer.

Trained by Mike Maker, who tops the Spa trainer standings with 12 wins heading into Sunday's card, Cross Border boasts a record of 7-6-1-0 on the Saratoga turf, including four wins on the inner course.

“The race shaped up like it looked on paper,” Maker said. “We had a great trip and we were fortunate enough to get the job done. He came back super.”

Bred in the Empire State by Berkshire Stud and B.D. Gibbs, Cross Border went 3-for-3 over the local turf in 2019, led by an open allowance score.

Last year, Cross Border stepped things up a notch, winning the state-bred Lubash ahead of a win in the Bowling Green by disqualification. He completed his 2020 Spa campaign with a runner-up effort to Channel Maker in the Grade 1 Sword Dancer.

Maker said Cross Border will now target a return engagement in the $750,000 Grade 1 Resorts World Casino Sword Dancer on August 28. The 1 1/2-mile turf contest for 4-year-olds and up is a Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” qualifier to the $4 million Longines Turf in November at Del Mar.

Maker said he is hoping to send out another New York-bred for a stakes win this summer when he saddles multiple graded stakes winner Somelikeithotbrown in the $150,000 West Point presented by Trustco Bank, a 1 1/16-mile test for state-breds 3-years-old and up on August 27.

“We have another New York-bred, Somelikeithotbrown, who will show up in the West Point and Cross Border will come back in the Sword Dancer,” Maker said.

Skychai Racing and Sand Dollar Stable's Somelikeithotbrown has made three starts on the Saratoga turf, including a maiden win ahead of a runner-up effort in the 2018 Grade 3 With Anticipation. Last year, the talented bay, bred in the Empire State by Hot Pink Stables and Sand Dollar Stables, won the Grade 2 Bernard Baruch in gate-to-wire fashion.

Maker will also look to secure a Grade 1 win later in the meet with Three Diamonds Farm's Kentucky-bred Army Wife in the $600,000 Alabama, a 10-furlong test for sophomore fillies on August 21.

By Declaration of War, Army Wife will be in search of a graded-stakes hat trick following scores in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan in May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md., and the Grade 3 Iowa Oaks on July 2 at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa.

Maker, who is four wins clear of Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher heading into Day 14 of the summer meet, credited his staff for the strong start to the meet.

“We have a lot of horses that fit the book well and we're fortunate enough to get some wins,” Maker said. “I know we're on top but we've got a long way to go. It would be great for the staff [to win the meet] and they deserve it.”

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