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Bing Crosby Nominations Promises Deep Field Of Sprinters At Del Mar

Seventeen horses, encompassing virtually all the top sprinters on the West Coast, have been nominated to Saturday's $300,000 Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes, assuring that the field will be a stellar one when it is set and post positions are drawn on Wednesday.

Trainer Mark Glatt finished first and third in the 2020 Crosby with Collusion Illusion and Law Abidin Citizen. He has those two plus Dr. Schivel nominated and said Sunday he might run all three.

Other marquee speedsters on the nomination list include 2020 Pat O'Brien winner C Z Rocket for Peter Miller; the trio of Ax Man, Eight Rings, and Gamine from the Bob Baffert barn; graded stakes winner Flagstaff from the John Sadler stable; and the double-quick Cal-bred Brickyard Ride out of the Craig Lewis barn.

Sadler said Flagstaff will skip the Bing Crosby and instead go in the seven-furlong Pat O'Brien here on August 28.

Baffert said the 4-year-old filly Gamine, a winner of six graded stakes in her last seven starts – four of them Grade 1s – is more likely to continue competing against her own gender elsewhere than take on males in the Bing Crosby.

But Gamine is one of 11 older fillies and mares nominated to next Sunday's Clement L. Hirsch, as is stablemate As Time Goes By. A 4-year-old daughter of Baffert-trained Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, As Time Goes By is one of three stakes winners at Santa Anita that are possibles for the Hirsch, a 1 1/16-mile main track event that usually determines the top older filly or mare of the meeting.

The others are Venetian Harbor and Warren's Showtime.

The 6-furlong Bing Crosby is a “Win & You're In” qualifier for the $2 million Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint at Del Mar on November 6. The Clement L. Hirsch is likewise designated for the $2 million Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff that same day.

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United, Madone Target Del Mar Handicap, Oaks For Next Starts

United and Madone came out of their respective Grade 2 wins in the $250,000 Eddie Read and $200,000 San Clemente Stakes at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif., on Saturday in fine fettle, their trainers reported Sunday morning.

And with those lucrative first steps taken, the connections are eyeing even bigger things on August 21 as part of the five-stakes mega card for TVG Pacific Classic Day. For United, it's the $300,000 Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap, a “Win & You're In” qualifier for the $3 million Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf here on November 6. For Madone, it's the $300,000 Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks.

In defending his Eddie Read title United, a 6-year-old gelded son of Giant's Causeway, rebounded from a lackluster last-of-four effort in the Charles Whittingham on May 29 at Santa Anita. That effort had his Hall of Fame trainer mystified until a small bruise was found under a shoe.

Under Flavien Prat on Saturday, United went willingly between rivals on the far turn and prevailed by a neck in a stretch duel with even-money favorite Smooth Like Strait.

United covered the 1 1/8 miles over the Jimmy Durante Turf Course in 1:49.49 which compared to 1:46.71 in the 2020 victory.

“Different race, different horses,” Mandella said.

“He went back to his old form,” said Prat.

A year ago, the G2 Eddie Read win prompted Mandella to toy with the idea of entering United in the TVG Pacific Classic. After a few days of thought, and also becoming aware that the Classic purse had been dropped from $1 million to $500,000, Mandella opted for the Del Mar Handicap. United was second by a head to Red King in that one.

Mandella's focus is entirely on the G2 Del Mar Handicap this time.

“We're not on the roll we were last year,” he said.

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In the G2 San Clemente, Madone made amends for a no-factor performance from a wide trip in the Honeymoon at Santa Anita on May 22. That race was three weeks after a victory in the Senorita and trainer Simon Callaghan shouldered responsibility for the disappointment.

“I ran her back too soon,” Callaghan said. “She bounced, simple as that.”

Madone's victory ended a five-race win streak for Going Global, the 2-5 San Clemente favorite. Trainer Phil D'Amato said the Irish-bred filly came out of the race well and a rematch should be forthcoming in the Del Mar Oaks.

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March To The Arch Scores Big In Niagara

March to the Arch chased down the pacesetters to win the $100,000 Niagara Stakes on Sunday afternoon over the E.P. Taylor Turf Course at Woodbine Race Track in Toronto, Ontario.

The stakes feature for four-year-olds and up was run at a distance of about 1 1/8 miles.

With Patrick Husbands up for leading trainer Mark Casse, multiple graded stakes winner March to the Arch settled back in fifth early on behind Belichick and Theregoesjojo as a front-end duel ensued between Admiralty Pier and Primo Touch.

The battle for the lead persisted through early fractions of :23.14 and :45.32, and continued all the way into the stretch, with the top pair as much as 10 lengths in front of rivals approaching the turn.

However, March to the Arch saved ground on the bend then rallied outside of Belichick down the stretch. He reeled in the tiring leaders and went on to score by a widening 4 ½ lengths in 1:45.15 over the 'good' course, with Belichick finishing second.

Theregoesjojo edged out Primo Touch in a photo for show a half-length back while Current was fifth followed by Sir Sahib, Admiralty Pier, Woodbridge, and Mnemba Island.

“He's classy. Everybody would like to ride a horse like him,” said Husbands. “He's got a serious, serious turn of foot.”

Fresh off a runner-up performance in the Grade 3 Dominion Day at the start of July to open his six-year-old campaign, March to the Arch was sent postward as the 6-5 favorite here and paid $4.40 to win.

“In the last race, from reading the Form, I could see that there was no pace and he's a closer. When we got to the first turn, I saw it and I thought 'Oh my God.' So I had to press that horse [winner Mighty Heart] the whole way and he still hung in there, you know,” said Husbands in reference to March to the Arch's season's debut when he forced the pace early down the backstretch. “It wasn't his style, but he still came back today and showed you he was a good horse.”

Owned by Live Oak Plantation, the homebred Arch-Daveron gelding won the Grade 2 King Edward Stakes over the E.P. Taylor turf last year prior to his second-place effort in the Grade 1 Ricoh Woodbine Mile. Today, he notched his eighth career win from 27 starts while pushing his bankroll over the $1 million mark in Canadian earnings.

Live Thoroughbred racing continues at Woodbine Racetrack on Thursday with a 1:10 p.m. post time for the eight-race card.

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Royal Flag Drives Late To Take Shuvee At Saratoga

Second to Letruska in the 2020 edition, Royal Flag came flying late to take the Grade 3 Shuvee at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The Chad Brown trainee capitalized on a steady early pace, sprinting by Horologist and Crystal Ball in the race's final strides to win by three-quarters of a length.

Breaking from the outside post in a field of seven, Joel Rosario settled Royal Flag at the back of the field around the first turn and into the backstretch as Horologist set early fractions of :23.35 for the first quarter and :47.01 for the half-mile. Trained by Bill Mott, Horologist looked like she might take the field wire to wire as she kept the lead around the final turn into the stretch.

Behind her, Royal Flag was twelve lengths back, Rosario steadying his mare after going wide around the final turn. Down the Saratoga straight, Horologist still led by a half-length, with Gold Spirit, Crystal Ball, and Dunbar Road in pursuit, Royal Flag driving down the center of the track. Will Farish's 5-year-old mare was the fastest of them all in the end, passing Horologist and Crystal Ball to take the G3 Shuvee. The final time for the 1 1/8 miles was 1:49.42.

Find this race's chart here.

Royal Flag paid $5.30, $3.10, and $2.40. Horologist paid $5.10 and $3.40. Crystal Ball paid $3.40 to show.

“She was able to get up in time. She was quite far back turning for home. I was very proud of her effort. She showed that she has a lot of heart. She might not have run a lot of times in her career, but every time she shows up.” Trainer Chad Brown said after the race. “I don't know if she likes time in between races or something always happens that requires us to give her time. This is her last season racing so hopefully we can give her a more consistent campaign now and get a few starts into her before she's retired.”

“Chad told me that to stay out was probably the best. I was just following his other horse [Dunbar Road]. I just wanted to have a clean run when I started moving.” Joel Rosario told the NYRA Communications Office after the G3 Shuvee. “When she started moving in the last turn and then with the stride that she has; I was not even asking for everything yet, so I felt she was going to run really big.”

Bred and owned by Will Farish, Royal Flag is by Candy Ride out of the Mineshaft mare Sea Gull. In her second start of 2021, the 5-year-old mare gets her first win of the year after finishing second to Bonny South in the Grade 3 Doubledogdare at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., on April 16. With her Shuvee win, the daughter of Candy Ride has five wins in ten lifetime starts for career earnings of $375,520.

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