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Making Waves: A Wolf Party At Saratoga

In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This week's column is highlighted by the victories of a quartet by Ballylinch Stud's Lope De Vega (Ire).

Lope De Vega Filly Best At Saratoga

Making her debut, Ozara (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) eked out a win at Saratoga for Cheyenne Stable, LLC and Christophe Clement (video).

Bred by the Fleche D'Or Partnership, the bay was a 350,000gns yearling at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. The second winner for her dam Cercle D'Or (Ire) who also won at two, the filly has a yearling half-sister by Frankel (GB). Dual-purpose sire Golden Horn (GB), who won the G1 Derby and the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and two other top-level races, is a half-brother to Cercle D'Or.

Lope De Vega's progeny have a strong success rate in America, with 37 of his 68 runners (54%) becoming winners. His seven stakes winners (10%) now include six at the graded level, with Program Trading (GB) joining Newspaperofrecord (Ire) and Aunt Pearl (Ire) as a Grade I winner this past weekend and Carl Spackler earning his graded stripes on Friday.

#10 Ozara wins first time out in the opener at Saratoga under @Tyler_Gaff for trainer @clementstable!

#TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/bMsn6vzXT2

— TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) August 6, 2023

Queen For A Day

German group winner Kalifornia Queen (Ger) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) won for the first time in over two years with a tally at Saratoga on Friday (video). Owned by Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, LLC, First Row Partners, and Michael Caruso, the 6-year-old has collected a litany of stakes-placings on both sides of the Atlantic, with a third in the 2021 GI E. P. Taylor S. among them.

Bred by Stall Torjager, the chestnut was purchased for €70,000 out of the BBAG October Mixed Sale in 2018. Sent into training with Henk Grewe, she made seven starts in Germany and France for her breeders, with her best effort a victory in the 2020 G2 Diana-Trial. Put through Arqana's sales ring the same day as her European finale, the filly realized €260,000 at the 2020 'The Arc' Sale. Out of G3 German St. Leger heroine Kaldera (Ger) (Sinndar {Ire}), who was third in the G2 Grosser Hansa-Preis at four, Kalifornia Queen is the last known foal out of her dam.

#10 Ozara wins first time out in the opener at Saratoga under @Tyler_Gaff for trainer @clementstable!

#TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/bMsn6vzXT2

— TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) August 6, 2023

Honourable Mentions

Now a Grade I winner with his strike in Saturday's Saratoga Derby Invitational S., Program Trading (Lope De Vega {Ire}) is the third progeny of his sire to feature in Making Waves this week. Already highlighted in a May column, the 19th Grade/Group 1 winner for his sire is a son of Dreamlike (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) and secured the victory for Klaravich Stables, Inc. and trainer Chad Brown.

Friday afternoon marked the win of 'TDN Rising Star' and fellow Lope De Vega-sired colt Carl Spackler (Ire) in Saratoga's rescheduled GII Hall of Fame S. (video). The e Five Racing Thoroughbreds-owned Brown trainee was already featured in February, and is his sire's 116th stakes winner and 65th group/graded winner worldwide.

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NYRA Forces Scratch Of Two Other Robert Dick Runners

NYRA officials scratched a pair of horses from the third race at Saratoga Friday because their last start, the GIII Robert G. Dick Memorial S. at Delaware, has seen four horses encounter problems in their next starts back. The Daily Racing Form was the first to report the story.

Both of the top two finishers, winner Sopran Basilea (Night of Thunder {Ire}) and runner up Ever Summer (Summer Front) suffered fatal injuries over the Saratoga turf in the last week. Sopran Basilea finished fourth in the GII Glens Falls S. Aug. 3 but injured her left foreleg on the gallop out and was humanely euthanized. Ever Summer sustained her injury in an allowance race Aug. 6 which also saw Frivole (Fr) (Anodin {Ire}), the last-place finisher in the Robert Dick, get pulled up after a misstep early in the race. Delaware's fourth-place runner, Talbeyah (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) was a vet scratch out of that same allowance race the morning of Aug. 6.

The two scratched runners affected Friday, Parnac (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}) and Lady Rockstar (GB) (Frankel {GB}) were both reported to be fine.

“Of the seven starters exiting the Grade 3 Robert G. Dick Memorial at Delaware Park [7/1/23], two have suffered fatal injuries at Saratoga Race Course during the 2023 summer meet, one was eased and vanned off, and another was scratched out of a race at Saratoga based on the recommendation of the NYRA veterinarian,” said NYRA Vice President of Communications Patrick McKenna. “This highly unusual confluence cannot be ignored, which is why NYRA asked the trainers of Lady Rockstar and Parnac, the respective third and fifth-place finishers in the Robert G. Dick, to scratch from Race 3 today to allow for additional information to be gathered. To that end, PET scans will be performed on Lady Rockstar and Parnac at clinics chosen by their respective connections. The results will be evaluated by NYRA regulatory veterinarians and New York State Equine Medical Director Dr. Scott Palmer.”

“Should the PET scans and further examinations reveal nothing out of the ordinary, then those horses will be permitted to enter races during the summer meet,” McKenna continued. “While we understand this decision may be frustrating to the connections of Lady Rockstar and Parnac, the application of an extra level of scrutiny is appropriate in this instance. The health and safety of horses and jockeys competing at NYRA tracks is paramount. NYRA will apply the same requirements to all horses who started in the Robert G. Dick. NYRA will cover all costs associated with the PET scans.”

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Mage Drills Six Furlongs For Travers

OGMA Investments, Ramiro Restrepo, Sterling Racing and CMNWLTH's GI Kentucky Derby hero Mage (Good Magic) turned in his penultimate breeze ahead of his anticipated appearance in the Aug. 26, GI Travers S., going six furlongs in 1:12.98 over the Saratoga main track Friday morning under exercise rider J. J. Delgado. According to Daily Racing Form, Mage galloped out seven furlongs in 1:26.31 and was up the mile in 1:40.66.

It was a stiffer breeze than last week, when he covered five furlongs in 1:01.03 over a track with a high moisture content following significant rainfall over the days prior to the work.

“He did pretty good. He was a little more in the bridle today,” said Gustavo Delgado, Jr., son and assistant to trainer Gustavo Delgado, of Friday's move. “His exercise rider was happy about it and the best thing is how he came back. He took a couple rounds [cooling out] and that was it. It's always good to see that.”

Delgado, Jr. said the plan is for the $235,000 Keeneland September yearling turned $290,000 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic juvenile to have one last maintenance work ahead of the Travers.

“It will depend on the weather, but hopefully Friday on the main track again,” said Delgado, Jr.

Mage is expected to face a field that includes 'TDN Rising Star' and reigning Eclipse Award-winning 2-year-old Forte (Violence)–to whom he was runner-up in the GI Curlin Florida Derby–and GI Preakness S. winner National Treasure (Quality Road). Mage was third, beaten 2 1/4 lengths at Old Hilltop and has since finished a bang-up second in the GI Haskell S. July 22. Arcangelo (Arrogate), last-out winner of the GI Belmont S., is also among the probable starters.

Mage will be ridden by Luis Saez in the Travers.

The post Mage Drills Six Furlongs For Travers appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Summer Breezes: Rising Star, $750K OBS March Grad, Tops Sorrento

Some of the most highly anticipated races during the summer racing season are the 'baby' races during the boutique meetings at both Saratoga and Del Mar and at Ellis Park, which attract its fair share of high-priced offspring from a variety of top national outfits.

Summer Breezes highlights debuting 2-year-olds at those meetings that have been sourced at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year, with links to their under-tack previews. To follow are the horses entered for Saturday at Saratoga, Ellis Park and Del Mar and including any already-raced 2yo sales grads entered for the afternoon's juvenile graded stakes on either coast:

Saturday, August 12, 2023
Saratoga 1, $88k, 2yo, (S), 6f, 1:10 p.m. ET
Horse (Sire), Sale, Price ($), Breeze
Solo in Paris (Solomini), FTMMAY, 15,000, :10.3
Consignor: Grassroots Training & Sales LLC
Buyer: Randi Persaud

Saratoga 2, $136k, 2yo, 5 1/2fT, 1:42 p.m. ET
Better Luck (Twirling Candy), FTMMAY, 25,000, :10.4
Consignor: Grassroots Training & Sales, agent
Buyer: Three Diamonds Farm

Run Jalen Run (Runhappy)-MTO, OBSMAR, 42,000, :10.1
Consignor: Mason Springs Partnership (Marcus & Crystal Ryan)
Buyer: Joe Sharp, agent

Ellis 5, $70k, 2yo, 1 1/16mT, 2:53 p.m. ET
Crusading (Curlin), OBSAPR, 310,000, :10.2
Consignor: de Meric Sales, agent
Buyer: Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC

Dirbas (Constitution), FTMMAY, 105,000, :11
Consignor: Eddie Woods, agent
Buyer: HRH Prince Saud Bin Salman Racing Stable

Saratoga 8, Saratoga Special S.-GII, 2yo, c, 6.5f, 5:06 p.m. ET
Haul (Army Mule), OBSAPR, 260,000, :9.4
Consignor: Envision Equine, agent
Buyer: Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners & St Elias Stable

Del Mar 6, Sorrento S.-GIII, 2yo, f, 6f, 7:45 p.m. ET
Benedetta (City of Light), OBSMAR, 750,000, :9.4
Consignor: Top Line Sales LLC, agent
Buyer: K S I

Dreamfyre (Flameaway), OBSAPR, 140,000, :9.4
Consignor: S G V Thoroughbreds (Steven Venosa), agent
Buyer: Danny Eplin

Feisty Mitole (Mitole), OBSAPR, 160,000, :20.4
Consignor: Wavertree Stables Inc (Ciaran Dunne), agent
Buyer: Peter Miller, agent

Motet (Mo Town), OBSAPR, 20,000, :10.2
Consignor: Grassroots Training & Sales, agent
Buyer: Gary Folgner

Ur in Trouble (Maximus Mischief), FTMMAY, 87,000, :10.2
Consignor: Golden Rock Thoroughbreds, agent
Buyer: Dennis O'Neill

Del Mar 8, $82k, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 8:45 p.m.
Ario (Bolt d'Oro), OBSMAR, 150,000, :21
Consignor: Parrish Farms, agent
Buyer: Mike Ryan, agent