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Collusion Illusion Takes on Elders in Bing Crosby

The lightly raced sophomore Collusion Illusion (Twirling Candy) will try to give his elders a run for their money Saturday in Del Mar’s GI Bing Crosby S., a “Win and You’re In” event for the GI Breeders’ Cup Sprint S. Opening his account with a pair of wins, including the GII Best Pal S. last summer, he was pulled up when trying two turns in the GI American Pharoah S. in September. Returning May 17, he scored a decisive victory in a six-panel optional claimer at Santa Anita and repeated that performance in the GIII Lazaro Barrera S. there June 20.

Fashionably Fast (Lucky Pulpit) won six straight races, including four Cal-bred stakes over the winter. The chestnut enters this off a second-place finish behind MGISW McKinzie (Street Sense) in the GII Triple Bend S. last time June 7. McKinzie was the morning-line favorite in this event at entries, but it was announced he would be scratched Wednesday.

Dual Grade III winner Law Abidin Citizen (Twirling Candy) takes a crack at the highest level here. Victorious in the GIII Longacres Mile H. last August, he was fourth I the GII San Carlos S. Mar. 7 at Santa Anita and missed by a hand behind stakes winner Ax Man (Misremembered) in an Arcadia optional claimer May 16 and won a 6 1/2-panel event there last time June 14.

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Code of Honor Attempts Travers-Whitney Double

Last year’s GI Travers S. hero Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}) looks to become the first horse since Medaglia d’Oro in 2002/2003 to complete the Travers-GI Whitney S. double Saturday at Saratoga and secure a spot in the starting gate for the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic. Capturing the GIII Dwyer S. last term prior to his Travers score, the W.S. Farish homebred came up a nose short of champion Vino Rosso (Curlin) in the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup S. in September, but was promoted to first via DQ. Seventh to that rival next out in the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic in November, the chestnut captured his seasonal bow in Belmont’s GIII Westchester S. June 6 and was third last out in the GI Met Mile July 4.

“It won’t be easy, but I just hope Code of Honor runs a monster race,” Shug McGaughey told the NYRA notes team. “It will be kind of interesting to see what the tactics are with only five [horses]. I know where I’m going to be, but I’m not sure what the others are going to do or how much they’re going to press.”

Tom’s d’Etat (Smart Strike) is leading the handicap division at the moment and enters this test on a four-win streak. Winner of Keeneland’s GII Hagyard Fayette S. in October, the bay followed suit with his first top-level success in the GI Clark S. in November. Denying Improbable (City Zip) by 3/4 of a length in the Oaklawn Mile Apr. 11, Tom’s d’Etat romped by 4 1/4 lengths in the GII Stephen Foster S. at Churchill June 27.

“You can see from his PPs that when the pace is fast, he comes from off the pace and if it’s slow, he’s right on top of it,” said Stall. “That’s a good thing for us. That’s [a compact field] not my problem. That’s for [jockey] Joel Rosario and it’s 100% in his hands. Joel is undefeated on him.”

The runner-up that day was By My Standards (Goldencents), who kicked off 2020 with a trio of victories, starting with a Feb. 9 optional claimer at Fair Grounds. The bay went on take both the GII New Orleans Classic S. Mar. 21 and GII Oaklawn H. May 2.

Improbable, on the other hand, rounded back into his best form last time out. Off the board in the GI Pennsylvania Derby in September and the GI Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile in November, the chestnut was second in the aforementioned Oaklawn Mile and returned to winning ways in the 10-furlong GI Hollywood Gold Cup S. at Santa Anita June 6.

Rounding out the quintet is hometown hero Mr. Buff (Friend or Foe). The native New Yorker is an eight-time stakes winner, including the Jazil S. in January and Haynesfield S. in February. Runner-up in the Commentator S. at Belmont Jun 12, the chestnut was fifth last time in the GII Suburban S. July 4.

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Honor A.P. Faces Off With Baffert Duo in Shared Belief

Honor A.P. (Honor Code) looks to add more GI Kentucky Derby points to his collection in Saturday’s Shared Belief S. at Del Mar. An impressive second-out graduate when extending from six panels to a mile at Santa Anita in October, the $850,000 FTSAUG buy was runner-up to recent GI Haskell Invitational S. victor Authentic (Into Mischief) in the GII San Felipe S. Mar. 7. The dark bay turned the tables on that rival last time with a decisive score in the GI Santa Anita Derby June 6.

Bob Baffert had three set for this test, but undefeated ‘TDN Rising Star’ and GIII Los Alamitos Derby winner Uncle Chuck (Uncle Mo) has been re-routed to the GI Runhappy Travers S. Aug. 8 instead. That leaves Thousand Words (Pioneerof the Nile) and Cezanne (Curlin) to represent the Hall of Famer. Opening his account with a trio of wins, including the GII Los Alamitos Futurity and GIII Robert B. Lewis S., Thousand Words was fourth in the San Felipe and faded to 11th in the Oaklawn S. Apr. 11. Given a brief freshening, the $1-million KEESEP buy ran second to his stablemate in the Los Al Derby last time.

Cezanne puts his undefeated record on the line here. A debut winner sprinting in Arcadia June 6, the $3.65-million FTFMAR topper captured a one-mile event at Los Alamitos last time July 2.

Also a defecting from the field is Santa Anita Derby fourth-place finisher Anneau d’Or (Medaglia d’Oro), who will instead contest the Aug. 9 Ellis Park Derby. Kiss Today Goodbye (Cairo Prince) rounds out the now four-horse field. Breaking his maiden at fifth asking at Santa Anita Feb. 22, he was 10th last time in an optional claimer there May 17.

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Woody Stephens Top Four Return in Jerkens

Four out of the five runners from the GI Woody Stephens S., topped by winner No Parole (Violence), will face off again Saturday in a loaded renewal of the GI H. Allen Jerkens S. at Saratoga. ‘TDN Rising Star’ No Parole won his first three races against fellow LA-breds by a combined 34 lengths. Facing defeat for the first time when trying two turns in the GII Rebel S. Mar. 14, the bay returned to the winner’s circle when cut back to six panels in an Oaklawn optional claimer Apr. 24 and was last seen scoring a decisive victory in the Woody June 20.

Fellow ‘TDN Rising Star’ Echo Town (Speightstown) captured a Churchill optional claimer May 25 prior to a runner-up effort in the Woody Stephens. The third-place finisher in that test, Shoplifted (Into Mischief), is also a ‘TDN Rising Star’ and winner of the Springboard Mile S. at the end of last year. Also exiting the Woody Stephens is fourth-place finisher Mischevious Alex (Into Mischief), winner of the GIII Swale S. Feb. 1 and GIII Gotham S. Mar. 7.

Eight Rings (Empire Maker) looks to return to his juvenile form in this test. Winner of the GI American Pharoah S. last term, the ‘TDN Rising Star’ could only manage sixth in the GI TVG Breeders’ Cup Juvenile S. Nov. 1 and was fifth in his seasonal bow in Oaklawn’s Bachelor S. last time Apr. 25.

Tap It To Win (Tapit) should relish this cut back in trip. Capturing a six-panel event at Gulfstream May 9, the bay wired the field when stretched to 1 1/16 miles at Belmont June 4 and was wheeled back just 16 days later in the nine-furlong GI Belmont S., where he faded to fifth after setting the pace.

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