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Spangled Star had been gradually improving with each start. In his previous attempt, the 2-year-old faced off in what was not your average stretch duel.

Under Luis Garcia, Spangled Star led through most of the November 16 maiden special weight. Then eventual winner Bailey's Beach caught up to the Vinery colt and Garcia dropped his stick. Acting quickly, Garcia replaced his whip with a pair of his goggles. Although Spangled Star dug down, the nose of Bailey's Beach got to the wire first.

On Saturday, Spangled Star returned to the scene of his narrow defeat and made easy work of this bunch. Coming from off the pace this time, the Distorted Humor colt scampered home by 4 1/4 lengths under Jeremy Rose.

Gulfstream 2010 is here

The Hallandale Beach track opens its gates on Sunday January 3 with the feature the Grade III Hal's Hope featuring Florida Derby champion Quality Road.

Heading to the starting gate for Herringswell is Desertstormelite. The daughter of Chester House races for Mitchell Ranch in the fifth race, a $50,000 claimer on the turf.

Wednesday, Cherokee Queen will break from the rail in a non-winners of three races other than going 1-mile on the turf.

On Thursday Salsa Star (pictured) will make a return to the races. The Sagamore Farm 4-year-old was last seen at Pimlico in May when she broke her maiden impressively by 5 1/2 lengths. Making her first start on U.S soil that day, Jeremy Rose stalked the slow pace and opened up with ease. That day, Miss MVP ran third, and shows up to meet Salsa Star again. Showing her no sympathy, in her next start, Miss MVP ran fourth our own Million Seller at Colonial.

Angel's Cove will hope for a scratch to draw into Thursday's fouth race. A maiden claiming $75,000, traveling 7 1/2 furlongs on the lawn.

Jeremy Rose is named to ride all four runners.

Tale Of The Cat Colt Impresses Again

Augustin Stables' Cat Park stopped for a Coca-Cola and hot dog in the Calder grandstand before coming up just short of capturing the Grade III Tropical Park Derby. Eventual winner Fly By Phil and pace-setter Lost Aptitude began to drift, then Cat Park followed the trend. The three of them, roughly 8, 10 and 12 wide hit the wire seperated by 1-length.

Cat Park, continues to continue with grass and distance. The bottom half of the young 3-year-old's pedigree is the Dynaformer mare, Dynamic Cat. The distance on the bottom is a crafty mix with the speed on top of stallion Tale Of The Cat. This concoction is not out of the ordinary for clever breeder George Strawbridge. His 3-year-old fillies, Smart Seattle (Smart Strike) and Zilva (Successful Appeal) are strapped with distance from mares Seattle Bay and Spellmaker respectively.

The Herringswell Jingle (Thank You Jane Motion, PS: Where's Dad?)

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/E1lNGB9yNXktxddO5RiN

Priscilla Graham's Hat Trick; 2010 Upon Us

Naturally, fresh out of Turf Melody's win in the $200,000 Springboard Mile, minds begin to wonder. Anytime a 2-year-old wins a race, whether a maiden, allowance ,or stakes minds of the connections start to imagine. Imagine the possibilities.

Two days after her Maria's Mon juvenile captured his first stakes, first time starter Dandy Waltz (Tale Of The Cat) broke his maiden at Penn National. The stocky-chestnut won the right way traveling 6-furlongs in the Tuesday night Maiden Special Weight.

Dandy Waltz arrived at Fair Hill in mid-October and never looked back from there. The 2-year-old never missed a scheduled breeze and had impressed since his arrival. The win earned Dandy Waltz $20,400.

Like clockwork, just three days after his stable mate's win, and five days after Turf Melody's Oklahoma triumph, Noah's Dream returned to the races.

With one June run under his belt, the Pulpit juvenile ran like he needed the race and more distance in his Delaware debut.

Away from the races for nearly six months, the bay colt inhaled his Philadelphia Park rivals to win impressively by more than eight lengths.

Both maiden winners were ridden by Joe Rocco Jr. Turf Melody was ridden by Jeremy Rose. While all three shared the same common denominator...The Pink silks of Priscilla Graham.

Not to be outdone by the colts, Apple Charlotte, a 2-year-old Smart Strike filly for Jack Swain dazzled in her second career start winning by more than 5-lengths at Tampa Bay Downs. Apple Charlotte, or "Manzanita", labeled by her groom has us all excited.

Coolcullen Times (pictured above) recently joined the stable at Fair Hill. An Irish-bred 3-year-old, was a three time winner in his homeland. The July Tattersalls purchase is owned by Hickory Tree Stables, who also owned Rebellion and the stakes-winning filly Leamington. The dashing colt topped the sales.

With 2010 upon us, we enter the final ten days of a successful 2009. Although we are not ready to call it a year, with still a handful of runners scheduled to head towards the starting gate. Into the final week-and-a-half, Herringswell Stables is one of just ten training organizations to have over 100 winners and more than $5,000,000 in purse money.

Jane and Marcus Motion looking cold while enjoying the snow.

Fun fun fun

Turf Melody Makes The Trek Worth It

Turf Melody made the trip from Fair Hill to Churchill Downs, like many Herringswell runners have throughout the Fall meeting at the Louisville track. Unlike the others, the 2-year-old used the Churchill as a pit-stop.

After training at the site of the Kentucky Derby for three days, the Maria's Mon colt ventured off to Remington Park in Oklahoma for the $200,000 Springboard Mile. He arrived at his final destination and took to the track on Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning. On Sunday night he became a stakes winner.

Sent off at 4-1, Jeremy Rose settled Turf Melody in ninth early on the two leaders moved swiftly enough in :23 and 46.40. As they approached the turn, Rose began to ask the three-time winner and he responded with a game stretch run that was good enough to nose-out Man Chester Man at the wire.

"The horse ran a game race, I didn't know if was going to get there in time,” Rose said. “We kept driving and my horse kept digging. I still think my horse wants to go further. It was a good race."

Turf Melody is owned by Priscilla Graham.

Top Winter Meets Only Weeks Away...

Nine stalls are locked in by Herringswell colored cross bars at Santa Anita. 20 (as of the moment) are secured at Palm Meadows. Both winter getaway locations are spots where the best of the best go when the northern temperature drops.

On the west coast, at "The Great Race Place", nine serious bullets fill out the barn.

2-year-old fillies, Zilva and Smart Seattle have resumed training after their efforts in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and Juvenile Fillies Turf respectively.

Cherokee Artist (pictured), who has not raced since capturing the Presque Isle Mile in September, plans to make a return to the races during the Santa Anita meeting. Yorktown, an unlucky fourth in a third-level allowance also remains out west.

Fresh off her win in the Starine Stakes at Hollywood, California-bred Saucey Evening (bottom) will point towards Sunshine Millions day on January 30.

Smart Bid also comes out of a stake win. The 3-year-old Smart Strike colt looks to run in either the Grade I Malibu on December 27 or the Grade III Sir Beaufort on the same day. Smart Bid's half-brother is Deal Making. Deal Making, a 4-year-old Empire Maker gelding also will call California his winter home.

Three-year-olds Gustavian and Snowmaster round out the barn. The duo both tallied wins at the recently completed Keeneland fall meet

Of the 20 stalls at Palm Meadows, eleven are filled with 2-year-olds. Winners Cat Park, Check The Label, Peace Fire and Vamos A Ver lead the Florida string of Juveniles.

The lone runner at a Florida track up to this point is Shehashighhopes. The High Yield three-year-old comfortably broke her maiden at Calder in a Maiden Claiming $25,000.

The Gulfstream Park meeting begins Sunday January 3.

Refrigerated Sauce(y)

The Times Square Ball dropped to ring in 2009. Then Barack Obama was sworn in as America's first African American president. Quality Road won the Florida Derby. Hal Wiggins' Rachel Alexandra began to dominate. Keeneland opened. Mine That Bird stunned in the Kentucky Derby. Rachel beat the Calvin Borel-less Mine That Bird in the Preakness. Summer Bird emerged in the Belmont. Then SHE won the Haskell. Bullsbay won the Whitney. Shared Account, Sumo, Silver Reunion & Leamington made their first stakes wins, Saratoga stakes wins. Bullsbay ran third in the Woodward. Cherokee Artist won the PID Mile. Goldikova and Conduit repeated in the Breeders Cup. Zenyatta created a new class, above all the others. We celebrated Thanksgiving. Then put the Christmas CD's in.

Then Saucey Evening won her first race since before any of these events above transpired.

In 2008, the California bred 2-year-old won two $125,000 state-bred stakes by more than 2 1/2 lengths. She ran traffic-endured fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. She was third in the Grade I Las Virgenes. After a freshening that lasted nearly 5-months, she had seemed to be caught up to by the rest of her classmates. On Thursday, Saucey Evening got her edge back.

Sent off at 10-1, the More Than Ready daughter split horses deep in the stretch and gamely prevailed to capture the $61,150 Starine Stakes at Hollywood Park. While the handicappers, wrote her off as stale, the sophomore showed she has conserved herself and returned to form and then some.

The completed time for the mile was 1:35.60. The Chestnut filly paid $23.20 on a $2 win bet.

The Starine is named after the French bred gray mare, who won the Diana, Matriarch and Breeders' Cup filly & mare turf among others.

Catching Up With Herringswell

Within hours, Check The Label and Cat Park pronounced themselves legitimate grass juveniles in second and third place finishes in Churchill overnight stakes on closing Saturday.

Cat Park never advanced from third position as Lost Aptitude lulled the field to sleep through respectable fractions of 23.3, 47.3 and 1:11.4. The wire-to-wire winner highlighted what was part of closing Saturday's theme, "try and beat the grass speed". While in the Caressing, eventual winner Sheer Beauty led for most of the large majority of the 1 mile stakes. Taking nothing away from the winners, both were impressive. Lost Aptitude was third in Cat Park's allowance win at Keeneland and now has won two-straight out of that race.

Check The Label, a bay Stormin' Fever filly,arrived comfortably in Palm Meadows on Sunday. Cat Park has remained at Churchill Downs while his winter schedule is mapped out.

Bullsbay has put a lid on a breakout 2009 season after his 7th place finish (beaten just 5-lengths) in the Grade II Clark on Friday. The 5-year-old son of Tiznow won the Harrison Johnson (Laurel), Alysheba (Churchill), Whitney (Saratoga) this year. He was second in the John Campbell (Laurel) and was third in the Hal's Hope (Gulfstream) and Woodward (Saratoga).

The Palm Meadows barn continues to inch towards capacity as the Boynton Beach shedrow has raised its total to 17. Those already wintering in Florida are; Angel's Cove, Apple Charlotte, Bum Bum, Check The Label, Cherokee Queen, Desertstormelite, Drop A Line, Great Belief, Kapsiliat, Let's Do It, Peace Fire, Quando Quando, Rcuandry, Salsa Star, Shehashighhopes, Straight Talk and Vamos A Ver.

Shehashighhopes was our latest winner, graduating at Calder under leading-rider Eibar Coa. Before Electricty, Sumo, Cutter, Embraceable Blue, True Zip, Saucey Evening and Sit Chilly are entered and will each aim for that title over the next few days.

Jane Motion celebrated her birthday over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend turning 13 on November 27. Birthday checks are OK, but she prefers cash! All jokes aside, Happy Birthday to Jane!

A Saturday Where Juveniles Should Tell Us A Lot

While Smart Seattle and Zilva have experienced the bright lights of the Breeders' Cup Championship, the rapid, yet quietly, improving Check The Label will take to the turf in the $60,000 Caressing for 2-year-old fillies at Churchill Downs.

The Stormin Fever filly will break from post nine in a field of 12 on closing day at the historic Louisville track. Gabriel Saez picks up the mount while Julien Leparoux will spend his weekend in Japan for the Japan Cup. In her last start, Check The Label endured a perfect trip along the inside and won by a comfortable 2 1/4 lengths over the same sod she'll run over on Saturday. She is now 2-for-3 on the turf and has all but "Labeled" herself as a turf horse.

While it is natural for Smart Seattle to precede Zilva's name, and visa-versa, Check The Label looks to join the well-publicized duo with a solid performance Saturday. A repeat running of her allowance win will do exactly that. Post time for the Caressing is 3:58.

The colt version of the Caressing is the Grand Canyon, and Herringswell Stables will be represented by Cat Park. The Augustin homebred won his last start, a first level allowance at Keeneland, his first try over grass. That race at Keeneland produced next-out winner Lost Aptitude, who will break from the rail in the Grand Canyon. Cat Park (Tale Of The Cat) brings a two race win streak into the Grand Canyon. The Tale Of The Cat colt is now 2-for-3 lifetime. Gabriel Saez has the return call aboard the promising chestnut. Post time for the Grand Canyon is 1:58.

Check The Label and Cat Park are two of three Herringswell juveniles to have won more than their maiden race. Priscilla Graham's Turf Melody completes the trio.

Also on Saturday, Now And Forever (Jeremy Rose) makes a return to the races for Pin Oak Stable in Laurel's fourth race. Let's Do It (Saez) returns to the grass after at Churchill.

The triple of Herringswell 2-year-old runners at Churchill are part of "2-year-old day" where all twelve races feature juveniles. The Grand Canyon and Caressing are two of four stakes on the closing day card. The Kentucky Jockey Club and The Golden Rod are dirt route races for colts and fillies respectively.

Bullsbay Out For Team History And National Respect

Bullsbay was entered on Tuesday for the Grade II Clark as he will attempt to become the first Herringswell runner since Better Talk Now in 2005 to win three graded stakes the same year.

The strapping bay has won the Grade III Alysheba and Grade I Whitney along with the Harrison E. Johnson in his 5-year-old breakout season. With a win in the Clark, the Tiznow colt could become the first Herringswell horse to win four stakes in a season since Broken Vow and Confessional accomplished that feat in 2001.

Friday's Clark is as competitive as the handicap division gets. Familiar faces Macho Again and Einstein will head postward, while up-and-comers Etched and Blame look to show they belong.

Macho Again and Bullsbay have started a quiet rivalry throughout their 2009 seasons.

In the Alysheba, Bullsbay beat the grey by 4 1/2 lengths in a winning performance. Just six weeks later, Macho Again turned the tables in the Stephen Foster beating Bullsbay by 1 1/4 lengths. Then came the Whitney. Bullsbay 2-1. In the Woodward, Macho Again evened the score when he ran second compared to Bullsbay's third. 2-2.

They have literally taken turns beating each other. Follow the pattern, Bullsbay's turn.

Both rivals come into the Clark off dull efforts, Macho Again ran a form-breaking distant fourth in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, while Bullsbay didn't care for Santa Anita's Pro-ride in the Breeders' Cup Mile.

With each other's company expect the two bring out the best in each other.

While the two competitors tangle again, they better not ignore the two new faces in Meadowlands Cup winner Etched and Fayette-winning 3-year-old Blame. Both are coming into the Clark off-of a pattern of three career best performances.

Other major contenders include the ageless Einstein and 3-year-old Indiana Derby champ, Misremembered.

Leamington In The Cardinal

Buckets of rain. Raining cats and dogs. The sky fell in. Noah's Arc. Downpour. Washout. Bog.

Any of these cliches can be used to describe October 3 at Belmont Park. Summer Bird danced in the slop to score in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. Turf horse of the year, Gio Ponti was stunningly upset in the Joe Hirsch.

That day was the last time Leamington was seen at the races. The VooDoo Dancer heroine has never stepped foot on a soft turf that she liked. It looked like she was going to get her firm course that day, until they called the fillies and mares to the paddock for the Grade I Flower Bowl. (Insert your favorite monsoon cliche here).

As the water pelleted down on the way to the empty paddock. The jockeys took their time leaving the quarters in hopes for the rain to pass. No such luck. The riders then hopped on their classy fillies and headed towards the 1 1/2 miles track.

Leamington led the 1 1/4 Flower Bowl until the top of the stretch over the deep bog and that was enough to tire the 4-year-old daughter of Pleasant Tap. She faded to finish fifth after doing all the dirty work at 14-1.

In her 13 career starts, Leamington has 4 wins, all on a firm ground. Of the three times she met a wet turf course, she was 1o, 67 and 15 lengths out of it.

The Churchill turf course played firm on Friday and is expected to stay that way for the 36th running of the Cardinal.

Smart Bid Returns In Style

As if the green and white halved silks of George Strawbridge's Augustin Stables were not seen enough over Breeders' Cup weekend....

Strawbridge's Smart Bid, absent from the races since April, returned to capture the $100,000 Damascus stakes on the undercard of Breeders' Cup Saturday. The 3-year-old son of Smart Strike traveled a perfect stalking-trip under Jeremy Rose, down on the rail. The favorite, M One Rifle set honest-enough fractions of 22.2, 44.3 and 1:08.3, while Smart Bid sat no more than 2-lengths off that at any point of the 7-furlong contest.

At the top of the stretch, Rose swung the homebred off the rail and to the right of the pace-setter. Smart Bid and pilot then dug down and proved best. The Damascus was Smart Bid's first stakes win.

Smart Bid was last seen in Keeneland's Transylvania Stakes during the famous track's opening weekend to it's Spring meeting. That day, Smart Bid put in his best performance-to date-with a second place finish in the 1 1/16 Grade III. Saturday the sophomore showed his versatility in winning a 7-furlong stake, while months earlier, he just missed in a 8.5-furlong contest. That versatility will give the colt's connections many options from here out.

Graham has stated that the 7-furlong Grade I Malibu at Santa Anita on December 26 is on the 3-year-old's radar.

-JP

It's An Augustin Friday

A trio of Augustin Stable 2-year-olds will head to the starting gate for Herringswell Stables on Friday. Two of those are fillies, running in the biggest races of their young careers in the Breeders' Cup. The other, a colt, running in.. the biggest race of his career, his first!

Smart Seattle will be the first drink poured at our Breeders' Cup party, when she breaks from post 3 in the Juvenile Fillies Turf.

The 2-year-old Smart Strike daughter will be ridden for the third time in three starts by Jeremy Rose.

Zilva is postward in the $2,000,000 Juvenile Fillies. The Successful Appeal daughter will break from the rail. Jeremy Rose will ride for the third consecutive time. Zilva comes out of a close third in the Grade I Alcibiades at Keeneland.

Quechee actually runs first of the three. He is 3,000 miles away from his stablemate fillies, but runs just three hours before Smart Seattle.

The Afleet Alex gray will be ridden by Gabriel Saez in Aqueduct's third race. The son of Tarika will travel 1 1/16 miles on the turf.

After pointing to these races since breaking their maidens at Saratoga, today has arrived. The question of "which filly where?" has been answered. It is now up to the fillies. They're on display to the racing world. All the team can do now is get a good seat and watch them show to the rest of the people what they've shown to us. Safe trips and good racing luck to all three.

Game time.

Quick Catch Up.

2YO Breeders' Cup Hopefuls Go Easy

Smart Seattle & Zilva breezed in-company over the Santa Anita Pro-Ride surface on Saturday in :48 4/5 seconds. Televised on HRTV, the two fillies seemed to travel without any urging and made it a work that would certainly leave you optimistic.

Smart Seattle is expected to be one of the choices in the Juvenile Fillies Turf on Friday November 6. Zilva is expected to run in the Juvenile Fillies, just hours after her stablemate.

6-year-old German retired

Caprice, winner of the Robert G. Dick Memorial at Delaware Park in July has been retired. A winner of $225, 525 and two stakes races since entering the Herringswell barn, the daughter of Monsun will spend her after-the-races life in Kentucky as a NP Bloodstock broodmare.

Caprice also won the La Zanzara stakes at Santa Anita in February. The long-distance specialist retires with a career record of 4-for-24.

Silver Reunion back to galloping.

3-year-old Harlan's Holiday filly, Silver Reunion has returned to galloping after her attempt in the Grade III Valley View.

Silver Reunion seemed to not get along with the wet turf course at Keeneland. In result, Bluegrass Princess, whom Silver Reunion beat convincingly over Saratoga's firm course, picked up the pieces in the Valley View.

Silver Reunion looks to get back to the winner's circle, and on firm ground, in the November 14 Mrs. Revere at Churchill.

Breeders' Cup Hopes

Monday October 26 marked the day where trainers across the world signed and delivered their Breeders' Cup Pre-Entry Forms with the hopes of bringing home a champion. Wherever home may be.

A wide-ranging cast shows up year after year for the Breeders' Cup. The Breeders' Cup is the only place you can find Rick Dutrow and Aidan O'Brien in the same paddock. Jonathan Sheppard and Bob Baffert in the same sentence. Goldikova and Forever Together on the same backstretch. Anyone with a horse remotely close to the World Series of horse racing, is knocking on the Breeders' Cup's door.

Bullsbay, Cherokee Artist, Smart Seattle and Zilva are all potentially first time participants of the Fall Classic.

Bullsbay already has a name plate at the head table. After winning the August 8 Whitney Handicap, he has earned himself an invitation to the Grade I $5,000,000 Classic. In a year where the Breeders' Cup lost America's most accomplished horse, Rachel Alexandra, they also lost the world's best in European superstar Sea the Stars.

Convenient year to "Win & You're In", Bullsbay.

The 5-year-old son of Tiznow was also be pre-entered for the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.

Cherokee Artist has been away from the racing scene since his career-best triumph in the Presque Isle Mile at Presque Isle Downs on September 13. The freshening has done him well in the recent past as he won that $200,000 stake off a similar 7-week layoff.

The Cherokee Run 4-year-old is pre-entered solely for the Breeder's Cup Dirt Mile.

Separating Smart Seattle and Zilva's introductions in two different paragraphs won't seem right. I wouldn't even know how to. The two, both Pennsylvania bred Augustin fillies, train together, and give away nothing to their 'rival-stablemate', if you will. After all, their bloodlines cross...We'll get there.

Zilva, being by Successful Appeal, initially does not read "extra distance". Well, don't just read the headlines, read the article! Her second-dam is Sofitina, who is out of the brilliant mare, Waya. Waya won the Man O' War, Prix de l'Opera, Diana, Turf Classic and the Flower Bowl among others. Zilva, seems to carry much of her bottom half as she won first time around two-turns at Saratoga, followed by a gaining fourth in the Grade I Alcibiades at Keeneland.

Smart Seattle is by Smart Strike, who's runners seem to love the green. Smart Seattle has not strayed from the litter. In her two turf starts, she won sprinting and second, beaten 1 1/4-lengths in her first route attempt. Her bottom half suggests she would not win sprinting, being that steeplechase gelding, Nationbuilder is a half brother. So much for that.

Smart Seattle's second-dam is Seattle Way. Seattle Way is out of, you guessed it, Waya.

Call them what you want to, but call them serious.

Both fillies are entered to the Juvenille Fillies Turf while Zilva has a cross entry to the Juvenile Fillies.

Fillies Highlight Week(end)

Smart Seattle has prepped for the $150,000 Jessamine over the Keeneland turf, since her second place finish in the P.G Johnson stakes at Saratoga September 3. That day has come. And they'rrrrreee off....the turf. The rain continues to fall over Keeneland like the inevitable ticker-tape parade for the New York Giants down Broadway come February.

The Smart Strike filly dazzled in her debut stopping the clock in 1:02.2 in her 5 1/2 furlong sprint. She was sent off as the favorite in her second start, the P.G Johnson. On just three weeks rest she could not catch the loose-on-the-lead Tapitsfly, and missed by 1 1/4 lengths.

To this point, her two lifetime starts have been nothing short of impressive and she will tackle the polytrack for the first time in hopes of a Breeders' Cup appearance.

Smart Seattle's work partner is Zilva, who finished a credible fourth, in the Grade I Alcibiades less than one week ago.

On Saturday, Shared Account will run for her biggest purse yet in the respected Grade I Queen Elizabeth II. The 3-year-old filly will also face her toughest field to date with the likes of American Oaks winner Gozzip Girl, Ontario Colleen winner Lady Shakespeare, Garden City winner Miss World and Pucker Up winner Hot Cha Cha.

After her impressive run in the Grade II Lake Placid, Shared Account inherited the lead in the Grade I Garden City over a boggy Belmont grass course. Have yet to run over a solid course, the Pleasantly Perfect sophomore may encounter a soft going f0r the fifth consecutive race.

In the Queen Elizabeth II, Shared Account breaks from the five hole just outside of potential favorite Gozzip Girl. Edgar Prado to ride.

Checking In With Herringswell

Zilva a close fourth in Grade I Alcibiades

Facing winners for the first time, 2-year-old Zilva adjusted rather easily to her stern competition. Placed nicely by Jeremy Rose, the Successful Appeal filly saved ground and got caught in a bit of traffic throughout the stretch. When given slim daylight, Zilva (18-1) gained ground and was unlucky to get nosed out of third by Amen Hallelujah.

Fugitive Angel, tried polytrack earlier on in the afternoon and took to it rather well. The Alphabet Soup filly finished second to Orchestrator (previously beaten by Zilva) in a Maiden Special. The Augustin homebred donned blinkers for the first time and showed some keen early speed. It is plausible to believe she will sharpen after wearing the shades and showing speed in just her second start.

Skylighter takes turf on

In her first start for Herringswell, Skylighter (Sky Mesa) ran a respectable 4 lengths off Grade I winner Cocoa Beach over the Saratoga grass in the listed De La Rose. Saturday night she gives the green stuff another go of it in the Grade III Violet Stakes at Monmouth.

Kendrick Carmouche to ride.

Silver Reunion sparkles in work

3-year-old Harlan's Holiday filly, Silver Reunion breezed 5-furlongs over the Fair Hill tapeta on Saturday morning in 1:01.3. Silver Reunion, who is being pointed toward the October 23 Pin Oak Valley View at Keeneland, tickled her morning-pilot.

"When she gets going, she gives you that feeling like 'nobody can get me', regular rider Lisa Davison said. "I just love the way she's going. Sitting on her is amazing. She is scaring me the way she has relaxed. I think she's maturing. It's a great feeling to breeze this one."

Keeneland Up Next, Action Spread Out As Well..

The last time Fugitive Angel and Zilva were seen at the races, one of them flirted with a waltz down Union Avenue, while the other nearly took a dip in the infield's pond.


Friday we'll see the two again, under their familiar green and white shirted riders.


In her debut at Saratoga, Fugitive Angel looked properly placed under Julien Leparoux before she boared outward and threw away any chance she had in the maiden special weight event. Under the frenchman, the Alphabet Soup filly was able to somewhat get back on track and managed to beat three just 6 1/2 lengths off the winner. The George Strawbridge homebred, rightfully so, wears blinkers for the first time.


Her stablemate and fellow homebred Zilva comes out of a maiden-breaking performance where she sandwiched herself between the rail and runner-up Orchestrator. Trying the grass for the first time, Zilva showed more than just talent while gradually squeaking through a slip of daylight. Friday, she'll face winners for the first time in the $500,000 Grade I Darley Alcibiades on the Keeneland polytrack. Jeremy Rose takes the return ride.


Back up I-95, Ennis will tussle for favoritism in the $75,000 1 1/16 Dover Stakes for 2-year-olds at Delaware Park. The Joseph Shields homebred, brother to stablemate Cozy Cottage and ex-Herringswell runner Arcata, upset a field of 11 in his debut going 6-furlongs at Delaware. The Medallist colt stretches out an extra two-and-a-half furlongs in his second start. In terms of pedigree, Ennis should adapt well to the added distance. Daddy won the 1 1/16 Dwyer as a 3-year-old and siblings Arcata and Cozy Cottage both won routing.


Lavender Sky returns to a distance she has ran mighty well at in the past, the classic grass filly distance of 1 1/4 miles. At Belmont on Friday the $65,000 Possible Mate is ran for older fillies over the Belmont lawn. In her first start under the Herringswell flag, the Mt. Livermore 5-year-old stayed well off the layoff traveling 1 1/16 miles at Delaware Park. All signs indicate, she appreciates a tad further.

Kemo Sabe: Cherokee Artist Breaks Onto Stakes Scene

Cherokee Artist had no problem continuing the hot streak Herringswell finished Saratoga with when the 4-year-old took the Presque Isle Mile in Erie, PA on Sunday night.

Sent off at as the third choice, Jeremy Rose settled the Cherokee Run colt third through the first 1/2 mile. Then the Mack Robinson homebred decided to carry the jockey through an eye-catching move around the far turn that he was able to sustain to the wire in the $250,000 stakes.

Cherokee Artist came out of a near-miss in Presque Isle's July 26 $100,000 Leeward Stakes. After that he was freshened up for seven weeks and came back with his a career-best performance on Sunday night.

After the race, Graham mentioned the November 7 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile over Santa Anita's synthetic main track as the main target for the bay colt.