Second Season
– With the Triple Crown season well past, racing’s second season begins: For three-year-olds, that means prepping for the Travers Stakes; for all the divisions, the Breeders’ Cup.
– After four weeks off, Brother Derek returned to training at Santa Anita last Saturday. The colt is being pointed to the August 6 Haskell. “We’re looking forward to running at Monmouth Park,” said trainer Dan Hendricks.
– The Boston Globe publishes yet another article about how gloomy things are at Suffolk Downs (although, in fairness, the mood around the struggling track hasn’t been all that upbeat recently). At least a couple of people are happy: Trainer John Rigattieri and jockey Dyn Panell teamed up to win five races at Suffolk on Monday.
– This is just a nice story: “Amid the organized chaos in the morning at Canterbury Park, the 2-year-old bay colt gallops by, its head held high, the exercise rider easing him down the backstretch. From the viewing stand, trainer Todd Hoffrogge watches keenly for any signs that Bold Bulldog isn’t ready to race. There are none.”
– It’s been quiet around Railbird lately, and probably will be so for another week or two, owing to a couple of upcoming deadlines, but I’ll be back before too long with a summer reading round-up and a Saratoga preview …
