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Auig. 4 (UPI) -- Reigning Breeders' Cup winners Cody's Wish and Caravel and this year's Kentucky Oaks winner run Saturday at Saratoga on a weekend otherwise chock full of major turf races. Ellis Park, Del Mar, Monmouth Park and Saratoga all have important races on the grass. The Ellis Park heats are previews for the upcoming Kentucky Downs meeting, where purses just keep growing and growing.
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The 3-year-olds aren't taking the weekend off, either, with some former Triple Crown aspirants moseying along to Mountaineer Park for the West Virginia Derby.
On the international front: After last weekend's bitter disappointment in the King George, Coolmore, trainer Aidan O'Brien and jockey Ryan Moore were right back on track with another star 3-year-old on Wednesday at "Glorious" Goodwood.
The midweek meeting produced a few potential stars for November's Breeders' Cup, too.
Turf
Note: The weekend turf races at Ellis Park are previews and qualifiers for the rich grass stakes to be run at Kentucky Downs from Aug. 31 through Sept. 13. The dollar amounts of purses include Kentucky-bred supplements, but most of the entries are Kentucky-bred horses, so the figures are realistic.
Far Bridge and Mondego, the first and third past the judge in last month's Grade I Belmont Derby, return in a field of nine for Saturday's $600,000 Grade I Saratoga Derby Invitational.
The Grade I Belmont Oaks winner, Aspen Grove, is cross-entered here and in Friday's Saratoga Oaks.
Far Bridge, with four wins and a second on his record, looks tough in this spot although there are some lightly raced types, including Program Trading, who don't need much improvement to make themselves felt.
Saturday's $200,000 Dueling Grounds Derby Preview at Ellis Park has 13 takers. The morning line pick, Wadsworth, won the American Derby over the course in his most recent outing.
Sunday's $150,000 Grade III La Jolla Handicap for 3-year-olds at Del Mar has a field that's been more promising than successful.
Henry Q is one to watch, switching to the green course after finishing third in the Grade I Sunland Park Derby and the Grade III Peter Pan, then fifth in the Grade III Ohio Derby.
Zalamo makes his second start after coming from France in May.
Sunday's $250,000 Turf Cup Preview at Ellis Park has a full starting gate with two more waiting in the wings.
As with all of the weekend grass contests at the Pea Patch, this is competitive with Spooky Channel, last year's runner-up, a cool favorite on the morning line.
Filly & Mare Turf
The big weekend on the green course kicked off with an exciting renewal Thursday of the $250,000 Grade II Glens Falls Stakes at Saratoga.
McKulick wove her way through the stretch and was along just in time to catch War Like Goddess, who was seeking an historic third win in the race.
Amazing Grace was third as McKulick, with Irad Ortiz Jr. up, finished 1 1/2 miles on firm turf in 2:27.05.
War Like Goddess looked like a winner at the sixteenth pole, but some rank behavior during the early furlongs may have exacted a toll in the late going and she came up a neck short. It was her second straight loss -- the first time that's happened in her 16-race career.
McKulick, a 4-year-old, British-bred filly by Frankel, got her fourth win to go with four seconds and two thirds from 11 career starts, and trainer Chad Brown mused, "Turning 4 this year, she looks to be in that group of nice horses I've had that were able to run a little farther the older they got."
He said the $500,000 Grade II Flower Bowl on Sept. 2 at Saratoga, a "Win and You're In" for the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf, "would be the race we'll probably target" next.
Friday's $400,000 Grade III Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Oaks Invitational features a few intriguing foreigners, notably Elusive Princess, last seen finishing fifth behind some of the best in the Group 1 Prix de Diane or French Oaks, and Aspen Grove, who came from Ireland to win the Grade I Belmont Oaks in her last.
Aspen Grove also is entered in Saturday's Saratoga Derby. Selenaia stands out among the locals with three wins in her last three starts.
Sunday's $300,000 Grade III Pucker Up Stakes for 3-year-olds at Ellis Park is not part of the Kentucky Downs preview series, but it's a nice race in its own right. Formerly run at Arlington Park, the 1 1/8-mile race has a field of nine, with the talented Safeen making her graded stakes debut as the 3-1 favorite.
Turf Mile
More Than Looks and Nagirroc are the lukewarm morning-line picks among nine 3-year-olds set for Friday's $500,000 Grade II National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes at Saratoga.
But it's a pretty competitive affair and several others bear a close exam including Euro invader Ocean Vision, who might be overlooked.
Saturday's $200,000 Mint Millions Mile Preview at Ellis Park has 12 entries and looks like a real tossup.
Nine turned out for Saturday's $135,000 Lure Stakes at Saratoga. They arrive from several points of the compass and it's hard to finger a favorite.
It's worth noting trainer that James Stack thought enough of lightly raced 5-year-old Chazzesme to ship him in from Ireland and Oisin Murphy agreed to ride.
Sunday's $200,000 Ladies Turf Mile Preview for fillies and mares at Ellis Park has another competitive overflow field with Henrietta Topham and New Year's Eve well-fancied on the morning line.
Someone has to win Sunday's $100,000 (Canadian) Hamilton Stakes for 3-year-olds at Woodbine, but none of the seven entrants has made a convincing case he should be the one. Dreaming of Kona could be the favorite, but he's cross-entered in the West Virginia Derby.
Turf Sprint
Caravel, the 2022 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint winner, seeks his sixth straight victory in Saturday's $300,000 Grade III Troy Stakes at Saratoga. There are some among the other seven to keep an eye on -- Nobals, Grooms All Bizness and Cogburn among them.
Sunday's $200,000 Preview Turf Sprint at Ellis Park has the Larry Rivelli-trained One Timer as 5-2 favorite in a field of 12 plus two also-eligibles. Rivelli, the many-times Arlington Park champion trainer, also has Nobals Saturday's Troy Stakes at Saratoga.
Saturday's $200,000 Mint Ladies Turf Sprint Preview at Ellis Park has a field of 10 with the Kantharos 5-year-old Bay Storm as the 8-5 favorite.
Nine signed on for Sunday's $100,000 Incredible Revenge Stakes for fillies and mares at Monmouth Park. Most of them have run well enough, but Train to Artemus might have a slight class edge.
Classic
Reigning Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Cody's Wish seeks his seventh straight win in Saturday's $1 million Grade I Whitney at Saratoga after winning both his previous 2023 starts, both Grade I's, by big margins.
He's the 1-2 favorite on the morning line, but certainly didn't scare anyone off, maybe because he tackles 1 1/8 miles for the first time since his second career start.
Florida Derby winner White Abarrio is in the field. So, too, are Giant Game, last-out winner of the Grade III Cornhusker, Grade II Suburban winner Charge It and Zandon, second to Cody's Wish in June in the Grade I Met Mile. Last Samurai had two nice wins earlier in the year in Arkansas.
Sunday's $500,000 Grade III West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer has a full field including several refugees from the Triple Crown trail. Raise Cain, eighth in the Kentucky Derby, is the 3-1 morning-line favorite off a runner-up effort in the Indiana Derby.
Red Route One reappears after finishing eighth in the Belmont Stakes in his last start. One in Vermillion has posted back-to-back seconds in the Canterbury Derby and Iowa Derby.
Look out for Lord Miles, winner of the Grade II Wood Memorial back in April, and then idle until fourth in the Ohio Derby on June 14. At the other end of the spectrum, a Golden Lad gelding named Fartlek has only two wins, both in cheap claiming races, and was not claimed when offered for $4,000 in his last outing.
Distaff
Bob Baffert trains two of the five fillies entered for Saturday's $400,000 Grade I Clement L. Hirsch Stakes at Del Mar, a "Win and You're In" for the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff.
Phil D'Amato trains two more, and "the rest of the world" is represented by John Sadler's 4-year-old filly Kirstenbosch. D'Amato saddles Elm Drive and Arizona-bred Desert Dawn.
Baffert fields Fun to Dream and Adare Manor. All are graded stakes winners but Adare Manor stands out as winner of her last three starts.
A full field will line up for Sunday's $200,000 Grade III West Virginia Governor's Stakes at Mountaineer. The morning-line favorite is O'Connor, a multiple group race winner in her native Chile and second in her most recent start for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. in the Grade III Ghostzapper Stakes at Gulfstream Park.
Sprint
Squire Creek, an Uncle Mo colt trained by Brad Cox, heads a field of nine for Saturday's $100,000 Jersey Shore Stakes for 3-year-olds at Monmouth Park.
He has two wins, a second and a third so far and Monmouth will be his fifth track after Fair Grounds, Keeneland, Belmont Park and Ellis Park. Super Chow and Swirvin have potential.
Filly & Mare Sprint
Reigning Kentucky Oaks winner Pretty Mischievous drops back to 7 furlongs for Saturday's $500,000 Grade I Test Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Saratoga and catches an interesting field of seven rivals.
The main rivals are speedy types, and Pretty Mischievous has come from pace-stalking trips while winning four of her last five starts and six of eight overall.
She drew the rail, so jockey Tyler Gaffalione should have time to look things over and work out a trip for the 9-5 morning-line favorite. Maple Leaf Mel, undefeated after five starts, looks like the biggest threat.
Juvenile Fillies
Carmelina, fifth in the Grade III Schuylerville at Saratoga in her last start, returns in Saturday's $150,000 Keswick Stakes at Colonial Downs. Ran Out of Trainer (interesting name!) was dominant in her career bow at Charles Town a month ago.
Sunday's $200,000 Grade III Adirondack at Saratoga has a field of 10, most of them recent maiden winners.
The exceptions are Becky's Joker, who won the Grade III Schuylerville over the track July 13 in her first-ever start; Saratoga Secret, a winner in her first start at Ellis Park, then second in the Schuylerville; and Brightwork, an Outwork filly who won at first asking at Keeneland in the spring, then won the Debutante Stakes at Ellis Park a month ago in her only other outing.
Around the world, around the clock
England
Trainer Aidan O'Brien said Monday he's still mystified by the no-show turned by his stable star, Auguste Rodin, in last weekend in the Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot.
The regally bred dual Derby winner, touted as a potential replacement for Coolmore's late super stallion, Galileo, was done after a half-mile, and jockey Ryan Moore wisely allowed him to trot home.
O'Brien said then he saw nothing physically amiss with the colt and added Monday that tests shed no further light on the issue.
That left O'Brien grasping for straws, including the possibility Auguste Rodin doesn't like to fly. After his only previous aerial experience, he tossed in the one other clunker of his career in the Group 1 2,000 Guineas.
That aside, according to Racing Post, O'Brien was left uttering such phrases as: "Just a very unusual thing what happened to him," and, "It was just a very, very strange thing," and "It's just a strange one," and "It was just unbelievable." Finally, "I just don't know."
"Glorious" Goodwood
This year's promising 3-year-old crop was left with egg on its collective face when the first two finishers in the Derby were no-shows against elders in last weekend's Group 1 King George.
Revenge was theirs -- and Coolmore's, trainer Aidan O'Brien's and jockey Ryan Moore's -- Wednesday at Goodwood as Paddington impressively schooled older rivals in the Group 1 Qatar Sussex Stakes.
Leading all the way, the Siyouni colt scored his sixth win without loss on the season, repulsing a bid by Inspiral at mid-stretch and prevailing by a comfortable 1 1/2 lengths from Facteur Cheval.
Paddington's win column now includes four straight Group 1 events: The Sussex, the Coral Eclipse at Sandown, the St. James's Palace at Royal Ascot and the Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas.
His record equals or better Coolmore stars of the past, including Giant's Causeway, who won the Sussex 23 years previously for O'Brien.
Moore, who has ridden a stable full of great ones, but is seldom accused of hyperbole about them, delivered a highly unusual verdict after the race, which incidentally came over soft, rain-saturated turf.
"It's a hard thing to say," Moore nonetheless said, "but he gives you the feel that he's as good a horse as I've rode. I think he's exceptional."
Next? Cox Plate in Australia? Breeders' Cup Mile at Santa Anita? A longer journey in the Juddmonte International at York or even the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe?
"He can go anywhere, really," O'Brien said. "He can go any trip, I'd imagine -- a mile, a mile and a quarter, he could even go farther, I don't know."
The Sussex was a "Win and You're In" for the Breeders' Cup.
But O'Brien warned not to expect the Coolmore lads (and American co-owner Peter Brant) to risk the colt beyond this year. "I know when genes present themselves that strong, how important they become. There's always the worry that something happens and you don't get to see what his progeny are going to be."
While Paddington was just short of a sure thing, Al Husn was one of the longer chances in Thursday's Group 1 Quatar Nassau Stakes for fillies and mares, but nonetheless finally added that event to the win column for the Shadwell operation with the boss, Sheikha Hissa, in attendance.
The 4-year-old Dubawi filly outfinished pacesetting Above The Curve, with Nashwa gaining late, but only third home. The favorite, French invader Blue Rose Cen, previously undefeated this season, was stuck on the rail through the stretch and finished fourth, but never looked to be getting on terms with the leaders.
Al Husn, with Jim Crowley up, picked up her fifth win from her last six starts, but first at the top level and trainer Roger Varian said the sky's the limit for the rest of the year.
"Al Husn is a remarkable filly," the trainer said. "The truth is none of us really knew how good she was, because she is one of those who just beats what is in front of her and is never particularly flashy.
"She is in the Prix Jean Romanet in 2 1/2 weeks' time in Deauville. She is in the Yorkshire Oaks, if we fancy going up to a mile and a-half, although I'm not sure about that.
"Later in the year, races like the Prix de l'Opera I'm sure will be considered and who knows, perhaps something at Santa Anita for her."
Quickthorn quickly opened up a huge lead in Tuesday's Group 1 Goodwood Cup and none of his 10 rivals could do a thing about it by the end of the 2 miles.
With Tom Marquand in the irons, the 6-year-old Nathaniel gelding kept on ticking over the good to soft turf and ended first by 6 lengths over Emily Dickinson.
Coltrane was third, and the favorite, Courage Mon Ami, was unable to repeat the performance that got him first in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, finishing sixth.
"Quickthorn is a warrior in his own right," Marquand said. "I've had a bit of fun on him before and today was about riding him to his maximum potential. He just loves bowling away and putting everyone else to the sword. It was an exceptional performance."
France
The provisional field for Sunday's Group 1 Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville includes the on-again, off-again Little Big Bear from Ireland and the equally enigmatic Art Power from England.
Both get significant backing on the antepost market for the 1,300-meter dash.
Little Big Bear, who seems to much prefer firm-ish going, was last seen eighth and last over a good to soft Newmarket course, but before that was a decent second in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot on good to firm going.
Art Power was 12th in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Jubilee at the Royal meeting but has improved since, winning the Group 2 Sapphire Stakes at the Curragh in his last start.
Germany
The locals are left to sort things out amongst themselves in Sunday's Group 1 Henkel-Preis der Diana or German Oaks at Dusseldorf.
While the field lacks international involvement, the 2,200 meters certainly could produce some contenders for other international fixtures during the remainder of the season.
