Kat Kubik
and Bob Hill
Tracksideview.com

Clement L. Hirsch – Grade 2 at Del Mar, 1-1/16 for F-M 3 & up

Staff writers Kat and Bob think the Hirsch is all about Zenyatta. If readers have other thoughts, please leave your comments.

This Saturday, the undefeated mare Zenyatta will attempt to stretch her record to seven in the Grade II Clement Hirsch at a mile and one sixteenth on Del Mar’s polytrack surface. A fan favorite, Zenyatta(8) appeared…

Tracksideview.com staff report

Valiancy proved much the best in breaking his maiden in his second lifetime start Thursday at Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York.

Keep’em Movin Dan broke the fastest in the five-and-one-half-furlong race but quickly was joined by Valiancy and the two pulled away from the rest of the eight-horse field as they hit the quarter in :22.02 seconds and the half in :45.02.  The pair had seven lengths on Fast Draw who was tolling back in third.…

(Edited NTRA release)

Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Big Brown will compete for the first time since his disappointing last-place finish in the Belmont Stakes when he takes on six rival three-year-olds in the Grade I, $1 million Haskell Invitational Presented by Vonage at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J.

(Edited Del Mar report)

Lava Man, winner of Del Mar’s 2006 Pacific Classic and earner of $5,268,706, has been retired.

Steve Kenly of STD Racing Stable, co-owner of the 7-year-old gelded son of Slew City Slew with Jason Wood, made the announcement Wednesday. The decision was made following initial examinations at Alamo Pintado Equine Medical Center in Los Olivos, Calif., in the Santa Ynez Valley east of Santa Barbara.

(Edited Del Mar report)

Undefeated Zenyatta will try to run her winning streak to seven Saturday in the Grade 2, $300,000 Clement L. Hirsch Handicap for fillies and mares on the main track.

Eight others are scheduled to tackle the 4-year-old filly owned by Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Moss and trained by John Shirreffs in the 38th running of the 1 1/16-mile handicap. Zenyatta, winner of four straight graded stakes, is assigned high weight of 124 pounds, including Hall of…

(NTRA release)

Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner BIG BROWN resumes his much-anticipated summer campaign in Sunday’s $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park.

The Haskell will be shown live on ESPN Classic and ESPN News at 6 p.m. EDT.

Graham Ross
Arlington Park

French-bred Spirit One, a late-blossoming 4-year-old colt who gave European superstar Duke of Marmalade a super scare in France’s Group I Prix Ganay April 27, is being added to what is already the strongest group of European-based Arlington Million candidates in recent memory.

(Edited Del Mar report)

Stretch-running Street Boss confirmed his status as the West’s best sprinter Sunday with a stylish come-from-behind victory in the featured Grade I $300,000 Bing Crosby Handicap.

With David Flores in the saddle, Street Boss dropped back to last place in the early stages of the six-furlong dash, content to bide his time as the front-runners battled for command. Sent up widest of all on the stretch turn, Street Boss swept past his rivals with a blazing…

Ron Correll
Senior columnist

The Jim Dandy kicked off the second season for 3-year-olds and Macho Again stepped to the head of the class with a hard-fought neck win over Pyro in the mile-and-one-eighth race on Sunday at Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York.

Kat Kubib
 and Bob Hill
Tracksideview staff writers

Co-writers Kathryn Kubik and Bob Hill are offering their analyses and picks for Sunday’s Jim Dandy at Saratoga Race Course.  If you have ideas about the likely winners of these races, please feel free to add your comment.