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Ole Crazy Bone, shown winning the 2025 Kentucky Turf Cup, runs for a Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" bid in Saturday's Grade I Christophe Clement Turf Stakes at Saratoga. Photo by Coady Media, courtesy of Kentucky Downs
Aug. 14 (UPI) -- Woodbine takes center stage in weekend racing with a six-stakes Saturday program that includes some foreign interest and some potential contenders for October's Breeders' Cup World Championships.
Saratoga hosts the weekend's Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" event-- the Christophe Clement Turf Stakes. And trainer Wesley Ward has two horses making their returns from visits to Royal Ascot.
Speaking of the international front, Bow Echo's march to emulate Frankel has come up short. The connections of the 3-year-old Night of Thunder colt announced Tuesday that an injury on the gallops has forced him to an early retirement.
He goes to his second career undefeated after six starts, including the 2,000 Guineas, the St James's Palace and the Sussex Stakes. The last to land all three of those Group 1 events in the same year? Frankel.
Who are the most relieved to have seen the last of Bow Echo? Answer: The Coolmore connections of Gstaad, who finished second in each of those three races.
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Program Trading, shown winning the 2026 United Nations at Monmouth Park, runs for a Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" bid in Saturday's Grade I Christophe Clement Turf Stakes at Saratoga. Photo courtesy of Monmouth Park
Bow Echo had been under consideration for Sunday's Group 1 Jacques le Marois at Deauville. Without him, the race still has plenty of potential with first-stage confirmations including Japan's Sixpence and Strauss, Aidan O'Brien's Precise and Puerto Rico, Power Blue, More Thunder and Zeus Olympios.
Also, the coming week brings York's iconic Ebor meeting -- one of the great gatherings on the British racing calendar in one of England's most beautiful settings. Breeders' Cup has blessed the meeting with four "Win and You're In" offerings. Stay tuned.
Meanwhile, back in North America:
Turf
The big bucks and lofty grade attracted some quality European competition for Saturday's $750,000 Grade I Christophe Clement Turf at Saratoga.
Ancient Egypt was runner-up in both the Group 2 King Edward VII and the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris in his last two starts, following an eighth-place showing in the Derby. The Frankel colt, trained by Charlie Johnston, totes the Amo Racing colors.
Fort George graded-stakes placed twice during the Dubai Carnival and makes his second U.S. start for trainer Ed Walker after a second in the Grade II Bowling Green.
Survie had a more modest Euro resume, but got home in front in his first U.S. start in the Grade II Glens Falls.
The all have to deal with the likes of Bowling Green winner Ole Crazy Bone and Grade II United Nations winner Program Trading. Miguel Clement, the late Christophe Clement's son and successful inheritor of the stable, saddles Tawny Port.
Friday's $150,000 Pennsylvania Governor's Cup at Penn National is a wide-open affair with seven entries, six of them quoted at single digits on the morning line. The 2-1 favorite is Bartlett, an ultra-consistent Not This Time gelding who has thrived on the Pennsylvania circuit.
Filly & mare turf
Kevin Attard took over training Eponine at Woodbine this season after her initial year in France and banked some money with a first- and second-place finish in well-endowed allowance races across the border at Saratoga.
The Tamayuz filly may find Saturday's $200,000 (Canadian) Grade II Canadian at Woodbine a tougher task. Among the opposition is Proctor Street, who returns the travel favor by visiting from Saratoga and ranks as the 2-1 favorite. Eponine is 5-2 on the line.
Turf mile
Saturday's $200,000 (Canadian) Grade II bet365 King Edward at Woodbine drew a tough field headed by last year's winner and Canadian champion grass male, Gas Me Up. He returns from a six-month rest.
Turf sprint
Outfielder returns from an unsuccessful visit to Royal Ascot as the even-money favorite in Sunday's $225,000 Grade III Mahoney for 3-year-olds at Saratoga.
The Speightstown colt, trained by Wesley Ward, has four wins from seven starts, but two of those losses came in the Breeders' Cup (too long, led and faded) and the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup at the Royal meeting. He finished 10th in that -- not as bad as it sounds, considering 22 ran and he was beaten by only 6 1/4 lengths.
Saturday's $200,000 Galway for 3-year-old fillies at Saratoga has Cadenza, third in both the Grade III Soaring Softly and the Grade III Coronation Cup in her last two starts. Triskelion won the Pea Patch at Ellis Park last time out.
Classic
Saturday's $1 million (Canadian) King's Plate for Canadian-bred 3-year-olds on the Woodbine all-weather features the winner of the Woodbine Oaks, Luster, in a field of 12.
The Knicks Go filly is 4-for-5 and rates as the even-money favorite, but faces the Oaks runner-up, Dixie Law, and several from the Plate Trial, including the winner, Highwaytothemoon.
Saturday's $150,000 Grade III Philip H. Iselin at Monmouth Park drew a quality field of six, including Bishops Bay, Chunk of Gold, Stars and Stripes and East Avenue.
Sprint
Western Whirl and Poulin in O T are the morning-line picks in Saturday's $175,000 (Canadian) Grade III Bold Venture on the Woodbine all-weather course, but Awesome Bourbon and Bourbon Thirty seem like a natural exacta combo for hunch players.
Filly & mare sprint
Sweet Azteca looks for a three-peat in Sunday's $100,000 Grade III Rancho Bernardo at Del Mar. The lightly raced 6-year-old mare has won eight of 10 starts, including the 2024 and 2025 editions. In her last start, she completed a similar triple in the Grade II Great Lady M Stakes at Los Alamitos.
Marathon
Stars and Stripes took an inside path the second time down the stretch in Thursday's $200,000, 1 3/4-mile Birdstone Stakes at Saratoga, worked through some narrow openings and prevailed by a nose over the favorite, Parchment Party. Both are trained by Bill Mott.
Stars and Stripes, a 4-year-old Not This Time colt, finished in 2:57.90 with Luis Saez aboard. He won the Grade III Ben Ali at Keeneland in Apri,l but finished eighth in his last start, the Grade II Suburban.
Juvenile
Through the Years, a Wesley Ward-trained No Nay Never filly, goes against the boys as the 2-1 favorite in a field of eight in Saturday's $150,000 (Canadian) Soaring Free on the Woodbine all-weather. She faded in the final furlong to finish sixteenth in the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot in her last start.
Saturday's $100,000 Prairie Meadows Freshman has a field of 11 and looks quite competitive.
Juvenile fillies
Ghost Me is 2-for-2 with a win in the local My Dear Stakes. She stretches out to 6 1/2 furlongs as the 5-2 favorite in Saturday's $150,000 Catch a Glimpse on the Woodbine all-weather.
Friday's $100,000 Prairie Meadows Debutante has 12 to go with undefeated Prairie Gold Lassie winner Wild Vekoma the 5-2 favorite.
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