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    Behind the Lens: Bill Denver

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    • SARATOGA SPRINGS – The first six days of Saratoga have been hot. As in really hot. Blast furnace type hot. Trainers have felt it. Jockeys. Patrons. New York Racing Association executives. Parking attendants. Everybody. And, of course, the horses. But the stars of the show have been watched very carefully by those entrusted to take care of them. Some horses, like people, can't stand the heat. “Some horses can be extreme sweaters,” trainer Gary Contessa said on yet another steamy Saratoga morning on Thursday outside his barn at the Oklahoma Training Track. “Horses can struggle in this weather. Some come back and just don't cool out. You get them back in the stall and they start sweating again.” Other horses, Contessa said, don't pay the heat no mind. Trainer Dale Romans said the key is to cool horses down as quick as possible. He also keeps an eye on the thermometer when making his entries. Tap Into This gets hosed | Sarah Andrew “If I have a horse that I knew could not handle it, it would definitely make me think about scratching,” he said at his barn on the Saratoga backstretch. “The weather has not been the best; the worst thing it does is affect my golf game!” The key is keeping the Thoroughbreds hydrated and that is a major priority in weather like this. Just about every horse has a fan in his or her stall. All precautions are taken. According to Christina Speciale, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Albany, the average temperature for the first six days of the meet has been 88 degrees. Heat indexes have made that feel much warmer. She said that, so far during July, the average temperature has been nearly five degrees higher than usual. But there is good news. Friday promises to be much more comfortable. “When you wake up, you will be like, 'wow, someone flipped the switch,” she said. “The humidity will be gone. We are going to get a little break.” But not for long. Speciale said that by the end of next few weeks, we'll be back in the steam bath as temperatures are predicted to be in the high 80s to low 90s.   Mullikin Arrives, Set For A.G. Vanderbilt There were options for trainer Rodolphe Brisset. In the end, he decided that the best one would be for Mullikin (Violence) to run in Saturday's GII Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap at Saratoga. The 5-year-old, owned by WinStar Farm LLC, could have headed to California for the GI Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar, which, like the Vanderbilt, is run at six furlongs. A third option was to have Mullikin sit them both out and defend his title in the GI Forego Stakes at seven furlongs at Saratoga Aug. 23, Travers Day. Mullikin goes to school at the Spa | Sarah Andrew Mullikin arrived in Saratoga on Wednesday from Brisset's Kentucky base at Keeneland and galloped a mile on the Oklahoma Training Track Thursday morning. The decision to go in the Vanderbilt was simple enough for the trainer. He has another horse, the 4-year-old 'TDN Rising Star' World Record (Gun Runner), who he is pointing to the Crosby. “Everything was up in the air until last week,” Brisset said outside his Oklahoma barn Thursday morning. “One of them was going to go to the Crosby. [Mullikin] is doing really good and he only has two races this year. I want to run him at six furlongs here and get a little more speed into him. I have the luxury of having two good horses in the sprint division and I want to keep them separated.” Mullikin finished second in his last start, the GIII True North Stakes at Saratoga June 7–1 1/4 lengths behind Book 'em Danno (Bucchero)–who is the 5-2 morning-line favorite in the Vanderbilt. Mullikin is the 7-2 second choice. In his other start this year, he was fifth–beaten 1 1/4 lengths by Mindframe (Constitution) in the GI Churchill Downs Stakes. Both those races came over sloppy tracks. For his career, Mullikin has five wins, five seconds and a third in 13 starts. “He is a dream horse to train,” Brisset said. “Easy go be around and does all we ask and always shows up. We know he loves the track here.” Jose Ortiz will ride Mullikin for the first time. Flavien Prat who has ridden Mullikin in six of his last eight starts is at Monmouth on Saturday.   It Seems Like It's Always Game Day For Englehart After saddling Sacred Goddess (Kantharos) to win Thursday's sixth race, trainer Jeremiah Englehart's day was just starting. He hopped in the car and headed for the nearby town of Cambridge, about 24 miles away, to watch one of his boys play in a youth baseball tournament. The Englehart squad in the winner's circle | Sarah Andrew Then, back in the car for a nine-mile trip to the town of Greenwich in the hopes of catching the last three of four innings of another son's game. All summer long, it's rinse and repeat for Englehart. When the kids have games, you can be darn sure dad is going to be there whenever he can. Here's the lineup: daughter Raelyn, the oldest, will be a sophomore at Schuylerville High School this fall. She plays lacrosse, basketball and soccer. Twins Anna (lacrosse, basketball and soccer) and CJ (football, basketball and baseball) are heading into the eighth grade. Eli, on his way to seventh grade, is busy with football, basketball, baseball and lacrosse. Finally, fourth grader Jax, has the same sports resume as brother Eli. Papa Englehart and wife Robin do their best to get to all of the summer games. Last weekend, Jeremiah scooted up to Vermont to watch a lacrosse tournament. “My parents always did a real good job of making sure they were there for us,” Englehart said Thursday. “I set up my barn where I can try to get away when I can. Being there and being present is extremely important because we are raising future generations, and I want them to know it is going to be important for them to be there for their kids.” Next weekend will be a tough call, Englehart will be saddling Mo Plex (Complexity) in the GII Jim Dandy Stakes. The kids have games to play. Here's the rub. The kids would rather be at the track watching the big horse. “My kids really enjoy the horse racing, especially this time of year because of Saratoga,” Englehart said. “They want to be out every day. But it won't be up to them until they are 18. As they get older, and get more competitive, it will be a lot more of like, 'let's go play!” The post Saratoga Notebook, Presented By NYRA Bets: The Heat Has Been On, But Relief Is On The Way appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
    • Dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse reflects on winning his 4,000th career race, which he accomplished with It's Witchcraft taking the 11th race at Colonial Downs July 17.View the full article
    • Total racing wagering turnover for the season was HK$138.85 billion, representing a 3.0% increase on the 2023/24 season. View the full article
    • Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse will aim for his fifth win in the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks at Woodbine Racetrack July 20, where he brings a five-horse contingent to the 1 1/8 mile race over the all-weather track. View the full article
    • Wesley Ward will send out the talented Kehoe Beach to tango with the boys for the first time in nine starts in the July 20 CA$175,000 Connaught Cup Stakes (G2T) at Woodbine.View the full article
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