It’s a Case of Touch and No Go

DEL MAR — Owner Frank Stronach and trainer Dave Hofmans may win the $750,000 Travers next Saturday at Saratoga, but it won’t be with Touch Gold.

The nation’s top active 3-year-old, who was impressive in winning the Belmont Stakes and Haskell Invitational in his last two starts, will skip the Travers because of problems with his troublesome left front foot, originally injured when he stumbled badly at the start of the Preakness.

Instead, Touch Gold is tentatively scheduled to make his next start in the $1-million Pegasus Handicap on Sept. 20 at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J. He will return to California from Saratoga on Monday.

In Touch Gold’s absence, Stronach and Hofmans will be represented in the Travers by Awesome Again, who has won three of his four lifetime starts, including the Queen’s Plate at Woodbine and the Jim Dandy earlier this month at Saratoga.

Hofmans, who was at Saratoga on Friday to oversee a work by Touch Gold that never took place, had originally said the son of Deputy Minister would run in the Travers and Awesome Again would go in the Pegasus.

“I didn’t like the way the hoof looked after his gallop [Friday morning],” Hofmans said. “We put a bar shoe on five days before and there had been some [hoof] growth and we felt good about it, but it looked like there were starting to be some pockets of infection forming.

“We’ll point him to the Pegasus, but that’s only a possibility right now. We’re not going to run him until we’re satisfied that the foot is better.”

Defeated in his first start at Hollywood Park going seven furlongs, Awesome Again won when sent long in his next race, then was dominant in both the Queen’s Plate and Jim Dandy. He worked six furlongs in 1:14 flat Friday morning at Saratoga.

Others considered probable for the 1 1/4-mile Travers are Behrens, Affirmed Success, Blazing Sword and Cryptocloser.

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On paper, Score Quick looked like the horse to catch in Saturday’s $108,200 Pat O’Brien Handicap.

When the 5-year-old Northern Score horse stumbled at the start of the seven-furlong race, jockey Gary Stevens decided to seize the opportunity with 9-1 shot Tres Paraiso.

At the finish, the 5-year-old Honest Pleasure gelding was still in front, holding off 3-1 second choice High Stakes Player to win by half a length in 1:21 2/5.

Owned and bred by Ernest Auerbach and trained by Darrell Vienna, Tres Paraiso won for the sixth time in 15 starts and was helped by the slow early fractions (22 4/5 and 45 3/5 for the half-mile) and a track that was kind to horses close to the pace all day.

Gold Land, the longest shot in the field of seven at 11-1, was third, three-quarters of a length behind High Stakes Player, then came 5-2 favorite Boundless Moment, First Intent, Elmhurst and Score Quick.

This was the second win in three starts for Tres Paraiso this year. He won a stakes restricted to California-breds last month at Hollywood Park after finishing eighth in a field of 11 in the Triple Bend Handicap.

“He really ran home hard [on July 20] the last three-eighths when he won and he fired big the last three-eighths today too,” said Stevens after his fifth stakes win of the 22-day-old meeting. “When Score Quick didn’t come out of there that well, it went our way. He was game today, extra game.”

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Looking for her fourth consecutive stakes victory and sixth win in nine starts since being claimed by trainer Barry Abrams for $40,000 on Jan. 31, Famous Digger is the 9-5 favorite against nine other 3-year-old fillies in today’s $250,000 Del Mar Oaks.

Successful in the San Clemente Handicap three weeks ago, the daughter of Quest For Fame will be ridden by regular jockey Brice Blanc and break from post 2. All entries will carry 121 pounds in the 1 1/8-mile Grade I race.

Golden Arches, a recent purchase by trainer Ron McAnally for owner Sid Craig, is the 3-1 second choice and will break from the rail in her American debut. In her last start in France on July 20, she won a Group III race by half a length. She has won two of seven overall and Chris McCarron will ride.

The rest of the field includes Sagasious, See You Soon, Cozy Blues, Merry Krisoke, Lets Get Cozzy, Swearingen, Numero Uno and Green Jewel.

Horse Racing Notes

Runup The Colors ran her winning streak to five and earned her first graded stakes victory by 1 1/4 lengths over favored Ajina in the $250,000 Alabama at Saratoga. Ridden by Jerry Bailey for trainer Neil Howard and owner Will Farish, the 3-year-old daughter of A.P. Indy stalked the slow pace set by Ajina and drew clear in the final yards to win in 2:02 1/5 for the 1 1/4 miles. Runup The Colors was the third-betting choice at 3-1. Ajina, who was seeking her third consecutive Grade I victory, finished 3 1/2 lengths clear of 5-2 second choice Tomisue’s Delight, then came Timely Broad, Salt It and Seek The Power. . . . Favored Double Honor, ridden by Joe Bravo for trainer Wayne Lukas and owner Prince Ahmed Salman, won the $200,000 Sapling at Monmouth Park . . . Jockeys Chris McCarron and Michael Hunter both won twice at Del Mar, as did trainers Doug Peterson and Darrell Vienna.