Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird still needs medical clearance before he runs in Saturdays Travers Stakes.

Mine That Bird had minor throat surgery last week. Trainer Chip Woolley says he and the owners dont want to take any chances with the health of the 3-year-old gelding.

After Mine That Bird returned from a Tuesday morning workout at Saratoga Race Course, Woolley said his Derby winner was fine after being examined. Another exam will be done Wednesday morning, just before entries are taken for the Travers.

Others set to run in the $1 million race for 3-year-olds are Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird, Jim Dandy winner Kensei and Florida Derby winner Quality Road.

Trainers Amy Tarrant and Bruce Alexander have a friendly rivalry underway at Monmouth Park.
Neither will catch Bruce Levine, who holds a commanding lead in the quest for a second straight Monmouth training title. Further down the list, Tarrant and Alexander are neck and neck. At the end of last week, Alexander was 11th in the standings and held a 14-12 lead in wins.

We have this little rivalry going and its been fun, Tarrant said.

The gap could narrow or expand Thursday as both have a solid contender in the days $42,000 feature, a second-level $32,000 claimer on the turf at 1 1/16 miles.

Alexander will send out Liquid Amber, taking a class-drop back to the level he defeated earlier in the meet.

B B Frank is on a nice run for Tarrant since making the switch to grass for his last three races.

Add in Little Dovefeather, claimed two starts back by Patricia Farro from Alexander, and you have a highly competitive contest.

This is not precisely the race Tarrant wanted. She was hoping for another $30,000-$35,000 claimer, the level at which B B Frank has a win and close-up third in two tries at the meet. With all the rain this summer diminishing grass opportunities, and the Monmouth season heading toward the end-of-September finish, there arent a lot of spots left.

There arent a lot of choices for your horses at this time of the meet, Tarrant said. This race is coming up a tough one.

Leading rider Elvis Trujillo will be aboard the 4-year-old gelding who should show good speed from the rail. Tarrant, never a fan of post 1, hopes for the best with the horse, who she claimed for $62,500 at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 2, 2008.

The problem is you have to break sharp or you wind up behind everybody, Tarrant said. And you have to get a little away from the rail so youre not trapped there.

Liquid Amber has a history of Monmouth turf success, going 6-1-1 in 12 tries. He had no late response most recently when bumped up to a third-level optional claimer, running for a $70,000 claiming price. The price is more than cut in half for this spot, as Liquid Amber is in for $32,000.

Rachel Alexandra is taking on a new challenge: racing against older horses in a bid to become the first filly to win the Woodward Stakes.

After dominating the 3-year-old filly division with romps in the Kentucky Oaks and the Mother Goose, and beating the 3-year-old boys in the Preakness and the Haskell Invitational, Rachel Alexandra will run against older competition for the first time in the Sept. 5 race at Saratoga Race Course.

The decision was announced Monday by trainer Steve Asmussen following workouts by the filly and 3-year-old colt Kensei, both owned by Jess Jackson.

Asmussen said Kensei will run in Saturdays Travers Stakes, a race for 3-year-olds. The Woodward is for horses 3 years and older.

Rachel Alexander covered six furlongs in 1:12.58 while under stout restraint on Monday. Kensei, winner of the Jim Dandy Stakes in his most recent start, worked a half-mile in 50 seconds.

Rachel Alexandras workouts have been excellent, Jackson said in a statement. Hal McCormick (the minority partner), my family and I, like other fans of horse racing, want to see her tested. If she goes up against older male horses, well be better able to get a measure of her greatness.

Shortly after the announcement, the New York Racing Association said it had raised the purse for the 1 1/8th mile Woodward from $500,000 to $750,000.

Raising the Woodward purse will help attract a top field to what will be a historic race, said P.J. Campo, NYRA vice president and director of racing. In addition, we felt that to have a filly like Rachel Alexandra seeking to become the first ever female to win the Woodward warranted an increase in purse.

The filly has won eight races in a row and is the leading contender for Horse of the Year.

Silvercup Baby overtook heavily favored Dance Gal Dance a sixteenth-mile from the wire and won by a length in the $71,500 Union Avenue Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on Monday.

Javier Castellano rode the Carl Domino-trained Silvercup Baby in the Union Avenue, which was restricted to fillies and mares bred in New York. She ran 6 furlongs in 1:10.28 and paid $22.80, $6.20 and $4.10. Silvercup Baby paid $2.40 and $2.10 and Beam of Love, third of six, paid $3.30.

The 5-year-old Silvercup Baby earned $42,900 for owner Eric Brophy.

You Lift Me Up held off a hard-charging rally Sunday from favorite Hot n Dusty to win the $100,000 Solana Beach Handicap for California-bred or sired older fillies and mares by a half-length at Del Mar.

Ridden by Joel Rosario, You Lift Me Up covered one mile on the turf in 1:34.07 and paid $9.60, $4.20 and $2.60 in ending a seven-race losing streak this year.

Hot n Dusty returned $3.20 and $2.20 as the 2-1 wagering favorite and Bootleg Annie was another three-quarters of a length back in third and paid $3 to show.

The victory, worth $60,000, increased You Lift Me Ups career earnings to $333,815, with six wins in 25 starts.

Garrett Gomez rode four winners on the 10-race card.

Jockey Tyler Baze is expected to be sidelined for a week after breaking his finger when he was unseated by his mount at Del Mar, where he is the second-leading rider.

Baze is wearing a cast on his broken left pinky finger. His mount unseated him Saturday, then ran off and was scratched from the days final race.

Baze was scheduled to ride eight races Sunday and eight on Wednesday.

His agent says Baze will have to give up mounts on Monterey Jazz in the $300,000 Del Mar Mile on Aug. 29 and the $250,000 Del Mar Handicap on Aug. 30. Ron Ebanks hopes Baze will recover in time to ride Battle of Hastings in the $350,000 Del Mar Derby on Sept. 6.

Baze had been winning at a 17 percent clip and his mounts have earned more than $1.3 million.

Nehantic Kat rallied strongly in the stretch to win the $110,000 Yaddo Stakes by 1 1/2 lengths on the turf at Saratoga Race Course on Sunday.

Rajiv Maragh rode the Barclay Tagg-trained 6-year-old, who struck the lead in the final strides of the 1 1/8-mile Yaddo, which was restricted to fillies and mares bred in New York.
She covered the distance on a soft course in 1:53.08. Vivis Book finished second and Crazy Cat Lady was third of nine.

Nehantic Cat paid $7.80, $4.20 and $3.20. She earned $66,000 for her owner, the Statehouse Stable. Vivis Book paid $6.00 and $4.90. Crazy Cat Lady paid $5.40 to show.

Greeleys Conquest held off two graded-stakes winners in the final yards on Saturday night to win the $200,000 Remington Park Sprint Cup.

Under jockey Jamie Theriot, the 5-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Mr. Greeley moved past pacesetter EZ Dreamer and into the lead in the middle of the six-furlong race and won by a half-length over Sing Baby Sing, with Ravalo third by a nose. Greeleys Conquest went off at 6-1 odds and won in 1:08.79 on a fast track.

Sing Baby Sing won the Grade 3 Phoenix Stakes at Keeneland last year before running in the Breeders Cup Sprint in October. He hadnt raced since. Ravalo won the Grade 3 Maryland Sprint Handicap on the Preakness Stakes undercard at Pimlico.

Greeleys Conquest improved his record to seven wins in 21 starts. It was the horses first win in five starts this year for trainer Gary Thomas. The Millard Seldin Revocable Trust of Lexington, Ky., owns Greeleys Conquest.

Greeleys Conquest paid $15.80, $6.20 and $4.00. Sing Baby Sing paid $5.60 and $3.20, and Ravalo $2.80.

Jockey Rafael Bejarano is exercising horses in preparation for his return from a serious spill last month at Del Mar.

Bejarano showed up Saturday to work two horses a day earlier than he was expected to return. The jockey said, I feel good and it was good to be back up on horses.

Bejarano had several facial fractures in the spill on July 22 and later underwent surgery. He plans to wear a protective mask while riding in races, but not during morning workouts.

He said, Theres more danger of being hit by stuff while youre riding in a race.

Bejarano plans to ride his first races on Aug. 28.

Judge Joe and Broadway Bistro, an odds-on favorite and a 15-1 shot, won Saturday nights pair of $40,000 elimination races for Yonkers Raceways Yonkers Trot.

Judge Joe, the standout New York-bred 3-year-old colt, was a wire-to-wire winner in 1:58 3/5. Judge Joe was driven by Doug R. Ackerman for Doug Ackerman Stables and his father, trainer Doug Ackerman. He defeated Select Yankee, driven by Stephane Bouchard, by a head.

Judge Joe, a son of Credit Winner, returned $3.20 for his sixth win this season and 13th in 21 lifetime starts.

Longshot Broadway Bistro won the second elimination race, assuming the lead when prohibitive favorite The Chancellor broke stride nearing the three-quarter mile point.

Broadway Bistro, driven by Yonkers leading driver, Jason Bartlett, defeated Calchips Brute by one length in 1:58 1/5 for his second win in eight races this season. The son of Broadway Hall, trained by Jim Campbell, returned $33.80.

The other qualifiers for next Saturdays 55th Yonkers Trot are Neighsay Hanover, the filly Celebrity Athena, Citation Lindy and Truth in Action. The purse of the final is $670,774.