Is Third Time the Charm?

There will be no more excuses after today for Beautiful Pleasure. The 1999 Eclipse Award winner as the top older filly or mare in the country, Beautiful Pleasure will make her third start this year for owner John Oxley and trainer John Ward in the $400,000 Personal Ensign Handicap at Saratoga. In her first two races of 2001, Beautiful Pleasure, who finished last year with consecutive defeats, has finished seventh in the Hempstead Handicap, a Grade I at Belmont Park, and fifth in the Go For Wand, another Grade I, on July 29 at Saratoga. Ward has said she wasn’t totally fit for those races, but he expects the 6-year-old mare to be at her best this afternoon. The winner of last year’s Personal Ensign by five lengths, Beautiful Pleasure, who has won 10 of 23 lifetime and earned more than $2.65 million, will break from the inside post in the field of seven. She also will be seeking her fourth win in seven starts at Saratoga. Rounding out the field are Under The Rug, Critical Eye, Catch The Ring, Irving’s Baby, Pompeii and Serra Lake, who won the Go For Wand for her fourth victory in her last five starts for trainer Shug McGaughey.

Race of the day: Like Beautiful Pleasure, Feverish is a 6-year-old mare trying to rebound. The daughter of Pirate’s Bounty, who has run in five consecutive graded stakes, will try easier company in the $75,000-added Piedra Foundation Handicap, today’s main event at Del Mar. Owned by Pam and Marty Wygod and trained by Dan Hendricks, Feverish is 0 for 5 in those races and will be looking for her first win since taking the Paseana Handicap more than seven months ago at Santa Anita. She is the 8-5 second choice on the morning line behind 7-5 favorite Queenie Belle, who will be running for the first time since finishing third in the El Encino Handicap on Jan. 21.

Who’s hot: Bob Baffert. He added to his lead in the trainer standings with three victories on Wednesday and Point Given will be heavily favored Saturday to give him his first win in the $1-million Travers Stakes at Saratoga.

Who’s not: Luis Jauregui. The jockey is winless at Del Mar. In fact, he rode his last winner locally June 30 at Hollywood Park, Lady George, a 2-year-old filly.

Exotically speaking: A pick three using Shabab and Brite Reality in the third, Forward March and Painted Avenue in the fourth and singling It’s My Secret in the fifth.