Mon, 09/16/2013 - 16:32

Churchill Downs notes: Nine entered for Dogwood Stakes

Barbara D. Livingston
Grade 1 winner So Many Ways, who won the Eight Belles at Churchill in May, will try for her second win of the year against eight others in the Dogwood on Saturday.

A field of nine 3-year-old fillies has been entered for the weekend feature at Churchill Downs, the Grade 3, $100,000 Dogwood Stakes on Saturday. Sky Girl, a recent private purchase for the Alpha Delta Stables, will make her first start for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott when breaking from post 1 in the seven-furlong race.

So Many Ways, winner of the Grade 3 Eight Belles and most recently fourth in the Grade 1 Test at Saratoga, is the likely Dogwood favorite. She will be ridden by Miguel Mena from post 4.

Mon, 09/16/2013 - 15:59

Kentucky Downs: Handle up after favorites dominate Saturday

kentuckydowns.com
A vast field behind Kentucky Downs’s main building is part of what gives the track its unique feel.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Favorites won nine of 10 races Saturday on the biggest day of the abbreviated Kentucky Downs meet, perhaps partly accounting for why the turf-only track in south central Kentucky was up 50 percent in all-sources handle versus the corresponding date in 2012.

Mon, 09/16/2013 - 15:20

Belmont Park: Pick-six races feature $176,813 carryover, large fields, few singles

Barbara D. Livingston
Image of Noon is a potential single as pick-six bettors chase a $176,813 carryover Wednesday at Belmont Park.

ELMONT, N.Y. – The pick six was not hit over the weekend at Belmont Park, resulting in a carryover of $176,813 heading into Wednesday’s card.

Life doesn’t get any easier for pick-six players, with large fields in all races – only one race has fewer than nine betting interests before scratches – five of which are scheduled for the turf. After some light showers Monday morning, pristine conditions were expected Tuesday and Wednesday, with temperatures near 70 degrees and no rain.

Mon, 09/16/2013 - 14:40

Woodbine: Da Silva piling up the stakes wins

Michael Burns
Forte Dei Marmi (No. 2) beats stablemate Perfect Timber by a neck in the Grade 1 Northern Dancer Turf on Sunday.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Eurico Rosa Da Silva did not have mounts in Sunday’s Woodbine Mile or Canadian Stakes. But Da Silva took care of the other two stakes on the program, capturing the Grade 1, $315,600 Northern Dancer Turf with Forte Dei Marmi and the Grade 3, $171,900 Ontario Derby with His Race to Win.

“Yesterday definitely was very special,” said Da Silva, who was here to breeze horses for clients Monday. “It was the first time I’ve won a Grade 1 here at Woodbine.”

Mon, 09/16/2013 - 14:08

Kentucky Downs: Derby second Golden Soul tries turf against full field

Barbara D. Livingston
Kentucky Derby runner-up Golden Soul returns to first-level allowance spot Wednesday at Kentucky Downs, trying turf for the first time.

Dallas Stewart has heard the criticism in regard to his handling of Golden Soul. “They” say he should have settled for getting the colt through an allowance condition or two before overstepping his bounds in Grade 1 races such as the Haskell and Travers. Golden Soul was not a factor in either.

Still, Stewart laughs when recalling what some of these same people might have been saying after Golden Soul finished second at 34-1 behind Orb in the May 4 Kentucky Derby.

“I was hearing how smart I was after the Derby,” he said.

Mon, 09/16/2013 - 13:47

Woodbine: Wise Dan eyes Shadwell Turf Mile as final Breeders' Cup prep

Michael Burns
Wise Dan became the first two-time winner of the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile on Sunday, prevailing by 3 1/2 lengths under John Velazquez.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Wise Dan, winner of the 2012 Woodbine Mile, was hailed as a conquering hero well before the field of six went to the post for Sunday’s Grade 1, $1 million Woodbine Mile. And, fortunately for the faithful, the 6-year-old version of Wise Dan proved to be as good or better than the one previously seen here as he cruised to a 3 1/2-length victory in a track-record time of 1:31.75 under regular rider John Velazquez.

Mon, 09/16/2013 - 13:17

Woodbine: Colleen’s Sailor takes a step back to find victory

Michael Burns
Colleen's Sailor, who ran in all three legs of the Canadian Triple Crown last year, will take a step back when he starts in a $40,000 conditioned claimer going seven furlongs Wednesday.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Colleen’s Sailor gets some noteworthy class relief in the third race Wednesday night at Woodbine, in a $40,000 conditioned claimer going seven furlongs on the Polytrack.

Colleen’s Sailor had a productive 3-year-old campaign last year, under the guidance of Roger Attfield. He ran in all three legs of the Canadian Triple Crown, finishing fourth in the Queen’s Plate, third in the Prince of Wales Stakes, and then 12th in the Breeders’ Stakes on the grass.

Mon, 09/16/2013 - 12:53

Northlands Park: Aces Again goes for three in a row

Aces Again will be gunning for his third straight win in a $25,000 optional claimer that will serve as Wednesday’s feature at Northlands Park. The 6 1/2-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up drew six horses, and the versatile Aces Again has never been better.

Mon, 09/16/2013 - 12:44

Barretts at Fairplex: Drill conceding weight to rivals in Governor's Cup Handicap

Shigeki Kikkawa
Grade 1 winner Drill will concede 4 to 14 pounds to his rivals in the Governor’s Cup on Wednesday.

POMONA, Calif. – Good money is on the line during a twilight card Wednesday at the Los Angeles County Fair, where horsemen and horseplayers can take aim at higher-than-normal pots.

The purse for the Governor’s Cup Handicap was boosted from $50,000 to $75,000 and attracted a full field, and a pick-six carryover of $25,384 is at stake on races 5-10. First post is 4 p.m. Pacific.

The purse boost for the Governor’s Cup, race 9, was intended to help restore the race to its former status as one of the most intriguing stakes at the Los Angeles County Fair.

Mon, 09/16/2013 - 11:06

Golden Gate Fields: Vallejo to serve 30-day suspension

Trainer Genaro Vallejo was handed a 90-day suspension, fined $3,000, and placed on probation for one year Sunday by stewards at Golden Gate Fields.

The ruling stemmed from a positive test for zilpaterol, a Class 1 drug, on Red Dwarf, who won the seventh race at Golden Gate Fields on April 12, 2012. Red Dwarf was disqualified, and Stroll for Us is now the winner.