COLUMBUS, Neb. – A stakes doubleheader highlights the final Saturday of the Columbus meet with divisions of the $15,000 Columbus Breeders’ Special going six furlongs offered for 3-year-old Nebraska-bred fillies and for colts and geldings.
Saturday’s post time has been moved up to 2 p.m. as the Nebraska Cornhuskers open the football season that evening against Wyoming. The meet closes out a 16-day run on Labor Day with post time at 2 p.m.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – In another September, horsemen and fans in Kentucky would be looking ahead this week to the opening of the Turfway Park fall meet. The northern Kentucky track was a vibrant place in its heyday. Ontrack fans enjoyed warm evenings outdoors, and the Kentucky Cup series occupied a prominent spot on the national calendar.
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Ju Ju Eyeballs could be vulnerable in the Miss Woodford Stakes when she lays a five-race winning streak on the line.
The Miss Woodford at six furlongs on the main track and the Twin Lights, 1 1/8 miles on the turf, are the $60,000 features for 3-year-old fillies on Saturday at Monmouth Park.
The unusual name comes from a Beatles’ lyric in the song “Come Together”: “Here come old flattop. He come grooving up slowly. He got juju eyeball.”
Her groove has been anything but slow since the claim by Jason Servis for $15,000 in December at Gulfstream Park.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Two-time champion Roxy Gap makes her second start off an extended layoff at Woodbine on Saturday, when she squares off against a sharp Nikkis Smartypants over seven furlongs in the Grade 3, $150,000 Seaway Stakes.
Roxy Gap won Sovereign Awards as Canada’s champion female sprinter and champion older female in 2012, during which she won 3 of 9 starts and $523,173. She beat a quality field in the Grade 3 Royal North Stakes, but her best effort may have come in the Grade 2 Nassau Stakes, in which she ran second to Marketing Mix over soft turf.
RACE 1
6 Furlongs
Law Enforcement Stakes (NY-Breds)
2-year-olds
Purse $100,000
1. FREE MUGATU (Utopia - Thunder Babe, by Appealing Skier)
Although outsprinted early over a sealed, sloppy track, this colt came with a professional run to overwhelm the pacesetters; altered course to the inside in midstretch and picked them up without much fuss; must break from a tough inside post, but should get some speed to attack once again; not out of this with normal 2nd-out improvement.
Facey's Spirit led from start to finish to win the $89,300 Merrillville for Indiana-bred fillies and mares at Indiana Downs Wednesday evening. One race later, Prince of Time won the $85,000 Brickyard for statebred 3-year-olds and up.
Trained by Chris Dorris and ridden by C.C. Lopez, Facey's Spirit dug in late to win the six-furlong Merrillville by a half-length. Dreamin Big closed late for trainer Mike Lauer to finish second, 3 1/2 lengths in front of Hoosier Honey, a late-charging third.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Fort Larned, last year's Breeders' Cup Classic winner, will scratch from Saturday's Grade 1, $750,000 Woodward Stakes at Saratoga due to a hind end issue, trainer Ian Wilkes said Thursday.
Wilkes said he didn't like the way Fort Larned looked coming off the track following a Thursday morning gallop.
[SARATOGA 2013: Complete meet coverage, exclusive DRF videos]
Smash and Grab, returning six days after he was beaten as the 1-5 favorite in a half-mile allowance sprint at Timonium, handled the stretch out to a mile to win Thursday’s off-the-turf, $51,100 Nick Shuk Memorial Stakes at Delaware Park.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Not long after Lexie Lou took the Muskoka Stakes by disqualification, owner/trainer John Ross won his second $200,000 stakes on Wednesday night at Woodbine with favored Go Greeley in the Simcoe.
Go Greeley ($6.20) stalked the pace along the inside on the turn under Eurico Rosa Da Silva as Spin the King set moderate fractions in the 6 1/2-furlong sprint for 2-year-old males.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario — Lexie Lou won the $200,000 Muskoka Stakes on Wednesday night at Woodbine after the controversial disqualification of favored On Rainbow Bridge.
On Rainbow Bridge and Lexie Lou both came wide to link up on the lead early in the stretch of the 6 1/2-furlong dash for 2-year-old fillies. On Rainbow Bridge, under apprentice Skye Chernetz, gamely held off Lexie Lou while drifting out to prevail by a nose in 1:16.87.
