Thu, 06/06/2013 - 12:42

Assiniboia Downs: Lil Missknowitall seeks fourth straight win in La Verendrye Stakes

Lil Missknowitall, a romping, odds-on winner of the May 18 allowance prep for the La Verendrye Stakes, will look to double up in the main event at Assiniboia Downs on Saturday evening.

The $30,000 La Verendrye, a six-furlong race for fillies and mares, attracted a field of nine and will go as the seventh of eight races.

Lil Missknowitall, claimed for $8,000 from a winning effort at Oaklawn Park this April, doubled up in a stakes at Fonner Park and recorded her third straight win when making her Assiniboia Downs debut May 18.

Thu, 06/06/2013 - 12:34

Northlands Park: L. A. Weekend the one to catch in Journal Handicap

Coady Photography
L. A. Weekend wins the Coyote Handicap at Turf Paradise on March 23.

L. A. Weekend will put his considerable speed on display when he tackles a star-studded field in the $50,000 Journal Handicap at Northlands Park on Saturday. The six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up drew eight horses, including Commander, who hasn’t lost at Northlands and was voted the champion older horse in Alberta last year.

Thu, 06/06/2013 - 12:30

Hastings: Vinoterra looks primed for big race in Saturday feature

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Vinoterra figures to take a big step forward when she makes her second start at the meet in a first-level allowance race for fillies and mares that will serve as Saturday’s feature at Hastings. The 6 1/2-furlong sprint drew seven horses and goes as race 4 on the seven-race card, which begins at 1:50 p.m. Pacific.

Thu, 06/06/2013 - 11:50

Woodbine: Biamonte sends out two in Bold Ruckus three-peat bid

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Ralph Biamonte will try to win the $125,000 Bold Ruckus Stakes for the third year in a row Saturday at Woodbine, when he runs Click and Canuspellpatience in the six-furlong turf sprint for Ontario-sired 3-year-olds.

Click blew away maidens at first asking last June 21. Nine days later, he was softened up in a wicked speed duel and wound up fifth in the ultra-tough Clarendon Stakes, which was won by the future divisional champion Uncaptured.

Thu, 06/06/2013 - 08:54

Indiana Downs: Unreachable Star, Ms. Smitty win Wednesday stakes

Unreachable Star, under Marlon St. Julien, made an impressive move in the stretch and ran down his 10 Indiana-sired opponents to win the $89,250 William Henry Harrison at Indiana Downs Wednesday evening. In the other stakes on the card, Ms. Smitty came from just off the pace to take the $88,000 Shelby County against Indiana-sired fillies and mares.

Wed, 06/05/2013 - 17:20

Lone Star Park: Lasting Bubbles back on dirt for Friday allowance

Lasting Bubbles will return to Lone Star Park’s main track, where she is 2 for 2, in Friday night’s fourth race. The second-level allowance race for fillies and mares will be run at six furlongs. The race has a field of six, including 13-time winner Miss Oops.

Lasting Bubbles made a rare turf appearance last month at Lone Star in the $50,000 Lane’s End Stallion Scholarship Stakes, a 7 1/2-furlong race in which she missed by a nose. She found herself farther off the pace than usual after she did not break sharply.

Wed, 06/05/2013 - 17:16

Retama Park: First meet under Pinnacle Entertainment begins Friday

Retama Park near San Antonio opens a 20-date meet for Quarter Horses on Friday night, its first season under Pinnacle Entertainment, the Las Vegas-based company that completed its acquisition of a majority interest in the track on Jan. 30.

In a $22.8 million deal, Pinnacle, which owns River Downs in Ohio and seven casinos in Louisiana, Missouri, and Indiana, acquired a 75.5 percent stake in Retama.

Wed, 06/05/2013 - 17:05

Hollywood Park: Midnight Lucky eyes Prioress at Saratoga

Barbara D. Livingston
Midnight Lucky won the Sunland Park Oaks in her stakes debut in March.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Midnight Lucky, the winner of the Grade 1 Acorn Stakes at Belmont Park on May 27, will run in the $300,000 Prioress Stakes for 3-year-old fillies over six furlongs at Saratoga on July  27, trainer Bob Baffert said.

Midnight Lucky has won 3 of 4 starts and $362,100. She won the Sunland Park Oaks in her stakes debut in March, but was fifth in the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs on May 3.

Wed, 06/05/2013 - 16:53

Hollywood Park: Chew, Litt going for first graded wins

Shigeki Kikkawa
Lucky Primo, winner of the California Cup Classic last October, will start Saturday in the $200,000 Charles Whittingham Handicap.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Becky Lou and Lucky Primo could provide trainers Matt Chew and Joshua Litt with milestone wins at Betfair Hollywood Park on Saturday – their first graded stakes wins.

Chew, 52, recalls winning stakes on the Northern California fair circuit in the 1980s. Litt, 43, has won two stakes for California-breds in recent years.

Wed, 06/05/2013 - 16:46

Belmont Park: Soft turf in Manhattan won't deter Point of Entry

Barbara D. Livingston
Point of Entry, scratched from the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic due to soft turf at Churchill Downs, is being pointed to the Manhattan.

ELMONT, N.Y. – After having scratched out of the Grade 1 Woodford Reserve due to less than firm turf, trainer Shug McGaughey said that Point of Entry would run in Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Manhattan at Belmont Park regardless of course condition.

There is a forecast for rain Friday, carrying over into Saturday morning.

“Obviously, I’m a little concerned, but he’s going to run anyway,” McGaughey said Wednesday.

McGaughey said that 1 1/4 miles at Belmont is a different type of race than 1 1/8 miles at Churchill, where the Woodford Reserve was run.