ARCADIA, Calif. - The 3-year-old debut of Action This Day, the 2003 Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner, has been postponed from Saturday's $150,000 Santa Catalina Stakes at Santa Anita to the $75,000 Sham Stakes on Feb. 7, at the earliest.
Trainer Richard Mandella on Sunday said that he was not satisfied with the way Action This Day had performed in recent workouts. Sunday, Action This Day worked five furlongs in 59.80 seconds, which tied for the 10th fastest of 74 recorded works at the distance.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Ticker Tape trailed so badly on the backstretch of the Grade 3 Miesque Stakes at Hollywood Park on Nov. 28 that she seemed to lose touch with the field. Behind by 24 lengths with a half-mile remaining, Ticker Tape produced a remarkable rally to finish second in her first start in the United States.
When Ticker Tape returns in Wednesday's $75,000 Blue Norther Stakes at Santa Anita, trainer Jim Cassidy and jockey Kent Desormeaux are determined not to spot the other seven 3-year-old fillies in the field that much ground early.
Out-of-state handle on Gulfstream Park's signal has dropped 14 percent this year compared to last year through the first seven days of the meet, a sign that Gulfstream's aggressive new policy of policing who has access to its signal has so far had a negative impact on wagering.
Representatives of Mountaineer Park and its horsemen reached an agreement on Saturday on a three-year purse contract, ending a dispute that cost the track four days of live racing.
The new agreement calls for 228 days of live racing in 2004, according to the track and horsemen. Horsemen were seeking 232 live racing dates, and the track was attempting to run 210 live racing days.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - A pick six carryover of $270,411 adds spice to an otherwise ordinary Wednesday card at Aqueduct.
With questionable favorites, full fields, and falling temperatures, the degree of difficulty seems high for hitting the pick six, which could have a pool exceeding $700,000.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - If entries for Saturday's Aqueduct Handicap had been taken Monday, Evening Attire's name would not have passed through the entry box.
Trainer Pat Kelly and part owner Joseph Grant were not happy about Evening Attire's 122-pound weight assignment for the Grade 3, $100,000 Aqueduct and are inclined to keep him out of the nine-furlong race. Of course, they have until Thursday to change their minds.
ALBANY, Calif. - Merv Griffin, the creator of the game show "Jeopardy," hasn't even reached "double jeopardy" yet, but after his Skipaslew won the Grade 3 Golden Gate Derby on Saturday, he proclaimed, "We're on the path!"
It's the time of year for owners of stakes-winning 3-year-olds to dream of roses and the first Saturday in May in Kentucky.
Trainer Doug O'Neill is a bit more realistic, perhaps because Skipaslew may not be the best 3-year-old in his barn.
ALBANY, Calif. - Golden Gate Fields offers a race program Wednesday that looks more like a weekend card than a midweek one.
The feature is a $50,000 optional claiming sprint that includes four American stakes winners - one of them, Debonair Joe, a Grade 1 winner. And those four could simply be running for second money.
Also on the card, Smoke Till Dawn will make his first start since he set a track record for six furlongs, and Mazurka Danzer, a half-brother to Kentucky Derby runner-up Cavonnier, makes his debut in a split of a 3-year-old maiden race.
Sunland Park, N.M.- The $50,000-added Winsham Lad Handicap turned sour as favored This Cat's for You broke down on the far turn while racing on the lead.
Streak of Royalty, ridden by Ricardo Jaime, inherited the lead after the breakdown and held off the late bid of Komax to win the mile race in near-track record time of 1:35.56.
The two horses who made up the uncoupled entry from the barn of Steve Asmussen, Easyfromthegitgo and Compendium, both ran lackluster races, finishing seventh and eighth.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Hosco continues to defy expectations. A former maiden claimer, Hosco won his stakes debut in Sunday's $108,100 at Santa Anita, leading throughout to score a one-length victory in the sprint.
The victory left owners Rod and Lorraine Rodriguez and trainer Doug O'Neill wondering if Hosco can be effective in longer races in coming months.
"He doesn't act like a horse that wants to go two turns, but before he ran he didn't act like a horse that would win three in a row," O'Neill said.