EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Dennis Manning, the trainer of Valid Video, returned from his first trip to California with mixed feelings.
Manning appreciated the hospitality of the Breeders' Cup staff at Santa Anita. But he said that an injury to Valid Video's left stifle, suffered in the Breeders' Cup Sprint, denied the 3-year-old gelding the opportunity to show his talent.
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Highweight and likely favorite Urban King is set for Saturday's Grade 3 Bay Meadows Derby, according to Humberto Ascanio, top assistant to Urban King's trainer, Bobby Frankel.
An Irish-bred colt, Urban King has run five times since arriving in the United States and has two seconds and three thirds, all in stakes.
"One of these days, he's going to run a big one," Ascanio said from the Frankel barn at Hollywood Park. "I think the course up there will help him when he makes his late run."
Last year, the slots-rich Delta Downs wanted to attract attention and get the racing industry to think of it as a major track, so it introduced the $500,000 Delta Jackpot. That having been accomplished, officials are taking the race a step further this year, and increasing the purse to $1 million, increasing the distance to 1 1/16 miles, and moving the date up to Dec. 5.
"It's no different than running a casino business, you have to do things to build excitement," said Jack Bernsmeier, senior vice president of Louisiana properties for Boyd Gaming, which owns Delta.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Outside of a tight core of horsemen and racing fans, very few people have even heard of the horses who will run this weekend in twin 2-year-old stakes at Churchill Downs.
That's to be expected. What is also to be expected is that the top finishers in the Pocahontas Stakes and Iroquois Stakes should become substantially more familiar to the racing public by what they accomplish this weekend.
STICKNEY, Ill. - The undefeated 2-year-old Cactus Ridge left trainer Bret Calhoun's Hawthorne barn on Wednesday morning, and he is not returning here, or to any other racetrack.
Cactus Ridge's racing career is over, Calhoun said Wednesday afternoon from Louisiana Downs. The colt left Chicago for Kentucky and will take up residence at Walmac Farm near Lexington. "They'll let him be viewed during the breeding sale at Keeneland," Calhoun said. "He won't run again. There's interest in him as a stallion prospect."
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - When Raylene arrived at Woodbine last fall for the Mazarine, she brought along the reputation of being the fastest gun in the west among Alberta's 2-year-old fillies.
While Raylene failed to fire in the Grade 2 Mazarine she was far from disgraced while finishing fifth, beaten 6 1/2 lengths by Brusque, the eventual Sovereign Award winner for the division.
MUSKEGON, Mich - Goldinrunner, winner of a division of the Michigan Sire Stakes and the Michigan Breeders' Cup Handicap this year, was named the Michigan horse of the year in a ceremony following the close of the Great Lakes Downs meet Tuesday evening. Owned by Mary Mazur and trained by Gerald Bennett, Goldinrunner was the older male champion, as well.
ANDERSON, Ind. - There is little doubt that trainer Ralph Martinez will break the single-season win record of 42 at Hoosier Park before the meet ends Dec. 4. Entering Wednesday's card, Martinez was atop the standings with 39 wins through 43 days of racing. He had three horses entered Wednesday and another on Thursday.
It took 2000 world champion A Ransom 33 starts - with 21 wins, including 13 in stakes - over five years of racing to earn $1,079,556. His younger brother, Righteous Brother, could earn almost a third of that total in one shot Friday night if he can win the Grade 1, $864,850 Golden State Futurity at Los Alamitos.
With $341,442 going to the winner, the 400-yard Golden State Futurity is the second-richest race at Los Alamitos, behind the $1.3 million Los Alamitos Million on Dec. 12. Next year, the Golden State Futurity will have a $1 million guaranteed purse.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Cajun Beat, the Kentucky-based winner of the Breeders' Cup Sprint at Santa Anita, might return to California for his next race. Trainer Steve Margolis said Tuesday that Cajun Beat is being considered for the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita on Dec. 26.
"It's seven-eighths, straight 3-year-olds, over a track he's won over," said Margolis, explaining the motives behind a return trip.
