OCEANPORT, N.J. - Trainer Glenn Thompson sheepishly accepts credit for the improvement by Moorish Prince from low-level claimer to stakes winner.
Thompson knows he also deserves a measure of the blame for a performance decline by the 7-year-old gelding.
"I don't know if it speaks well of me that he turned around so much, because I had him so bad that he ran for $5,000," Thompson said.
Mother Nature figures to play a significant role in sorting out the contenders for Saturday's Caesar Rodney Handicap at Delaware Park. The $200,000 stakes is scheduled for 1 1/8 miles on the turf, but with Hurricane Isabel bearing down on the East Coast, forecasters predict three to five inches of rain could be dumped in Delaware.
Docent, the 124-pound highweight in Saturday's $50,000 Charles Hadry Stakes, always seems to run a huge race when he comes to Pimlico.
Trained by Tim Ritchey, Docent has won each of his last three races at Pimlico, including last year's Maryland Million Classic at 1 3/16 miles. He comes into the nine-furlong Hadry in a mini-slump, finishing third in the West Virginia Governor's Handicap at Mountaineer Park and second in the seven-furlong Devil's Honor at Philadelphia Park.
Docent's chief rival looks like Full Brush, winner of the Taking Risks at Timonium on Labor Day.
EAST BOSTON, Mass. - It's no surprise that the high-powered racing team of owner Francis McDonnell and trainer George Handy have perhaps the best 3-year-old in New England in Boston Fox. Boston Fox has won three races at Suffolk Downs this year, but it was his performances at Saratoga that solidified his credentials in one of the strongest crops of 3-year-olds here in years.
Boston Fox enhanced his chance to be a local champion by winning for the fifth time this year Wednesday in an off-the-turf one-mile allowance race here.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - If trainer Mark Casse had his wish he would be running Maple Syrple, the talented filly whose career he launched this spring, in Saturday's Mazarine Stakes at Woodbine.
But Maple Syrple was sold last month to Darley Stud and is now trained by Tom Albertrani, so Casse must be content with running Do You Love It in the Grade 2 Mazarine.
Do You Love It, owned by Casse with partners, made her first two starts on turf.
FORT ERIE, Ontario - The final two stakes of the Fort Erie meeting, which is scheduled to end Nov. 11, will be held this weekend.
They are the two $75,000 Juvenile Stakes, restricted to 2-year-olds who were offered at one of Woodbine's open yearling sales or 2-year-olds in training sales.
The first of the six-furlong stakes, on Saturday, is for fillies. The colts and geldings get their turn Sunday.
Princess's Bay, who won her maiden Aug. 16 by 9 1/2 lengths in a $50,000 claimer at Woodbine, dwarfs her six rivals - all maidens - here Saturday.
WINNIPEG, Manitoba - A field of 10 Manitoba-bred 2-year-olds will contest Saturday's feature at Assiniboia Downs, the one-mile Buffalo Stakes.
Coal Smudge and Sampo's Fool, both coming off victories in six-furlong CTHS Sales Stakes here Sept. 1, will be looking for their third wins in a row in the $35,000 Buffalo.
Coal Smudge captured the colts and geldings division of the Sales, earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 43.
Prior to that, Coal Smudge took the Frank Arnason Sire Stakes, also at six furlongs.
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Trainer Art Sherman spent the early part of the week reloading his barn, buying 12 yearlings at the Keeneland September sale.
On Saturday, he'll send out his current star, Lindsay Jean, in what will likely be her final northern California appearance. She is entered in the $60,000-added Hillsborough Handicap for older fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on the turf.
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer saddled four winners from five starters Wednesday at Bay Meadows.
Hollendorfer won both ends of the daily double with Roar Madness ($3) in the first and Surviving Nature ($2.80) in the second. After Private Aviator ran second in the third race, Hollendorfer saddled At a Boy Luther ($6.40) won the fifth and Tributetothatcher ($3.80) won the seventh. Hollendorfer's first three winners were claimed.
Russell Baze rode each of Hollendorfer's four winners, and Chance Rollins had three riding victories.
BOSSIER CITY, La. - The match race is on. Ten Most Wanted drew the rail and Soto post No. 4 when entries for Saturday's Grade 2, $500,000 Super Derby at Louisiana Downs were taken on Wednesday.
The colts have emerged as two of the summer's most exciting 3-year-olds, and they will be well backed in a six-horse field that also drew locals Kool Humor, Zydeco Affair, Crowned King, and Taxicat.
