POMONA, Calif. - Trainer Wesley Ward claims that his Fairplex Park holster is almost empty. Ward won three races Tuesday, giving him seven wins from 10 starters, but he does not expect the hot streak to last much longer. Five days into the 17-day meet, how could it?
EDMONTON, Alberta - Little progress has been made in recent months regarding the renovation of Northlands Park that was proposed last year, but the project is far from dead.
Late in 2002, it was announced that Northlands Park was to undergo a $40 million renovation that would create a 6 1/2-furlong track that would surround the existing five-eighth-mile oval, which would remain as a harness racing surface.
The original plan called for Northlands to close following Labor Day for nine months, but on March 6 Northlands announced that the expansion plans were on hold.
MIAMI - Tap Dancer's career began with an inauspicious third-place finish against maiden $25,000 claiming foes on July 19. Two months later, the homebred son of Sword Dance finds himself the favorite for Saturday's $100,000 Foolish Pleasure Stakes and among the leading candidates for the $400,000 In Reality Division of the Florida Stallion Stakes on Oct. 11.
Tap Dancer's quick rise to the top of his division has even taken his trainer, Kathleen O'Connell, by surprise.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Trainer Josie Carroll recorded her first stakes win of the Woodbine meeting last Sunday when the 2-year-old colt Bachelor Blues upset the Grade 2, $285,500 Summer.
But Carroll may not be too long in adding to that total, as she is scheduled to send out leading contenders for another pair of 2-year-old stakes here this weekend.
Dream About, owned by Arosa Farm, is among five entrants for Saturday's Grade 2, $268,250 Mazarine, a 1 1/16-mile race for fillies.
Hawkish will take a side trip on his journey to a possible $1 million bonus when he starts in the second of seven trials to the Grade 1, $330,000 PCQHRA Breeders Futurity on Friday night at Los Alamitos.
Hawkish won the Grade 1 Kindergarten and the Grade 1 Ed Burke Memorial Futurity, and if he can add a win on Dec. 12 in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Million, then he will earn a $1 million bonus.
NORTH RANDALL, Ohio - The Thistledown meet, the third of four meets that make up the 187-day racing calendar here, ends Friday. Jockey Huber Villa-Gomez and trainer Rodney Faulkner have distanced themselves from the competition in their respective divisions.
Villa-Gomez has won with 56 of his 241 mounts (23 percent). His closest rival is Luis Gonzalez, with 35 wins.
COLLINSVILLE, Ill. - Trainer Leroy Hellman saddled five winners on last Friday night's card, then won with his only starter on Saturday night. Five of the six winners were favored and Hellman finished second and third with his other two starters on Friday night.
The big weekend moved Hellman into a second-place tie with Eddie Essenpreis in the trainer standings with 48 wins apiece going into Tuesday's races. Essenpreis then won one race on Tuesday, while Hellman went 0 for 2. Ralph Martinez, as usual, is in complete control of the trainer standings with 131 wins.
ANDERSON, Ind. - Marv Johnson added his name last Saturday night to the ever-growing list of trainers to saddle three winners on a card at Hoosier Park. He is the 10th trainer to accomplish the feat and the second this year. No trainer has ever won more than three races on a Hoosier card since the track opened in 1994.