ALTOONA, Iowa - Two-year-olds are in the spotlight here Saturday night in a pair of $40,000 stakes, the Prairie Meadows Freshman for colts and geldings, and the Prairie Meadows Debutante for fillies.
Okie Style is the only stakes winner among the six horses in the six-furlong Freshman. In his second career start, on Aug. 16, Okie Style dueled throughout and gamely held on for a half-length victory against restricted company in the Iowa Stallion Futurity.
MIAMI - Trainer Frank Gomez believes The Name's Bond might be a better horse on dirt than grass. The Name's Bond, however, may still be good enough on turf to defeat nine other 3-year-olds in Saturday's $75,000 Needles Stakes at Calder.
The Needles serves as a major prep for the $200,000 Calder Derby Oct. 11.
It's a formula that is already proven for the Kagele Brothers ownership group: Claim a horse for $100,000 in Southern California, fly the horse to trainer Cole Norman, and point for stakes in this region. Their first success story was Pie N Burger, a $100,000 claim who in May won the Grade 3, $300,000 Lone Star Park Handicap.
Their second could be I'm the Business, who will take on 120-pound highweight Golden Rhythm on Saturday in the $75,000 River Cities Handicap for fillies and mares at Louisiana Downs.
Devout Sinner, who won an allowance over male rivals in her last start, will return to racing with fillies and mares Saturday night in the $35,000 Ricks Memorial at Remington Park.
A full field of 12 was entered in the one-mile turf stakes, which also drew defending champ Strawbailey; Cherylville Slew, who won the $75,000 Irving Distaff on turf at Lone Star; Academic Angel, who is cross-entered in the River Cities at Louisiana Downs; and Kentucky shipper Gin N Ginger.
WINNIPEG, Manitoba - Alberta shipper Sixthirty Joe and local Wheat City Stakes winner Deputy Country head a solid field in the $35,000 R.J. Speers on Saturday, but Northern Affair could upset them all if he runs back to his last race.
Sixthirty Joe ships in for the 1 1/16-mile Speers off a victory in the six-furlong Sun Sprint Championship Handicap at Northlands Park on Aug. 4, and while his best distance seems to be a sprint, he has run decently in route stakes in Alberta.
Soon after Eddie Kenneally assumed the training of Vicki Vallencourt, the filly finished eighth in an April 29 allowance race at Churchill Downs.
But since then, Vicki Vallencourt has been a rising star on the Kentucky circuit. In four subsequent starts for Kenneally, she has been in the money every time, including a 7 1/4-length romp in her latest outing, the Ellis Park Breeders' Cup.
Saturday, Vicki Vallencourt faces nine other fillies and mares in the $75,000 Weekend Delight Stakes, the first stakes of the fall meet at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky.
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Cal-bred millionaire sprinters Echo Eddie and Full Moon Madness will renew an old rivalry when they meet at six furlongs in a field of five entered for Saturday's $60,000-added Big Jag Handicap at Bay Meadows.
"I wish he weren't there, and he probably wishes I weren't," said Robert Marshall, trainer of Full Moon Madness, referring to Echo Eddie's trainer, Darrell Vienna.
"We were kind of looking for a confidence builder, but I don't know with Full Moon Madness in there," said Scott Chaney, the assistant to Vienna.
SASKATOON, Saskatchewan - RJ Stable holds all the right cards for Saturday's $15,000 Saskatchewan Derby with invader Beauzak and local star Stop the Act.
The 1 1/16-mile Saskatchewan Derby, previously run in late July, tops the seven-race card that ends the 2003 Marquis Downs meet.
Beauzak began his career here last year and failed to beat a horse in two starts. But, the Alberta circuit agreed with him and he won twice at huge odds at Northlands Park to complete his juvenile campaign.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - It's certainly unusual in the first weekend in September to see a 2-year-old filly making her 10th start, let alone competing in her fourth different country.
But that's the story of America America, a Kentucky-bred trained by Frank Mourier who is shipping into Woodbine from Saratoga for Saturday's Natalma Stakes.
America America began her career at Gulfstream in April, winning first crack out over three furlongs, then finishing second in the Mockingbird Stakes at the same distance.