Prairie Meadows recorded record daily handle during its 45-day mixed meet, which ended Saturday night.
The average all-sources daily handle for the meet was $580,430, up 60 percent from last year's $362,291. The record handle follows two years of decline after Prairie Meadows had recorded average handle of $553,000 in 1999. Ontrack handle of $62,136 per day was up 4 percent from last year's corresponding meet.
Keeneland Racecourse plans to expand the territory of its so-called mobile mutuel clerks at its upcoming October meet in response to good reviews of the experimental program earlier this year.
The mobile clerks will carry wireless handheld machines, similar to those in use at many car rental agencies, that can print tickets and cash wagers. The clerks will cover nearly every area of the track during the October meeting, scheduled for Oct. 4-26, according to Jim Williams, a spokesman for the track.
Jockey Weldon Cloninger Jr. is expected to miss the remainder of the Retama Park meet after fracturing his leg in two places in a starting gate accident Saturday night. Cloninger was named to ride three horses Wednesday night at the San Antonio-area track, which is in the middle of a Thoroughbred meet that runs through Oct. 26.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Second off a layoff. Turf to dirt. Hot barn. Stretch outs. Turn backs.
There are angles for almost every handicapper trying to come up with the winner of Wednesday's featured third-level allowance race at Belmont Park. A field of seven was entered for the one-mile dirt race.
On Aug. 11 at Saratoga, Kingsland was sent off at 6-5 in a seven-furlong allowance race at this level. After showing brief speed, Kingsland faded to last in the four-horse field.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Siphonic, one of the top 2-year-olds of 2001, makes his first start in six months in Wednesday's third race at Santa Anita, a $54,000 allowance race over seven furlongs.
How the race will fit into the rest of Siphonic's fall campaign is unclear.
Trainer David Hofmans admits that time has run out for Siphonic to be ready for the $4 million Breeders' Cup Classic over 1 1/4 miles at Arlington Park on Oct. 26, but does not rule out the $1 million Breeders' Cup Sprint over six furlongs on the same day.
The first nine months of the year have produced 14 stakes victories, including seven Grade 1 wins, for trainer Laura de Seroux, whose breakout year could reach even greater heights over the next month.
Beginning with heavily favored Azeri in Wednesday's Grade 2, $200,000 Lady's Secret Breeders' Cup Handicap at Santa Anita's Oak Tree meeting, de Seroux, 50, will take aim at several major races over the next 3 1/2 weeks, highlighted by the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships on Oct. 26 at Arlington Park.
POMONA, Calif. - Reba's Gold, the class of the $100,000 Ralph M. Hinds Pomona Invitational Handicap despite never having won a stakes, filled in his resume at Fairplex Park with a 3 3/4-length romp in the centerpiece race of the Los Angeles County Fair meet.
Dropping out of a graded stakes at Del Mar in which he finished a close third to Congaree, Reba's Gold ($5.80) pressed the pace, challenged into the far turn, and won ridden out. Nates Colony rallied from seventh to second, 1 1/2 lengths in front of second favorite Sigfreto.
Red Hawkeye ($44) won his fourth straight race, taking the $30,000 Red Earth Derby. It was another two lengths back in second to Blazin Sunrise.
Red Hawkeye had a stalking trip in the one-mile turf race for Oklahoma-breds and drove clear in the stretch to cover the distance on firm turf in 1:37.
BOSSIER CITY, La. - Doctor Mike rallied strongly on the outside down the stretch to pull off an upset in the $30,000 Island Whirl Handicap. That Tat, heavily favored along with entrymate Grey Velvet, gave ground grudgingly to the winner to finish second.
Doctor Mike ($33) won by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:22.53 for the seven furlongs over a fast track.