ANDERSON, Ind. - Maggie's Dream seeks her second win in as many starts this year in the $40,000-added Madison County Stakes.
The Madison County is restricted to Indiana-bred fillies and mares who were sired by registered Indiana stallions. The six-furlong dash drew a field of eight, including the coupled entry of Heresyour Chickey and Maggie's Dream for trainer Stanley Roberts.
Iowa-breds El Saddler and Triage head a field of eight 2-year-old in the $50,000 Prairie Meadows Freshman Stakes. The six-furlong stakes is the closing feature of the 45-day mixed meet at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa.
El Saddler, a son of El Prado, has won three of his four career starts, all at Prairie Meadows. In his most recent start, the Larry Hunt-trained El Saddler stalked the pace to the stretch and drew off to a 5 3/4-length score against statebreds in the Iowa Cradle Stakes on Aug. 31. His time for the six furlongs was a quick 1:10.63.
Norman will also be well represented in each of the divisions of the Texas Stallion Stakes for 3-year-olds at Retama Park near San Antonio. In the $50,000 colts and geldings division over six furlongs, he will start Fitzroyal, who gets a rematch with the Ed Dodwell-trained Onlynurimagination.
When the colts last met, Fitzroyal edged Onlynurimagination in a conditioned allowance at Louisiana Downs. Fitzroyal, to be ridden by Gerard Melancon, is coupled with Norman trainee Royal Honey.
If trainer Cole Norman can't beat them on the front end with the quick That Tat in the $30,000 Island Whirl Handicap at Louisiana Downs on Saturday, he could mow them down late with Unrullah Bull.
And if that plan of attack doesn't work, Norman has three other horses to call on in the seven-furlong race: Grey Velvet (who is coupled with That Tat) Yuma, and Warhead. That gives the trainer five of the nine starters in the field, and an excellent chance to win the Island Whirl for the third time since 1999.
MIAMI - Come rain or shine, trainer Marty Wolfson will have all bases covered for Saturday's $50,000 Noble Royalty Handicap scheduled to be run at 1 1/16 miles on Calder's turf course.
Wolfson entered four of the 10 fillies and mares in the Noble Royalty, including Coolbythepool, who will start only if the race comes off the grass. He can also start Stay Forever, Cee Knows Evil, and Abuela Esther depending upon the track and weather conditions.
As far as championships go, it's not exactly the most coveted title in sports. But what the Turfway Fall Championship lacks in tradition and prestige, it compensates for with cash.
The $100,000 purse clearly is the most alluring aspect of the Fall Championship, a Grade 3 race that will be run Saturday at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky. Trainer Niall O'Callaghan, who has won two of the last three runnings, has one of the main contenders in Frazee's Folly, a gray 5-year-old who drew the outside post in a field of eight older horses.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Trainer Todd Pletcher probably will spend a fair amount of time watching the Weather Channel the next couple of days.
Pletcher has entered Pennsylvania Derby winner Harlan's Holiday in Friday night's $350,000 Pegasus Handicap, but likely will scratch if the track is sloppy. Friday's forecast calls for heavy rain.
Pletcher also planned to cross-enter Harlan's Holiday in Saturday's $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Trainer Spanky Broussard toyed with the idea of pointing San Pedro to Sunday's Washington Park Handicap, but ultimately he settled on Friday's $42,000 Play Fellow, a one-mile handicap for Illinois-breds at Arlington Park. Just as Broussard wanted, the Play Fellow is a much softer spot - but it's not an easy spot.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Stakes winner Mobil, and the Sam-Son Farm entry of Walls of Jericho and Swift of Flight head Friday's Woodbine feature, the $79,400 allowance prep for the Oct. 12 Cup and Saucer Stakes.
Mobil, trained by Mike Keogh for owner Gustav Schickedanz, won his maiden in the Sept. 2 Simcoe Stakes, for graduates of local yearling sales. He pressed the pace from the outset in that seven-furlong dash, and dueled Timeform into submission to prevail by a half-length, earning a solid Beyer Speed Figure of 78 for his efforts.
POMONA, Calif. - Warren's Whistle and Covincing were unheralded 2-year-old fillies when they scored impressive wins just days apart during the 2000 Los Angeles County Fair meet at Fairplex Park. Warren's Whistle has since earned more than $500,000 for trainer Mel Stute, while Covincing is still finding her niche.
She may have found it Friday at Fairplex in the $100,000 Las Madrinas Handicap. Twelve fillies and mares entered the 1 1/16-mile Las Madrinas, a race Covincing has pointed to for weeks.