Sat, 09/14/2002 - 00:00

Spring Winds favored despite weight

MUSKEGON, Mich. - Spring Winds will have to spot his six rivals from two to 12 pounds when he heads a field of seven in the $45,000 Mackinac Handicap at Great Lakes Downs on Monday evening. The Mackinac, at 1 1/16 miles for 3-year-old statebred colts and geldings, is the sixth of nine races.

Spring Winds will carry 123 pounds on the strength of his wins in this meet's Lansing and Dowling Stakes. In between those races, he was fourth in the Spartan Stakes. Accountable Guy, the winner of the Spartan, and runner-up Equi Power will again face Spring Winds in the Mackinac.

Sat, 09/14/2002 - 00:00

Meadowlands: Patrol on the beat

Patrol rebounded from a streak-ending loss at Saratoga and easily won the $100,000 Rushing Man Stakes Friday at The Meadowlands, in East Rutherford, N.J.

Patrol, who had won three straight before finishing third in the Grade 2 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Handicap at Saratoga last month, led all the way in the Rushing Man and won by 2 3/4 lengths under Jerry Bailey. Owned by Claiborne Farm and trained by Bill Mott, Patrol covered the 1 1/16 miles on turf in 1:39.60, .2 seconds off the track record. He paid $3.20 in a field of eight 3-year-olds.

Sat, 09/14/2002 - 00:00

Pimlico: Miss Lodi rallies

Miss Lodi ran down For Rubies in the final furlong to win the $100,000 Safely Kept Stakes at Pimlico.

For Rubies opened up a 1 1/2-length lead in midstretch but tired late, saving second by a nose over favored Wilzada in the Grade 3, six-furlong race for fillies and mares.

Miss Lodi, owned by Robert Colton and Mast Thoroughbred and trained by Tom Amoss, returned $10.20. She ran the distance in 1:11.20 under Ryan Fogelsonger.

Sat, 09/14/2002 - 00:00

Woodbine: Early Wisdom hits it big

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Outsider Early Wisdom lit up the tote board with a $69.90 payoff, when he won the Grade 3 Col. R.S. McLaughlin Handicap at Woodbine on Saturday.

Early Wisdom vied up front through moderate fractions with Mark One and New York shipper Center in the 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-olds. Center dropped out of contention on the far turn, and Early Wisdom began to edge away from Mark One inside the three-sixteenths pole to score by 2 1/4 lengths, in a time of 1:52.19 seconds.

Sat, 09/14/2002 - 00:00

Gemma's Star wins third straight in Needles Stakes

MIAMI - Gemma's Star continued his climb to the top of the local 3-year-old division with a convincing 2 3/4-length victory over Susie's Poker in Saturday's $50,000 Needles Stakes at Calder. The Needles was originally scheduled to be run on the turf but was switched to the main track because of several days of rain in the area.

Gemma's Star got a perfect rail-skimming ride from Manny Aguilar, who recorded his third victory of the day in the Needles. The winner paid $6 after covering 1 1/16 miles in 1:46.60 seconds over a fast track.

Sat, 09/14/2002 - 00:00

Arlington's big Cup transformation

Horsephotos
Banks of seats are being added at Arlington Park to make room for the 35,000 extra fans expected on Breeders? Cup Day, Oct. 26. The extra seats will make up 75 percent of the track?s seating on Cup day.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Breeders' Cup officials got a private helicopter tour from Dick Duchossois and made a hands-on inspection Thursday of Arlington Park's Breeders' Cup makeover. What they saw was a project in full swing and on schedule, with sets of stadium seats and the skeletons of vast tents springing up around the perimeter of Arlington's 1 1/8-mile main track.

Sat, 09/14/2002 - 00:00

Whywhywhy's Futurity is now

ELMONT, N.Y. - New York's road to the Breeders' Cup for 2-year-olds begins in earnest on Sunday at Belmont Park with a pair of Grade 1 races, the $200,000 Futurity and $200,000 Matron.

The Futurity and Matron, along with the Grade 1 Champagne and Grade 1 Frizette on Oct. 5, are New York's most important preps for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and Juvenile Fillies, which will be run at Arlington Park on Oct. 26.

Sat, 09/14/2002 - 00:00

Like mother, like daughter?

ELMONT, N.Y. - Seven years ago, My Flag used the Matron and Frizette as stepping-stones to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, which she won. On Sunday at Belmont Park, My Flag's daughter Storm Flag Flying will take her first important step toward the Breeders' Cup in the $200,000 Matron.

The one-mile Matron drew seven 2-year-old fillies. Storm Flag Flying, Fircroft, and Wild Snitch figure as the key players.

Sat, 09/14/2002 - 00:00

Slow time wasn't bad on dull track

ELMONT, N.Y. - Medaglia d'Oro, in his second work since winning the Travers Stakes on Aug. 24, worked five furlongs Friday morning over Belmont Park's main track.

Medaglia d'Oro, under exercise rider Rudy Rodriguez, covered five furlongs in 1:02.83, breezing. The work came after the renovation break on a track labeled fast. Indicative of how slow the track was playing, the bullet for five furlongs was 1:02.18.

The clockers caught Medaglia d'Oro galloping out six furlongs in 1:17.60 after earlier fractions of 13 seconds, 25.60, and 37.60.

Sat, 09/14/2002 - 00:00

Blue Ribbon in Chapter 11

Race Horses Inc., which owns Blue Ribbon Downs in Sallisaw, Okla., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Sept. 6, officials from the track informed the Oklahoma Racing Commission. Racing operations at Blue Ribbon will continue during the bankruptcy proceedings.

Blue Ribbon's filing came three days before foreclosure proceedings on the track were expected to begin. Sallisaw Municipal Authority filed a foreclosure suit against Race Horses, Inc., in February after the ownership group missed a final deadline to pay four quarterly principal interest payments totaling $270,000.