DEL MAR, Calif. - Mister Kybelee, the newest face in the California turf marathon division, may be arriving on the scene at the perfect time.
Throughout the year, the circuit's top turf stakes at 1 1/4 miles or farther have lacked a standout. No horse in that category has won more than one Grade 1 or Grade 2.
The parity is a leading reason why 13 horses were entered for Sunday's Grade 2, $250,000 Del Mar Handicap over 1 3/8 miles on turf. And several of them are capable of winning.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - It has been a long time since owner Nelson Bunker Hunt's fabled green colors adorned a runner at Woodbine.
Hunt, who won the Grade 1 Canadian International three times in the 1970's - with Dahlia, Youth, and Exceller - will be represented by Kentucky shipper Hattiesburg in Sunday's $136,500 Seaway Stakes.
Silver Donn and Shacane will put their winning streaks on the line when they square off in the $35,000 Richmond Derby Trial Sunday at Hastings Park. Silver Donn has won his last four starts, including the Burnaby and the Stallion Stakes.
Shacane has won his last three starts and comes off of his first stakes win in the Jim Coleman Province July 21.
Silver Donn, who races for J & V Morgan Ventures Ltd., has been assigned high weight of 123 pounds and will concede six pounds to Shacane, who hasn't raced since his win in the Jim Coleman Province.
AUBURN, Wash. - Premo Copy, who has twice been stakes-placed at the Emerald Downs meeting, will have a prime opportunity to collect her first stakes win when she takes on just four rivals in Sunday's 6 1/2-furlong John and Kitty Fletcher Memorial Stakes.
Four weeks ago, Richard Migliore surprised many people when he chose to ride Iron Deputy in the $500,000 Jim Dandy rather than Magic Weisner in the $1 million Haskell Invitational.
Monday, when Iron Deputy and Magic Weisner both run in the $500,000 Pennsylvania Derby at Philadelphia Park, Migliore will be back aboard Magic Weisner, the horse he rode to a second-place finish in the Preakness and a win in the Ohio Derby.
DEL MAR, Calif. - During their childhood in the barren Rio Grande Valley in the 1930's and 40's, Milo Valenzuela and his brothers were not picky when it came to find something to ride.
"We were raised with horses since I was 3 years old," he recalled. "My father showed me how to rein them. We were riding calves, mules, and horses."
The experience gave Milo, whose given name is Ismael, the foundation to later become a jockey, as did his older brother, Angel, and younger brothers A.C., Mario, and Santiago. Another brother, Martin, became a horse trainer.
The $250,000 Hollywood Turf Cup has been moved from its traditional date in early December to Nov. 23 for the upcoming autumn meeting at Hollywood Park.
The earlier date for the Grade 1 Turf Cup is the most significant change in the stakes schedule for the fall meeting, which runs from Nov. 6 to Dec. 21.
The Turf Cup will be held four weeks after the $2 million Breeders' Cup Turf at Arlington Park on Oct. 26. By running the Turf Cup in November, Hollywood Park officials are hoping the turf course will be in better shape and will not have taken too much rain.
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Trainer Jeff Bonde did all he could to make Sunday's $60,000-added San Mateo Stakes go at Bay Meadows.
He nominated four 2-year-olds and has entered three of the six who will run in the 5 1/2-furlong race.
"I was going to do everything I could to make sure the race went," Bonde said, noting that the racing office is often "quick to call off" overnight handicap races. "I even tried to nominate a fifth but was turned down because I was five minutes too late."
DEL MAR, Calif. - A self-insurance program that would have reduced workmen's compensation rates paid by California trainers collapsed in late August when a private insurance company backed out, forcing racing officials to restart the process of finding an insurance carrier.
According to Ed Halpern, the executive director of the California Thoroughbred Trainers, a deal was nearly finalized with the First American insurance company when the carrier said it would not go through with the program.
"I was at the point where I thought we had a done deal," Halpern said.