Zoomin for Spuds, who raced at Les Bois Park in Idaho and Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico earlier this year, is the fastest qualifier for Sunday’s $126,150 Wild West Futurity at Los Alamitos.
Horses to watch from Pocono Downs.
The millionaire Quarter Horse mare Matabari was retired due to a tendon injury earlier this week, a defection with implications on the $600,000 Champion of Champions at Los Alamitos on Dec. 12.
The connections of horses who pre-entered two oversubscribed Breeders’ Cup races were given a couple of extra days, until Monday, to declare their preference. Siding Spring lended trainer Mark Casse a hand ahead of that deadline with an impressive work at Churchill Downs that had the trainer giving the nod to the Juvenile over the Juvenile Turf.
Friday proved to be the busiest morning yet at Keeneland for Breeders’ Cup workers, with a logjam after the renovation break caused in part by a forecast that calls for possible showers beginning around mid-morning Saturday and continuing over the next couple days.
The remarkable 9-year-old Cirrus des Aigles starts in the longest race of his career in Sunday’s $385,000 Prix Royal-Oak at about 1 7/8 miles on turf at Saint-Cloud Racecourse in Paris.
California Chrome has settled into a routine of light exercise since his arrival from a Kentucky farm earlier this month.
Sunday is the final day of the Santa Anita autumn meeting, and when Del Mar is taking entries for Thursday’s opening day of its autumn meeting.
Though his connections listed the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf as his first preference, Isotherm will be entered Monday for Saturday’s $2 million Juvenile on the dirt, trainer George Weaver said Friday.
Stellar Wind, the multiple graded stakes-winning 3-year-old filly, was eager for action at Santa Anita on Friday morning.
