Dubious Miss out after ankle surgery

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Dubious Miss, winner of the Grade 3 Ben Ali Stakes last month at Keeneland and one of the leading prospects for the June 12 Stephen Foster, underwent arthroscopic ankle surgery Tuesday morning and is out of action indefinitely.

Trainer Paul McGee said Dubious Miss came out of a Saturday workout at Churchill Downs with filling in an ankle.

"Obviously, it's very disappointing because he had been doing so well," he said.

Dr. Rolf Embertson removed a small chip from the left front ankle of Dubious Miss during the surgery at the Rood and Riddle equine clinic in Lexington, Ky. Standard procedure calls for six to eight weeks of stall time before light training can resume, McGee said.

Dubious Miss, a 6-year-old gelding owned by David Holloway, has won 8 of 19 starts, including 4 of 6 at Churchill. The homebred son of E Dubai won the April 18 Ben Ali as the favorite in his last start.

Calvin Borel, who was to ride Dubious Miss in the Foster and has won 7 of 9 aboard the gelding, is now open for the Grade 1, $600,000 Foster, which still has Blame, Battle Plan, Arson Squad, General Quarters, and Macho Again as top contenders. The 1 1/8-mile race also has been mentioned as a possible next start for Rachel Alexandra, although trainer Steve Asmussen has yet to commit the 2009 Horse of the Year to a specific race.

Seeking the Title targeting Acorn

Seeking the Title, the 3-year-old filly who stumbled and threw jockey Kent Desormeaux in the same Pimlico spill that jockey Julien Leparoux was injured, will run back in the Grade 1 Acorn Stakes on the June 5 Belmont Stakes undercard, according to trainer Dallas Stewart.

"She's fine," Stewart said. "It was just one of those things, but fortunately she came back from it good."

Seeking the Title was the 2-1 second choice when she was unable to avoid the fallen Diva Delite during the backstretch run of the May 14 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes. Seeking the Title, bred and owned by Charles Fipke, was a close third in the Fair Grounds Oaks in her previous start and was excluded from the Kentucky Oaks on earnings.

Leparoux, who was thrown from Diva

Delite, suffered a fractured vertebra that is expected to keep him sidelined until late June. Desormeaux was not injured.

Atta Boy Roy tops small Aristides field

Atta Boy Roy, upset winner of the Grade 2 Churchill Downs on the May 1 Kentucky

Derby undercard, will return to action Saturday when he heads a small field in the Aristides, one of three Grade 3, $100,000 stakes to be run here this weekend.

Borel has the mount back on Atta Boy Roy, who is based at the nearby Trackside training center with trainer Valerie Lund. Atta Boy Roy, a Washington-bred ridgling, "bounced out of his race great," Lund said. "He's ready to go again."

Cash Refund and Chief of Affairs look like the main challengers in what is likely to be a small field of older horses in the six-furlong Aristides.

Also set for Saturday is the Dogwood Stakes, a one-mile race expected to get at least seven 3-year-old fillies, including Ailalea, Azurite, Fuzzy Britches, and Visavis.

The Winning Colors closes out the weekend Monday, with Dubai Majesty, Emmy Darling, and Warbling heading a small cast of filly-and-mare sprinters.

* Claiming activity has been lackluster at this meet, but not so for the second race here Saturday. The first three finishers among the five runners all were claimed for $10,000: Evade, Sir Mott, and Gold Bells Spin.

* The ninth race won here Sunday by Safe Trip could become a key race among the local 3-year-olds. Making just his third start, Safe Trip, a Tale of the Cat colt trained by Eddie Kenneally, earned a 93 Beyer Speed Figure in prevailing by a length over Kajiwara.

* Silver La Belle, a 3-year-old half-sister to Silverfoot, won a maiden-special route on

Saturday about 90 minutes before her 10-year-old brother ran eighth in the Grade 3 Louisville Handicap. Silver La Belle and Silverfoot both were produced by the mare Northern Silver.

* Borel, who missed all of last week and is still the leading rider at the spring meet, enters Thursday action with 995 career wins at Churchill, second only to Pat Day's 2,482.