Fonner Park: Bosselman draws national crowd

This meet's showcase event, the $100,000 Bosselman/Gus Fonner Stakes, is attracting interest from around the region, with a strong list of nominees still growing. With nominations to close Wednesday evening, 38 horses had been nominated by mid-morning.

The top four finishers from last Saturday's Dowd Mile - winner Yourmoneysnogood, Stormy Business, Holy City, and Dusty Spike - have all been made eligible for the 1 1/16-mile race. Dusty Spike won the race in 2003 and was second in 2004 and fifth in 2005.

Other notable nominees are Rotary, Trickyville Dew, and the crack sprinter Semaphore Man, who was runner-up to Bordonaro in last week's Count Fleet Sprint Handicap at Oaklawn.

Marv Johnson has nominated Al's Dearly Bred, winner of the Claiming Crown Emerald Stakes on turf at Canterbury Park last summer and a career winner of over $540,000. Al's Dearly Bred made his first start of the year last week in a $15,000 claiming race going six furlongs and was flying late to finish second, beaten a head in a good tightener.

* Leading rider Dennis Collins avoided serious injury in a gate mishap before last Sunday's first race. He was flipped out of the gate by a horse acting up and was forced to take off his mounts that day with leg pain. He is expected to return this weekend.

* R.D. Williams collected his second four-win day of the season on Sunday. He reclaimed third in the rider standings with 35 wins, 2 behind Tanner Riggs in second. Collins leads the way with 46 wins.

* Lee Sensenbach returned to the jockey colony here with three rides on Saturday. After a break of two years, Sensenbach was back in the winner's circle in Sunday's second race aboard Triage ($7.20) for trainer Merel Moore.