'Glory' goes for third win in row

PORTLAND, Ore. - My Crowning Glory will seek her third straight win in Sunday's $6,000-added Columbia River Handicap at Portland Meadows. The field of eight older Quarter Horses will compete at 400 yards.

My Crowning Glory, a 5-year-old daughter of Crowning Season trained by Wayne Burger, finished last season's meeting with three straight wins, two of them in stakes, before finishing fourth and third in two starts in California last summer. Returning to Portland Meadows this fall, My Crowning Glory won the Autumn Handicap in October before scoring an allowance win last month to stretch her local win streak to five.

My Crowning Glory beat Zoomon by just a nose in her recent allowance win, and defeated Neava Boots by only a head in the Autumn Handicap. Both are back to again challenge My Crowning Glory, who will carry high weight of 126 pounds, and another close finish seems likely.

That is not the case, however, in the Thoroughbred feature. Colony Lane appears to be a standout in a field of six $8,000 claimers going six furlongs.

Colony Lane, a 6-year-old trained by David Green, has posted wins of 11 3/4 lengths, 11 1/4 lengths, and 8 1/4 lengths in three starts at the meet. Colony Lane ran six furlongs in 1:11.60 in his most recent score on Nov. 27. Dino Camino and Voile Soar finished second and third, and those two appear to be Colony Lane's main rivals on Sunday.