Stakes draw Michigan's young and old

NEW BOSTON, Mich. - Past Michigan champions Meadow Vespers and Valley Loot look to pad their resumes at Pinnacle Race Course on Saturday, while youngsters Top Touch and Prince of Paulie look for their first stakes win when Pinnacle offers its richest card so far this meet. The program includes four $50,000 stakes for Michigan-breds and serves as a prep for the six Michigan Sire Stakes scheduled for Oct. 3.

Meadow Vespers, a 7-year-old who has won Sire Stakes at ages 3, 4, 5, and 6, is looking for his second stakes win from four starts this year when he heads a field of nine in the 1 1/8-mile Frontier Handicap. A late-running sort, Meadow Vespers rallied five wide to take the Michigan Breeders' Cup Handicap on Aug. 15 after two allowance wins and a third in the Wolverine Stakes on July 4. Meadow Vespers is trained by Richard Rettele, owned by John Mack Enterprises Inc. and will have a new rider in Jose J. Delgado, who will makes up most of his 123-pound highweight assignment.

All I Can Get, who finished a half-length behind Meadow Vespers in the Michigan Breeders' Cup Handicap, gets in at 117 for trainer Gerald Bennett, who recently won his 3,000th career race.

w Highweighted at 124 pounds, Valley Loot will be looking for her first local win this season when she faces seven distaffers in the Farer Belle Lee at 1 1/16 miles. She did win Mountaineer Park's Gold Sylvia Handicap in June and has finished third in both the Larkspur Handicap here and the Windward Stakes at Presque Isle this season. She races for Pinnacle CEO Felicia Campbell and is trained by Ronnie Allen. Mata will be in the irons.

* Top Touch, who veered out at the start of her career debut and finished fourth, made amends in her second start by winning a statebred maiden by two lengths July 28 for trainer Sandra Adkins. The homebred Touch Gold 2-year-old filly is one of two starters in the six-furlong Sickle's Image Stakes for owner Charlie Williams. Q Ginger Snap, a three-length maiden winner for Adkins and Williams, will race as an individual betting interest.

* Rettele will saddle Prince of Paulie in the Patrick Wood Stakes, a six-furlong dash for 2-year-old colts and geldings. The Meadow Prayer gelding won his maiden at second asking, drawing off by 6 1/4 lengths. Delgado will ride for owner John Mack.