Retama Park runs its signature races Saturday night, the El Joven and La Senorita stakes. The one-mile turf stakes for 2-year-olds are worth $75,000 each.
The El Joven drew a field of 10, with much of the focus expected to be on Kielbasa, a maiden special weight winner at Arlington coming off a third in the Sunday Silence Stakes at Louisiana Downs. Richard Eramia has the mount for trainer Lon Wiggins.
Bling On the Music, a multiple stakes winner who had come under brief consideration for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, is headed for the $100,000 My Trusty Cat at Delta Downs, said trainer J.R. Caldwell. He said the Oct. 21 race is intended as her stepping-stone to the Grade 3, $400,000 Delta Downs Princess on Nov. 19.
Bling On the Music ran third in the Grade 2 Pocahontas on Sept. 17 at Churchill Downs. Prior to that, she defeated males in the Gold Rush Futurity at Arapahoe Park and won the fillies’ division of the Texas Thoroughbred Futurity at Lone Star Park.
Country Candy will break from post 3 in Friday night’s $50,000 E.L. Gaylord Memorial at Remington Park, and the starting slot is ideal, said trainer J.R. Caldwell.
Caldwell said he likes that Country Candy is situated immediately outside of two of the race’s top contenders, Gold Shock, who will break from the rail, and Girls Know Best.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Runhappy was sent through his first breeze Wednesday here since finishing fourth as a heavy favorite in the Oct. 1 Ack Ack at Churchill, his first start in more than nine months. Runhappy, last year’s sprint champion, went a mile in 1:38.80.
Gary Stevens, who will ride the 4-year-old colt in the Nov. 4 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, was flown in from California to be aboard for the work.
“The trip was worth it,” said Stevens.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Long before American Pharoah arrived, and then left, before Dortmund came along, and then Arrogate, too, there has been Hoppertunity, the old reliable of trainer Bob Baffert’s barn.
For the better part of three years now, Hoppertunity has faced the best in the world, and while he only earned his second Grade 1 victory last Saturday in the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park, he has now won five stakes races, more than $3.5 million, and has earned a fees-paid berth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita on Nov. 5.
The Monmouth at Meadowlands all-turf meet will continue this week with evening cards Thursday through Saturday. The New Jersey Thoroughbred season will wrap up next week when the Meadowlands holds afternoon programs Monday through Wednesday.
Post time this week is 7 p.m. Eastern. First post next week is 1:10 p.m.
The reduced takeout on all wagers at the Meadowlands meet is 15 percent.
The Meadowlands had a season-high handle of $1.35 million on its six-race card last Friday and handled $1.16 million on Saturday.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Acapulco was a surprise no-show in the entries for the Franklin County Stakes here Friday, a race that was supposed to serve as a stepping-stone to the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint for the 3-year-old filly.
Trainer Wesley Ward said he still intends to make the Nov. 5 Turf Sprint at Santa Anita.
“She came out of her last work a little more tired than I wanted to see,” said Ward. “We’ll just have to go into the Breeders’ Cup without a prep.”
Trainers Jeff Runco and James W. Casey and jockey Antonio Lopez dominated West Virginia Breeders’ Classic night at Charles Town last week.
Runco won the $450,000 Breeders’ Classic with Slip the Cable, the $80,000 Distaff with Spa Creek, and the $75,000 West Virginia Lottery with Bullets Fever.
Bullets Fever, a 3-year-old son of Fiber Sonde, is now undefeated in eight career starts. He was one of two stakes winners on the card for Fiber Sonde, who stands at Beau Ridge Farm.
