LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Last month at Ellis Park, Devious Intent upset heavily favored Groupie Doll in winning the Grade 3 Gardenia, with the comebacking Groupie Doll beaten a length in third.
Saturday, matched against five rivals in the $100,000, six-furlong Open Mind at Churchill Downs, Devious Intent aims for another upset, this time of likely favorite Burban, a Churchill Downs track specialist with 4-for-7 local record.
Balooga Bull appears to be back in business at Assiniboia Downs.
After winning just one of his first three starts this year as the odds-on choice on each occasion, Balooga Bull was freshened and returned from an absence of almost eight weeks to score impressively over 7 1/2 furlongs Aug. 30.
On Saturday, Balooga Bull will be looking to duplicate his success in the $50,000 Gold Cup, a 1 1/8-mile race in which he scored by 12 lengths last year to conclude a strong 3-year-old campaign.
Mentor Cane, a promising 3-year-old sprinter who finished second in the Grade 1 King’s Bishop Stakes on Aug. 24 at Saratoga, suffered a broken right hind leg during training Thursday morning at Belmont Park and had to be euthanized.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Graffiti Grace finished second to Kataliah when they met in a first-level allowance race on Aug. 17, but she could have the edge when they renew acquaintances in a similar race that will serve as Saturday’s feature at Hastings. The 6 1/2-furlong race for fillies and mares drew five horses and goes as the second race. Post time for the first of seven races is 1:50 p.m. Pacific.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Wise Dan was sent off at 1-2 when winning last year’s Woodbine Mile by 3 1/4 lengths for owner Morton Fink and trainer Charlie LoPresti.
On Sunday, Wise Dan has been pegged at 2-5 in track oddsmaker Ernie Perri’s morning line and will be seeking his ninth straight victory while looking to defend his title in the Grade 1, $1 million Woodbine Mile for 3-year-olds and up. The Woodbine Mile is a Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In race, offering a fees-paid berth in the Breeders’ Cup Mile.
Kentucky Downs received permission Thursday from the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission to make up six races lost to a violent storm that occurred just after the fourth of 10 races was run Wednesday at the turf-only track in south-central Kentucky.
Three races will be added to each of the last two programs at the five-day meet, both of them Wednesdays (Sept. 18 and 25). The start time for the 13-race cards will be 12:35 p.m. Central, one hour earlier than what was originally scheduled.
POMONA, Calif. – Lightly raced Roundupthelute ran himself into Breeders’ Cup Juvenile consideration with a solid victory Wednesday evening in the $50,000 C.B. Afflerbaugh Stakes at the Los Angeles County Fair.
A 2-year-old colt sired by Midnight Lute, Roundupthelute ($4.80) and jockey Martin Garcia upset odds-on favorite Echo Zulu in the seven-furlong stakes, winning by two lengths in 1:24.97 for seven furlongs. Completing the order of finish after runner-up Echo Zulu was Brighton Star, Betting McCann Can and Mr Wild Kitty.
Jockey Ronnie Allen Jr. reached a personal milestone Wednesday evening by winning his 3,000th race aboard Ghost Flower ($6) in the second race at Presque Isle Downs.
Allen, 49, was excited after the race.
"It has been a long time coming,: he said. “I never thought I would reach 3,000 when I started. It is a good accomplishment for anybody.”
Ghost Flower is trained by Maria Bowersock, Allen’s fiancé.
Despite the fact that the only winning favorite in the sequence was first-time starter My Place, one bettor managed to successfully navigate through Wednesday’s pick 6, and thus became the first to hit the super-exotic wager at Belmont’s fall meet, collecting a cool $423,424.
After going un-hit opening weekend, there was a double carryover of $137,011 into Wednesday’s card.
The winning numbers were 7-6-7-5-4-5-10 for the sextet of Summerdale ($56), Chasing Moonlight ($11.80), My Place ($7), Princess Adelyn ($21.80), Cheyenne Nation ($14.40) and Ale ($10.40).
AUBURN, Wash. – Jeff Metz, seeking to capture the Emerald Downs training title in his first season here, will send out three starters Friday on Day 67 of the 75-day meeting, with his Barton Hill, a recent maiden winner at Portland Meadows, among the leading contenders in the featured sixth race for 3-year-olds. First post for the seven-race card is 6:45 p.m. Pacific.
