Wally Van could get the right kind of pace setup Sunday in the $100,000 Arapahoe Park Classic, with five of the 12 older horses in the 1 1/8-mile race stretching out from sprints.
Those making the distance move include Hezamazing, a two-time winner of the Classic, and Behold de Buy, the runner-up in last year’s edition. For this season’s Classic, the purse was doubled in value last month because of an 11 percent increase in handle at Arapahoe.
It’s not all about the brothers Dan for trainer Charlie LoPresti.
On Thursday, LoPresti sent out Windswept to a 9 1/2-length, second-level allowance win here. Granted, it was only a four-horse field, but Windswept ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.14 and earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 103.
Despite some rain and a muddy racetrack, trainer Bret Calhoun sent his graded stakes winner Bahnah out to work an easy half-mile in 51.60 over the Oklahoma training track Friday. The undefeated Bahnah finished in a dead heat for first with Brazen Persuasion on opening day in the Grade 3 Schuylerville.
Centre Court trained as well as just about anybody over the Oklahoma turf course here this summer in preparation for the Grade 1 Diana but turned in a disappointing performance when finishing a tiring fifth and last after attending the pace of wire-to-wire winner Laughing for more than a mile.
SHAKOPEE, Minn. – A Thursday night out-of-state handle record was set at Canterbury Park this week when $646,399 was wagered on the 10-race card through various out-of-state simulcast and online wagering sites. An additional $195,479 was wagered ontrack by a crowd of 6,578.
AUBURN, Wash. − The field for the Grade 3, $200,000 Longacres Mile on Aug. 18 began to firm up late last week with some defections from the original list of 28 nominees and news that Mr. Bowling, a graded stakes winner in Louisiana, had settled into trainer Mike Puhich’s barn at Emerald Downs to begin final preparations for the Northwest’s richest race.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – If you’re looking for a talented 2-year-old to come out of Kentucky, trainer Steve Asmussen advises you pay attention to the six-furlong maiden race typically run late in the Churchill Downs spring meet.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Bret Calhoun has only two horses stabled at Saratoga this summer, but he’s already captured one graded stakes during the meet and will be favored to win another Sunday, when he sends out the undefeated and untested Fiftyshadesofgold against six rivals in a very competitive renewal of the $200,000 Adirondack Stakes.
DEL MAR, Calif. − Garrett Gomez wasted no time in launching his comeback at Del Mar on Friday morning.
“I bounced out of bed,” he said.
Gomez, who has not ridden since July 14 after undergoing treatment for alcoholism in late July, worked two horses at Del Mar on Friday, a day after he received clearance from a doctor and approval from track stewards to resume activity. He was scheduled to resume riding Saturday.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – A full field of 14 horses, including defending champion Little Mike, was pre-entered Friday for the Aug. 17 Arlington Million.
The race is nicely balanced between North American- and overseas-based runners, with six horses shipping in from Europe, and eight U.S-based runners pre-entered.
