ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Dance for Cole, a hot horse from a live family, should be prominent Friday at Woodbine in the featured eighth race, an Ontario-sired allowance scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on the grass.
Dance for Cole wintered in south Florida with trainer Katerina Vassilieva, who sent him out to finish fourth in a maiden special weight race on grass at Gulfstream on March 22. He didn’t start again until June 9, when he faltered here in another open maiden special weight route on the lawn.
Chandlers Heart will be shooting for her fifth win at the Northlands Park meet when she runs in an $8,000 claiming race that will serve as Friday’s feature. The one-mile race for fillies and mares drew eight horses and goes as the seventh race.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Jeranimo might be the best-known horse in trainer Mike Pender’s barn, but it would be hard to top Tasty Treat as the most courageous. Tasty Treat, a 4-year-old filly, has worked her way back to the races after being seriously injured earlier this year. When she won an allowance race at Del Mar on July 18, “there were tears flowing,” Pender said.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Stratify will appreciate the class relief when he runs in a $25,000 claiming race that headlines a seven-race card Friday night at Hastings. The 6 1/2-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up drew eight horses and goes as the fourth race. Post time for the first race is 7:15 p.m. Pacific.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - It is not surprising that Lunarwarfare is here for Sunday's Grade 2, $200,000 Saratoga Special. It is somewhat surprising that he is here with his owner-breeder-trainer Michael Yates.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Trainer D. Wayne Lukas will be active in both upcoming graded turf stakes here, sending out Skyring against defending Horse of the Year Wise Dan in Saturday's Grade 2, $500,000 Fourstardave Handicap and Optimizer against Boisterous in the Grade 1, $600,000 Sword Dancer Invitational on Aug. 17.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Though she hasn’t raced since January, Hard to Resist has been raring to go for a while, with trainer Pete Eurton desperately searching for a spot. He seems to have found an ideal one in the $85,000 seventh race Thursday at Del Mar, because there’s plenty of speed to set up Hard to Resist’s late run.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Fiftyshadesofhay, winner of the Grade 3 Iowa Oaks and Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes in her last two starts, will step up and take on the elite of the 3-year-old filly division in the Grade 1 Alabama Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 17 following an impressive workout at Del Mar on Tuesday morning, trainer Bob Baffert said.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - D. Wayne Lukas made official on Tuesday what had been widely speculated for the last week - Preakness winner Oxbow will not run in the $1 million Travers Stakes here on Aug. 24.
Thus, the anticipated showdown between this year's three Triple Crown winners will have to wait for another day, if it ever happens at all.
Holiday Mischief and Sunbean put on a show in the $100,000 Prelude last Saturday at Louisiana Downs, when the pair finished a head apart in the prep for next month’s Grade 2, $500,000 Super Derby. But whether both horses return for the big dance is still being determined. Holiday Mischief is being tentatively pointed for the race, according to his trainer, Joe Offolter, while Sunbean’s next start is yet to be determined, said his trainer, Ron Faucheux.
