Thu, 08/01/2013 - 15:39

Northlands Park: Commander appears to have Fred Jones Handicap at his mercy

Four-Footed Fotos
Commander will go three turns in Saturday's $50,000 Spangled Jimmy at Northlands Park.

Can any of the horses lined up against Commander in the $50,000 Fred Jones Handicap at Northlands Park Saturday beat him? Not if he runs his usual race is the unfortunate answer for the connections of the four other horses in the field.

Commander has not lost going around three turns at Northlands, and he will be heavily favored to win the mile and a sixteenth feature for 3-year-olds and up.

Trainer Dennis Terry is not taking anything for granted.

“There are some very nice horses in the field and it could be a tough race for him,” Terry said.

Thu, 08/01/2013 - 15:27

Saratoga: De La Rose a pivotal race for Laugh Out Loud

Benoit & Associates
Open Water, winning the Marjorie Everett Handicap on Cushion Track at Betfair Hollywood Park, switches to turf for the De La Rose at Saratoga.

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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Saturday’s $100,000 De La Rose Stakes is ungraded and restricted to filly and mares who have not won a graded stakes on turf this season. But for Group 2 winner Laugh Out Loud, the one-mile overnight stakes could be a career-defining race.

Thu, 08/01/2013 - 15:23

Saratoga: Mr. Hot Stuff wins Smithwick Memorial Steeplechase

Barbara D. Livingston
Mr. Hot Stuff, Grade 1-placed during his flat racing career, wins the Grade 1 A. P. Smithwick Memorial Steeplechase Stakes at Saratoga on Thursday with Paddy Young aboard.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. –  Mr. Hot Stuff had a brief fling with stardom as a 3-year-old in 2009 after finishing third in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby and competing in both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes later that spring.

Four years later, the former flat runner stamped himself as an up-and-coming star in the steeplechase world by virtue of his 2 1/2-length victory over the Jonathan Sheppard-trained duo of Italian Wedding and Divine Fortune in the Grade 1 A. P. Smithwick Memorial Steeplechase Stakes on a soggy Thursday afternoon at Saratoga.

Thu, 08/01/2013 - 15:20

Monmouth: Rail draw puts heat on Wicked Tune

OCEANPORT, N.J. – Wicked Tune puts a three-race winning streak on the line Saturday at Monmouth Park in the $60,000 My Frenchman Stakes for turf sprinters.

A 6-year-old trained by Jane Cibelli, Wicked Tune registered Beyer Speed Figures of 90 or better in all three victories, topping out most recently with a career-best 97 in a second-level allowance race at Delaware Park.

That kind of consistency makes him a top contender against six rivals going 5 1/2 furlongs from the infield sprint chute.

Thu, 08/01/2013 - 15:13

Assiniboia Downs: Lil Missknowitall risks streak in Winnipeg Sun

Lil Missknowitall, has had all the answers this year at Assiniboia Downs, and she will be looking for her fourth local victory in as many starts when she faces four rivals in Saturday’s Winnipeg Sun.

The Winnipeg Sun, a 1 1/16-mile race for fillies and mares, offers a purse of $30,000 and will be run as the third of eight races on the card.

Lil Missknowitall, trained by Jim Meyaard, was claimed from a win for $8,000 at Oaklawn Park this spring and won a 6 1/2-furlong stakes at Fonner Park in her first start for her new barn.

Thu, 08/01/2013 - 15:11

Santa Rosa: Robert Dupret Derby good spot for Rush In

SANTA ROSA, Calif. – When Billy Morey arranged for the purchase of Rush In last fall, he hoped that lighning would strike twice. Morey bought Positive Response in 2011, and the gelding has gone on to be a multiple stakes winner.

While Rush In has yet to win a stakes, he has turned out to be a solid allowance horse, and on Saturday at the Sonoma County Fair he is a top contender in the $50,000-added Robert Dupret Derby for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles on the turf.

Thu, 08/01/2013 - 15:07

Del Mar: Include Me Out poised for repeat in Hirsch

Shigeki Kikkawa
Include Me Out starts 2013 winning the Desert Stormer with Joe Talamo riding. Talamo will be aboard again for the Clement Hirsch.

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DEL MAR, Calif. – Include Me Out had her best season in 2012, winning three stakes and finishing third in the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic at Santa in November. She could be on her way to equaling those accomplishments in 2013.

Thu, 08/01/2013 - 15:04

Woodbine: On Rainbow Bridge looks tough in Nandi

Michael Burns
On Rainbow Bridge goes into the Nandi on Saturday off this victory in the Shady Well.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – On Rainbow Bridge followed up on her encouraging opener with a solid score in the 5 1/2-furlong Shady Well here July 14. On Saturday, On Rainbow Bridge will be looking to add another feather to her cap when she takes the subtle drop from Ontario-foaled to Ontario-sired 2-year-old filly company in the $125,000, six-furlong Nandi Stakes.

Thu, 08/01/2013 - 15:04

Suffolk Downs: Dreamed a Dream back against females in Isadorable Stakes

Bobby Raymond’s homebred Dreamed a Dream has been a fantasy come true for the longtime trainer on the New England circuit, and now the 4-year-old filly is primed to add another stakes victory to her résumé.

She’s won three of her nine starts, and all three of those victories were in Massachusetts-bred stakes. Moreover, two of those trophies were earned against males.

On Saturday, Dreamed a Dream likely will be favored in a field of 10 statebred fillies and mares in the $50,000 Isadorable Stakes at six furlongs on the main track at Suffolk Downs.

Thu, 08/01/2013 - 14:57

Charles Town: Speed duel likely in Leavitt Memorial

Coady Photography
In the Fairway won the Coin Collector Stakes by 4 1/4 lengths at Charles Town in his most recent start June 29.

In the Fairway and Hidden Canyon, who have combined to finish first in 11 of 16 lifetime starts, figure to engage in a head-to-head battle in Saturday night’s $50,000 Robert G. Leavitt Memorial Stakes at Charles Town.

The seven-furlong race for West Virginia-bred 3-year-olds drew a field of seven, but the event boils down to In the Fairway and Hidden Canyon, both of whom prefer to race on the front end.