OPELOUSAS, La. – Louisiana’s first major test for 2-year-olds is set for Saturday night at Evangeline Downs, with two divisions of the D. S. “Shine” Young Futurity on tap. Each division is estimated to be worth $120,000 and will be run at 5 1/2 furlongs.
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Street Gem and Coarsegold, the 1-2 finishers in the Revidere Stakes last month, square off again on Saturday at Monmouth Park.
The rematch comes in the $60,000 Desert Vixen Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles on turf.
While the distance is the same as the Revidere, the scales even up this time. Street Gem, trained by Kathleen O’Connell, carried six pounds less than Coarsegold in her pacesetting Revidere win. They will each tote 123 for the Desert Vixen.
Success Rate and Just Win Baby look like the main players in the $50,000 Count Lathum Handicap at Northlands Park on Saturday.
The 1 1/16-mile race drew six 3-year-olds and goes as the eighth race on a nine-race card that includes four $50,000 stakes, beginning with the one-mile Northlands Oaks for 3-year-old fillies in the fifth race. The Edmonton Juvenile and the Princess Margaret for 2-year-old fillies follow the Oaks, and both races will be contested over six furlongs.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Sky Commander will try to remain unbeaten as a gelding Saturday at Woodbine in the $125,000 Toronto Cup, a nine-furlong turf stakes for 3-year-olds.
Sky Commander gave his more accomplished stablemate Dynamic Sky a run for his money when second in the Jan. 12 Pasco Stakes at Tampa. However, he barely picked up his feet in two subsequent outings in Florida, so trainer Mark Casse said he had him gelded after the March 11 OBS Championship Stakes at the Ocala Training Center.
The eight-day California State Fair at Sacramento showed a 1 percent increase on live ontrack handle and a 4 percent increase on its all-source live handle compared to the eight-day 2012 meet, the track reported. The State Fair meet began July 12 and ended on Sunday.
The 2013 meet had a live ontrack handle of $1,600,110, up from the 2012 total of $1,589,423.
The all-source handle, buoyed by a 7 percent jump in out-of-state wagering, totaled $8,122,624 this year, up from the 2012 total of $7,779,198.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Wednesday’s pick six paid $15,677 at Del Mar on a day when interest was heightened by a massive carryover of $238,499 from Sunday.
[DEL MAR 2013: Complete meet coverage, schedule, race replays]
Bettors added $1,488,620 to the pool on Wednesday. The winners of Wednesday’s pick six races were Station House ($9.60), Jim’s No Preacher ($14), Tom Kha ($11.80), Sweet Lulu ($7), Indy Point ($6.20) and Indycott ($7.40). Only Indy Point was favored.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Indy Point, a three-time Group 1 stakes winner in Argentina in 2012, won his U.S. debut in Wednesday’s $95,050 Wickerr Stakes at Del Mar in a performance that suggests a major stakes is in his short-term future in California.
Trainer Richard Mandella said one race that could be considered for Indy Point is the $1 million TVG Pacific Classic here on Aug. 25, though he stopped well short of making a commitment for that race.
[DEL MAR 2013: Complete meet coverage, schedule, race replays]
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - There were 16 winning tickets sold on Wednesday’s pick six at Saratoga, each returning $60,903.
There was a two-day carryover of $245,278 entering the day, and an additional $1,276,121 was wagered into the pool.
Though the first three winners each paid double-digit mutuels, favorites won the next two legs and every horse was covered entering the final leg of the wager. Payoffs ranged from $48,777 to $1,002,708.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Kitten’s Dumplings took advantage of a strong early pace and her potent late kick to win Wednesday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Lake George Stakes at Saratoga.
It was the third straight stakes victory and fifth win from 10 career starts for Kitten’s Dumplings, a daughter of Kitten’s Joy owned and bred by Ken and Sarah Ramsey and trained by Mike Maker.
