ELMONT, N.Y. – Regardless over what surface Friday’s $80,000 Rob ‘n Gin Stakes is run, trainer David Jacobson will have a solid chance to win.
If the Rob ‘n Gin is run at seven furlongs over Belmont Park’s Widener turf course as scheduled, Jacobson will be live with Boots Ahead. If, because of persistent rains that finally subsided Wednesday morning, the race is moved to the dirt at seven furlongs, Jacobson has the uncoupled entry of Saginaw and Fiddlers Afleet to run.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – All of the European shippers are in the house for the three Grade 1 turf stakes here Sunday, Canadian International Day.
Reliable Man, trained by Alain de Royer-Dupre, checked in from France late Tuesday afternoon for the $1.5 million Canadian International, a 1 1/2-mile race for 3-year-olds and upward.
[CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL DAY: Get PPs, watch Sunday's full card live]
LEXINGTON, Ky. – A 2-year-old half-brother to the champion colt Hansen is scheduled to make his career debut Friday in the sixth race at Keeneland, but a recent minor injury most likely is going to lead to a scratch, according to the colt’s connections.
Gunderson, by Corinthian out of the mare Stormy Sunday, had a “little bit of filling” in his right front ankle Wednesday morning and thus would be delayed in making his first start, said Kendall Hansen, who bred and owns the bay colt.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario — Wigmore Hall, who checked in following a flight from Amsterdam last Saturday for the Grade 1, $1.5 million Canadian International, certainly is no stranger to transatlantic travel.
Less than one month ago, Wigmore Hall won the Grade 1 Northern Dancer here a Woodbine over 1 1/2 miles of turf and then returned to his home base.
Just three weeks prior to that, Wigmore Hall had booked a return flight to Arlington and finished fourth in the Grade 1, 1 1/4-mile Arlington Million.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Fun in D’ Sun will try to double up on the grass Friday at Woodbine in the featured second race, a seven-furlong allowance for 2-year-old fillies.
Fun in D’ Sun commenced her career with four straight runner-up placings, all under Omar Moreno. In her first two races, she was beaten four lengths in a pair of maiden special dashes on the Polytrack, including to future stakes winner Tara From the Cape.
Indian Love looks like the one to beat in a $10,000 claiming race that will serve as Friday’s feature at Northlands Park. The 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds and up headlines a 10-race card that leads into the final weekend of the 2012 meet that ends Saturday.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – After Centre Court won the Regret Stakes at Churchill Downs in June, trainer Rusty Arnold said he was instructed by the filly’s owner-breeder, G. Watts Humphrey Jr., to plot a course that would have her running four months later in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland.
“I think I’ve gotten her here in exceptionally good shape,” said Arnold, quickly adding: “Problem is, I think a few others came up with the same plan.”
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Cam Gambolati has never won a race at Keeneland, let alone a stakes race. Oh, he has had a winner in Kentucky, mind you, but his experience at Keeneland has been limited.
“I got beat a head in a little turf stakes quite a few years back,” Gambolati recalled. “I’ve only run a handful of horses there.”
NORTH RANDALL, Ohio – The 26th running of the Best of Ohio series of five stakes for Ohio-breds offers $350,000 in purses on Friday’s eight-race card at Thistledown, making for Ohio’s richest day of racing this year. Traditionally, the races play a strong roll in determining year-end Ohio-bred divisional champions.
Los Alamitos officials have held discussions with representatives of the Thoroughbred Owners of California and Southern California racetracks about a possible expansion of the Orange County Quarter Horse track to accommodate Thoroughbred racing.
