Sat, 10/06/2012 - 14:42

Woodbine: Honorable Guest stands out in Bull Page Stakes

Michael Burns
Honorable Guest has a class and Beyer Speed Figure edge in Monday’s $125,000 Bull Page Stakes.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Honorable Guest sticks out in holiday Monday’s $125,000 Bull Page Stakes on class and Beyer Speed Figures. He should be favored in the six-furlong dash at Woodbine, which has lured eight other Ontario-sired 2-year-olds.

Honorable Guest finished second in each of his first three outings, including two stakes, although he was demoted to fifth in the Colin for interference. He earned his diploma by eight lengths in a six-furlong maiden special for Ontario-sired stock Aug. 11.

Sat, 10/06/2012 - 14:36

Keeneland: Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup shaping up as deep race

Shigeki Kikkawa
Lady of Shamrock (left) will ship from Southern California for next Saturday’s QEII Cup.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The connections of 10 3-year-old turf fillies have accepted invitations to participate next weekend in the sixth and final Grade 1 race of the Keeneland fall meet, the $400,000 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup on Saturday, Oct. 13.

Division leaders Stephanie’s Kitten, Lady of Shamrock, and Samitar are among those expected to be entered in the 29th running of the QEII, a 1 1/8-mile turf fixture that invariably comes up an outstanding race.

Sat, 10/06/2012 - 14:24

Santa Anita: Bares Tripper to try turf in Surfer Girl Stakes

Benoit & Associates
Bares Tripper will make her turf debut in Monday’s $100,000 Surfer Girl Stakes at Santa Anita.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Bares Tripper won her debut on a Polytrack surface at Del Mar. She won a stakes on a dirt track at Fairplex Park. A start on turf in Monday’s $100,000 Surfer Girl Stakes at Santa Anita is not a major issue for trainer Peter Miller.

“She should handle the turf,” Miller said. “I don’t see why she won’t handle it after she handled the synthetic. Some horses just run on anything, and I think she’s one of those.”

Sat, 10/06/2012 - 14:12

Northlands Park: Canadian Juvenile looks to be wide open

Barring scratches, 10 2-year-olds will start in the $50,000 Canadian Juvenile at Northlands Park on Monday, and it is anyone’s guess which horse will emerge as the winner. All 10 will be stretching out to a middle distance for the first time, and they also will be looking for their first stakes win.

Sat, 10/06/2012 - 14:04

Belmont Park: Peace Preserver, Channel Lady look tough off of last in Pebbles Stakes

Tom Keyser
Channel Lady has won her only two starts on turf and steps up in class for Monday’s Pebbles Stakes.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Eight turf-meant 3-year-old fillies who last raced at six different tracks will meet in Monday’s $150,000 Pebbles Stakes, which is scheduled for one mile on the Widener turf course.

Todd Pletcher will be well represented by the uncoupled duo of Peace Preserver and Channel Lady, who figure to vie for favoritism after posting the field’s fastest races during the final week of racing at Saratoga.

Sat, 10/06/2012 - 13:52

Hastings: Commander has Jebrica as threat in Premiers

Four-Footed Fotos
Commander wins the S.W. Randall Plate Handicap.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Commander will be a heavy favorite to win his sixth stakes race in a row in the $100,000 B.C. Premiers at Hastings on Monday. The main threat to ending his streak appears to be Jebrica, who won the race for 3-year-olds and up last year.

Sat, 10/06/2012 - 13:44

Hastings: Clash of generations in Ballerina

Reed Palmer Photography/Emerald Downs
Class Included wins the Emerald Distaff.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – The Grade 3, $100,000 Ballerina at Hastings on Monday features a classic matchup between the top older female at Emerald Downs, Class Included, and the dominant 3-year-old filly at Hastings, Evelyn’s Dancer.

The 1 1/8-mile race for fillies and mares drew seven horses and goes as race 4 on a nine-race card that begins at 1:50 p.m. Pacific. Under the scale weight conditions of the race, older fillies and mares will carry 123 pounds and 3-year-olds 120.

Sat, 10/06/2012 - 12:33

Belmont Park: Watsdachances tops Brown's trio in Miss Grillo Stakes

Barbara D. Livingston
Watsdachances will try to earn a berth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf with a win in the Grade 3, $150,000 Miss Grillo Stakes.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Led by Watsdachances, trainer Chad Brown will take three shots at Monday’s Grade  3, $150,000 Miss Grillo Stakes at Belmont Park, hoping to get back to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, the inaugural running of which Brown won four years ago with Maram.

Brown also will send out maidens Wave Theory and Atlantic Dream in the Miss Grillo, a 1 1/16-mile grass race that drew a field of 12.

Sat, 10/06/2012 - 08:42

Hoosier Park: Pace pressure can't stop Higher Logic in Indiana Stallion Stakes

Higher Logic overcame an early duel to win the $88,000 Indiana Stallion Stakes at Hoosier Park on Friday evening.

Jockey Irwin Rosendo hustled Higher Logic away from the gate and she set a pressured pace to upper stretch. Rosendo asked the 2-year-old Indiana-sired filly trained by Antonio Duran for her best and she responded, drawing off to a 5 1/2-length win over a track labeled as muddy.

Sat, 10/06/2012 - 08:32

Turf Paradise: First Strike has last say in opening-day Bienvenidos Stakes

PHOENIX - First Strike finished strongly from far back to capture Friday's $35,000 Bienvenidos Stakes, a 6 1/2-furlong race that helped kicked off the 156-day meet which runs through May 7.