Za Approval and Queen’splatekitten, who were scheduled to meet on the canceled Sept. 28 program, head a field of nine grass-meant runners in Thursday’s third-level allowance feature scheduled for one mile on the Widener turf.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – George Weaver will be back at his old Kentucky home Thursday, hoping that a filly named Summer of Fun can provide him a memorable autumn here and in California following wildly divergent efforts in New York and Canada.
Summer of Fun is among a bevy of viable contenders in the eighth and final Win and You’re In event of the Keeneland meet, the Grade 3, $150,000 Jessamine Stakes. The winner gets an expenses-paid berth into the Nov. 2 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita.
With 16 runners nominated for Sunday’s closing-day $75,000 Bulldog, racing secretary Tom Doutrich is hopeful that the Big Fresno Fair will wind up its two-week meet with a bang.
“We only had five in the Charlie Palmer” – last Saturday’s $75,000 one-mile stakes for 2-year-olds – “but I wasn’t surprised, because I really had to hustle for entries,” Doutrich said. “They only had five in a $100,000 stakes” – the six-furlong Tim Conway – “at Santa Anita the same day.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – With the French contingent having been due to arrive late Tuesday afternoon and the Irish to follow on Wednesday, all the pieces of the puzzle have yet to fall into place for Sunday’s Canadian International Day program.
Three Grade 1 turf stakes will be on tap, with the 1 1/2-mile Canadian International, the 1 1/4-mile E.P. Taylor, and the six-furlong Nearctic all part of the Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In program.
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ARCADIA, Calif. – Santa Anita has shown an increase in all-sources handle and a decline in ontrack attendance and handle through the first eight days of the autumn meeting.
Through Monday, the meeting showed an increase in all-sources handle of 1 percent, with much of the growth coming through account wagering, according to the track’s president, George Haines. Account wagering handle has increased 30 percent, he said.
Ontrack attendance is down 5 percent for the meeting, while ontrack handle is down 10 percent.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – In what turned into a match race at the quarter pole, Commander held off Jebrica to win the Grade 3, $100,000 B.C. Premiers at Hastings on Monday. Commander, who was winning his sixth straight stakes, was sent off as the overwhelming favorite and paid $2.90.
With Mario Gutierrez aboard, Commander was under pressure from Northern Causeway while posting sprint-like fractional times of 23.84 seconds, 46.50, and 1:11.53 in the 1 3/8-mile feature for 3-year-olds and up. After disposing of Northern Causeway following a mile in 1:37.35,
ARCADIA, Calif. – Joe Talamo’s list of Breeders’ Cup turf mounts is growing rapidly.
Saturday, he won the Arroyo Seco Mile at Santa Anita on BC Mile candidate Obviously. Monday, he won the $100,000 Surfer Girl Stakes with Flashy Ways, who may start in the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf on this course Nov. 2.
Flashy Ways, who began her career with a win in a $50,000 claimer for maidens at Del Mar on Aug. 16, had a perfect trip to win the one-mile Flashy Girl by 2 1/2 lengths over Wishing Gate, the 2-1 favorite.
Risky Call broke sharply and after dueling with Tony the Tank through quick fractions went on to win the $50,000 Canadian Juvenile by an easy 5 1/2 lengths over Just Gone at Northlands Park on Monday. He paid $6.40 as the slight favorite in the one-mile race for 2-year-olds.
Risky Call disposed of Tony the Tank after six furlongs and held a 6 1/2-length lead at the top of the stretch. With apprentice jockey Rafael Zenteno Jr. aboard, Risky Call was never threatened while easily holding off Just Gone who rallied from off the pace. Rockport Street finished third.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Russell Baze guided Class Included to an impressive win over Evelyn’s Dancer in the Grade 3, $100,000 Ballerina at Hastings on Monday. She paid $3.20 as the clear choice over Evelyn’s Dancer in the 1 1/8-mile race for fillies and mares.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Peace Preserver rallied four wide in the stretch under John Velazquez and galloped to a 6 1/2-length victory in Monday’s $150,000 Pebbles Stakes at Belmont Park, capping a fabulous Columbus Day weekend for trainer Todd Pletcher.
Channel Lady, the 3-2 favorite, also trained by Pletcher, finished second by a neck over the ambitious pacesetter Assateague in the one-mile turf race for 3-year-old fillies.
