Alternation, who established himself as one of the nation’s top older horses last spring, and Prayer for Relief, a multiple graded winner a year ago who recently returned to the Midwest, lead a field of five in Saturday night’s $200,000 Governor’s Cup at Remington Park.
The 1 1/8-mile stakes for 3-year-olds and up is the highlight of opening weekend. It shares a card with the $100,000 David M. Vance, a six-furlong race and stepping-stone to the $200,000 Remington Park Sprint on Sept. 30.
CINCINNATI – Ohio-bred horses take center stage Saturday at River Downs with a pair of $50,000 stakes. The Hoover will be contested at six furlongs for 2-year-old Ohio-registered horses, and the Vivacious will be contested at 1 1/16 miles on the turf course for older fillies and mares.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Blues Dancing gave trainer Katerina Vassilieva her first stakes win in the seven-furlong Lady Angela here May 20. Now, after finishing ninth when facing males in the Bold Ruckus at six furlongs on the turf here June 9, Blues Dancing is returning to the main track and the company of her own sex for Sunday’s $125,000 Eternal Search Stakes at 1 1/16 miles.
The Eternal Search, like the Lady Angela and Bold Ruckus, is restricted to offspring of Ontario sires.
Broken Sword stamped herself as the queen of Northern California 2-year-olds with an 11-length victory in the Juan Gonzalez Memorial in her July 7 debut at Pleasanton. On Saturday, she drew the rail against six brave challengers in the $75,000 Wine Country Debutante at six furlongs at the Sonoma County Fair in Santa Rosa.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Greg De Gannes had been looking forward to sending out Phantom Girl for Saturday’s $150,000 Debutante Stakes. But when Phantom Girl came up with an injury that cut short her season, De Gannes went to the bench and will send out the first-time starter Sweet Redemption in the open six-furlong race for 2-year-old fillies.
“She’s always acted like she was a good horse, from the time she first came around here,” said De Gannes, who conditions the homebred Sweet Redemption for the Southern Chase Farm of Glen and Karen Dodd.
SHAKOPEE, Minn. – Heliskier, a perfect 5 for 5 in his career while winning three stakes and $108,192 by a combined total of 35 lengths, has not scared anyone out of Saturday’s $65,000 Minnesota Derby as eight other Minnesota-bred males will take him on in the mile and 70-yard contest.
Saturday’s card will also include the $65,000 Minnesota Oaks.
Nine 2-year-olds are expected to try and stretch their nascent abilities around two turns in Saturday’s featured $60,000 Prairie Meadows Juvenile Mile.
American Sugar, the field’s lone filly, upset the $75,000 Prairie Gold Lassie by two lengths at 21-1 on July 21. She stretches out from 5 1/2 furlongs to a mile for trainer Lynn Chleborad and is expected to make the transition under regular rider Israel Ocampo.
Chleborad said American Sugar “has shown patience thus far in her races, and Israel says she’s a push-button filly.”
Bond James Bond and Hollywood Dreams are the only stakes winners entered in the colts and geldings division of the $50,000 Three and Four Year Old Sales Stakes at Northlands Park Saturday, and they look like the ones to beat. The 6 1/2-furlong sprint drew nine horses and goes as the seventh race.
Regal Tigereyes heads the fillies division, which drew eight horses and goes as the sixth race. Both races are restricted to horses foaled in Canada that passed through a Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society yearlng sale with the full commission paid.
[bc_video_id:259623:]Jemima’s Pearl, freshened since a terrible trip in the Kentucky Oaks, returns to action Saturday in the Grade 3, $100,000 Monmouth Oaks for 3-year-old fillies.
And she will once again start for a new barn.
Now a member of Bret Calhoun’s stable, Jemima’s Pearl faces five rivals in the 1 1/16-mile race.
