OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Dropping from Grade 1 stakes, Emerald Beech and defending titlist Mekong Melody head a field of eight fillies and mares in Saturday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Long Island Handicap at Aqueduct.
The 55th running of the Long Island is the last graded turf race in New York this year. It is carded as race 8, and the third leg of a $250,000 guaranteed late pick four that begins with race 6 at 2:48 p.m. Eastern.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario — City Wolf, who went from his maiden win to a graded stakes score in the span of just five months, seeks his fifth straight victory Saturday at Woodbine in the $150,000 Autumn Stakes.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Grace Phil assumed control near the eighth pole before edging away to take the $125,000 South Ocean Stakes on Wednesday night at Woodbine.
Consecutive set a moderate pace in the1 1/16-mile test for Ontario-sired juvenile fillies while being tracked by Grace Phil. Favored Future Surprise loomed into a stalking position at the half-mile pole before tiring, and Grace Phil made her move on the far turn en route to a two-length tally over a closing Memories Last Love. A fading Consecutive held off Future Surprise for third in the seven-horse field.
Although ontrack business declined, Thistledown had a gain in all-sources handle for its 120-day meet that ended Nov. 5. The meeting averaged $664,400 daily overall on its live races in 2011, an increase of 10 percent over 2010 business.
A 5.7 percent drop in ontrack handle, which averaged $59,707 daily, was more than offset by an 11.9-percent gain in offtrack handle on Thistledown races, an average of $604,693.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Nearly half of the Breeders' Cup events run here last weekend - 7 of 15 - were won by connections with longstanding ties to Churchill. Trainers Bill Mott and Steve Asmussen both sent out two winners, while trainers Dale Romans and Mike Maker both had one win apiece, as did owners Ken and Sarah Ramsey.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Groupie Doll acquitted herself quite well on dirt in winning the Gardenia Handicap at Ellis Park and running second in the Charles Town Oaks, then again with her near-miss on Polytrack in the Raven Run at Keeneland.
Now it’s a shot at turf for Groupie Doll, the new star of the Buff Bradley stable, as the 3-year-old filly is part of a rugged group set to run Saturday in the Grade 2, $175,000 Mrs. Revere Stakes. Groupie Doll, with Greta Kuntzweiler to ride, was assigned post 3 in a field of 12 entered in the 1 1/16-mile grass fixture.
Headed by last year’s winner, Mekong Melody, and Glens Falls winner Emerald Beech, a field of eight fillies and mares was drawn for Saturday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Long Island Handicap, which is the final graded turf stakes of the year in New York.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – All eyes will be on Boys At Tosconova on Friday, when last year’s Hopeful winner and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile runner-up makes his second start back from a layoff in a nonwinners-of-three-lifetime allowance at 6 1/2 furlongs.
Whether they are returning from lengthy layoffs or ran poorly in their last starts, all five of the starters in Friday’s $60,000 Yo Eleven Stakes at Hollywood Park could do with a win to boost their careers.
The restricted stakes is run over 7 1/2 furlongs, and limited to horses who have not won a first-place prize of $60,000 or more in 2011. All five of the runners – El Gato Malo, Golden Itiz, Racing Aptitude, Square Eddie, and Tweebster – have started this year in races worth much more than that to the winner.
For the first time since 2008, the average all-sources handle declined at Delaware Park. The 101-day meet ended last Saturday with an average all-sources handle per day of $1,483,786, down 7 percent from the 2010 daily average of $1,602,401.
“We had been very fortunate to post handle gains in 2009 and 2010 even though we were faced with increased competition and the challenges of a slow economy,” said John Mooney, the track’s executive director of racing. “Faced with even more competition and the still sluggish economy, we were not surprised by the decrease in handle this year.”
