MIAMI – There were plenty of surprises when entries were drawn Monday for Saturday’s Summit of Speed program, Calder Race Course’s marquee event featuring four graded sprint stakes.
Two horses were unexpected supplements to the Grade 3 Azalea, which drew a field of only six 3-year-old fillies: the undefeated Just Louise, trained by Dale Romans, and May Day Rose, from the barn of trainer Bob Baffert.
ELMONT, N.Y. – The rematch, or more accurately, the rubber match, is set.
Gio Ponti and Mission Approved, who have split decisions in Grade 1 stakes – albeit 11 months apart – will meet for the third time in Saturday’s $600,000 Man o’ War, the final Grade 1 event of the Belmont spring/summer meet. A field of seven was entered for the Man o’ War, including the Irish shipper Cape Blanco, a multiple Group 1 winner.
SHAKOPEE, Minn. – In an attempt to ease the financial hardship for horsemen affected by races canceled because of a state shutdown in Minnesota, Canterbury Park and the Minnesota Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association have agreed to a plan that will allow some purse money to flow to horsemen.
Speaking at a general membership meeting of the Minnesota HBPA on Monday, Randy Sampson, president and CEO of Canterbury Park, and Tom Metzen Sr., the HBPA president, announced details of the program.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Miss Match, the winner of the Grade 1 Santa Margarita Invitational Stakes at Santa Anita in March, will make her first start against males in Saturday’s $500,000 Hollywood Gold Cup, and is expected to be the only female in the most lucrative race of the spring-summer meeting.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Eternal Rule was recording his second win of the meeting and his third in as many career starts when he romped by 5 1/4 lengths under regular rider David Clark in the $150,000 Achievement for Ontario-foaled 3-year-olds.
Bred and owned by Donald Myers and trained by Sid Attard, Eternal Rule debuted last Nov. 7 with an off-the-pace win over seven furlongs.
“He’s a small, small horse so we took our time with him,” said Attard. “After that race he had a chip in his knee, so we operated on him.”
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Bear It’s Time was facing a tough task in the 1 1/8-mile Woodbine Oaks, coming back on less than two weeks’ rest. She finished sixth after a winning seasonal bow in the seven-furlong Lady Angela.
But the scenario had changed heading into last Sunday’s $250,000 Bison City, and Bear It’s Time, with four weeks to regroup, rallied for a head victory in the 1 1/16 mile-stakes for Canadian-bred 3-year-old fillies.
Derive will appreciate the class relief when he runs in a second-level allowance race for 3-year-olds and up at Northlands Park Wednesday. The 6 1/2-furlong sprint drew six horses and is a part of an excellent nine-race card that begins at 6 p.m. Mountain.
Vindgari was the runner-up in last year’s Wheat City, and he will be looking to go one better in Wednesday’s renewal of the one-mile stakes at Assiniboia Downs. The $25,000 Wheat City has drawn a field of 10 older horses and will go as the seventh of eight races on the program, which begins at 7:05 p.m.
Vindgari, a Kentucky-bred 6-year-old who is owned by Arnold Heppner and trained by Carl Anderson, has seen action twice this year, finishing third in the 5 1/2-furlong allowance prep for the Free Press and then second in the six-furlong main event.
The 20-1 longshot Hour By Hour led every step of the way to win the Dale Baird Memorial for older horses, one of three $75,000 stakes Sunday night at Mountaineer Park.
In the other stakes, Kingofthebluegrass won the Independence Day and Lunar Mist took the Firecracker.
