Lou Lou Larue and Nayborhood Affair, the one-two finishers in the Bluegrass Stakes earlier this month, meet at a mile this time around in the $20,000 Matchmaker Stakes for older Nebraska-bred fillies and mares, the Saturday feature at Lincoln Race Course.
Also on the card will be a pair of exhibition camel and ostrich races in what has become an annual spectacle during the Lincoln season.
The Colorado-bred sprint division will begin to take shape on Saturday, when a field of nine older horses meet at six furlongs in the $40,615 Aspen at Arapahoe Park.
The race is one of two statebred stakes on the program. Quarter Horses will be featured in the $75,000 Cherry Creek Futurity.
The two best Ohio-bred older females, Pay the Man and Slides Choice, hook up again in the $50,000 J. William Petro Memorial Handicap at Thistledown on Saturday.
Both are carrying the highest weights in their careers in the 1 1/16-mile Petro, with Slides Choice being the top weight at 124 pounds, one more than Pay the Man.
The latest round of Graham Motion versus Dale Romans comes on a much smaller stage.
The Motion-Romans match-up was front-page news when Derby winner Animal Kingdom faced Preakness hero Shackleford in the Belmont Stakes last weekend, but on Saturday it is Smart Bid, trained by Motion, lining up against the Romans-trained Guys Reward and six others in the $500,000 Colonial Turf Cup at Colonial Downs in Virginia.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Pedaltothemedal makes her turf stakes debut in Saturday’s $70,000 Manhattan Beach Stakes at Hollywood Park, after two starts earlier at this meeting that have left trainer Art Sherman perplexed.
Pedaltothemedal won her 3-year-old debut in brilliant fashion in an allowance race over 6 1/2 furlongs April 24, but was only third, beaten 5 1/2 lengths, in the Grade 3 Railbird Stakes as the 11-10 favorite over seven furlongs May 21.
AUBURN, Wash. – Emerald Downs will present a 10-race card Saturday, a weekend warm-up for the main event on Sunday, when Noosa Beach put his five-race winning streak on the line in the Budweiser Handicap. Saturday’s main event is less momentous – a $12,500 claimer for fillies and mares who have never won three times. Racing begins at 2 p.m. Pacific and the feature is the ninth race.
Your browser does not support iframes
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The list of hopefuls includes a champion, a multiple Grade 1 winner, and a mare who adores the track. Blind Luck, Switch, and St Trinians are the three leading contenders in Saturday’s $250,000 Vanity Handicap at Hollywood Park, a race that should help clarify the West Coast older female division.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – They will have a very tough time beating Banned in the Grade 3 Jefferson Cup at Churchill Downs if the colt runs the way he did in winning the American Turf on the Kentucky Oaks undercard. Thing is, will things set up for him as nicely Saturday as they did last time?
“It really set up for him perfectly last time, and that always helps you,” said Tom Proctor, who jokingly and aptly calls his budding stable star “Banned on the run” in honor of the 1970s Paul McCartney hit. “But yeah, he can run a little bit.”
STOCKTON, Calif. – Veteran trainer Cliff Delima hopes his patience pays off Saturday, when he brings Perfect Curls back to the races in the $50,000 Pink Ribbon at the San Joaquin Fair.
A six-furlong stakes, the Pink Ribbon has a field of seven 3-year-old fillies.
ELMONT, N.Y. – After two good-looking wins against New York-breds, Street Game will take on open company in Saturday’s Grade 3, $100,000 Hill Prince Stakes at Belmont Park.
“It’s a step we’re taking just to see where we are with him as far as what the rest of the summer brings,’’ said trainer Phil Serpe. “Do we just look at statebred races or are we looking at something bigger? Hopefully, we’re looking at something bigger.’’
