Santa Anita will refurbish its main track this summer to reduce the clay content and add sand, a project that could begin in the next week in a test plot in the seven-furlong chute, pending ongoing discussions between the racetrack and the California Horse Racing Board.
Track president George Haines said Friday that conversations with the racing board are focusing on the details for the renovation, which would be done on a portion of the track not required for daily training.
AUBURN, Wash. – Cliff’s Secret is one of the fastest horses at Emerald Downs, an undefeated sprinter with a big-time pedigree, yet many observers, even those closest to the horse, are conflicted about her true ability.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario − Four American shippers, headed by Twinspired, are among the nine 3-year-olds in Sunday’s $150,000 Victoria Park Stakes at Woodbine.
A nine-furlong race, the Victoria Park is not restricted to Canadian-breds, but it is the last opportunity to prep for the June 26 Queen’s Plate in a local stakes. The Plate possibilities in the field are Pender Harbour, Seawatch, and Top Prospect.
Twinspired should be favored. He lost the Grade 1 Blue Grass on Keeneland’s Polytrack in April by a whisker before finishing 17th in the May 7 Kentucky Derby.
Bobadieu, a front-running winner of the 5 1/2-furlong allowance prep on May 20, will be looking to double up at Assiniboia Downs in Sunday’s six-furlong Free Press.
The $25,000 Free Press, the first stakes race of the meeting for the open 3-and-up division, will go as the eighth race on a special Sunday program that begins at 1:15 p.m.
Bobadieu, an 8-year-old horse trained by Jared Brown, had raced at Canterbury Park and Remington Park last year and had a Turf Paradise outing under his belt when he scored in his Winnipeg debut on May 20.
Shakenwithanolive and Alywyn will renew acquaintances in Sunday’s $50,000 Wild Rose Handicap at Northlands Park. The six-furlong sprint for fillies and mares attracted six horses, including Classic Alley Kat, who ships in from Hastings off of two dominating performances in the Brighouse Belles and Senate Appointee.
Shakenwithanolive and Alywyn met four times at Northlands in 2010, with each winning twice. Shakenwithanolive edged Alywyn in the John Patrick and Madamoiselle before tailing off in the City of Edmonton and Duchess of York, which were both won by Alywyn.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - A streak of four consecutive appearances in graded stakes will end when Supreme Summit starts in a $60,000 allowance race at Hollywood Park on Friday evening.
The seven-furlong race is designed as only a temporary interruption to running in top-class races. Owner Joe Lacombe and trainer Mike Puype consider the allowance to be a prep race for the more lucrative $250,000 Triple Bend Handicap on July 2.
Bellamy Jones returns to the statebred ranks and horses of his own age for the $84,000 Snack on Saturday at Indiana Downs. The 3-year-old Bellamy Jones will face eight others in the six-furlong race.
His trainer, Bob Gorham, has three of the nine entrants in the Snack, but his filly My Bellamy was cross entered in the Ellen’s Lucky Star, which was to be run Friday.
The $75,000 Cyclones Handicap at Prairie Meadows brings together eight of the best Iowa-bred geldings in training to compete at 1 1/16 miles.
The focus will be on the 6-year-old Kate’s Main Man, who was victorious in Oaklawn Park’s $100,000 Essex Handicap in February and has won $325,559 of his $486,207 in earnings at Prairie Meadows.
Populist Politics, a Triple Crown nominee who was undefeated as a 2-year-old, finds himself not in the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, but the $50,000 Rajun Cajun against fellow 3-year-old Louisiana-breds at Evangeline Downs. The Tom Amoss-trained Populist Politics will square off against a solid group of eight rivals at seven furlongs.