AUBURN, Wash. – After a whirlwind winter, Vann Belvoir has settled into his old routine at Emerald Downs. The 37-year-old trainer has more than 40 horses in his barn, with many more going through their paces at nearby West Coast Training Center, and he has been winning at a familiar 20 percent clip.
Sakakawea, the pride and joy of Ray Tracy’s stable, will be the odds-on favorite in Friday evening’s feature at Prairie Meadows, the $70,000 Mamie Eisenhower, a six-furlong sprint for four year olds and up Iowa-bred fillies and mares.
Defending her title in the race and an undefeated 7 for 7 record in one-turn races at Prairie Meadows, Sakakawea is as good as ever two races into her 5-year old-campaign. According to Tracy, “She’s definitely as sound as ever.”
Average daily handle at the recently completed 90-day meet at Tampa Bay Downs in Oldsmar, Fla., was a record $4,572,054, according to figures released by the track on Wednesday, an increase of 9.2 percent over last year’s figure and the latest in a string of meet-over-meet increases that have propelled Tampa into the upper echelon of North American racetracks.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Trainer Elizabeth Stolzenberg wasn’t planning on being the hottest trainer at Hastings this year. In fact, she was considering stepping back from training horses last December. Thanks to owner Glen Todd, she changed her mind, and the horses she started at the current meet couldn’t be running any better.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Trainer Wayne Catalano sat at a shaded table just outside his Arlington barn on an unseasonably warm Wednesday morning and pointed in to stall number 1, situated right next to the barn office. That was where a big, gangly chestnut 2-year-old took up residence last June 25, a Team Valor colt by Leroidesanimaux whose best days figured to be well ahead of him. His name was Animal Kingdom, and last Saturday at Churchill Downs, Catalano and the rest of the racing world watched him win the Kentucky Derby.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – Trainer Cody Autrey returned to Lone Star Park for the first time in three years this meet, poised to have one of his strongest seasons ever after claiming about 30 horses for Midwest Thoroughbreds over the winter. But less than a month into the meet, the pair has parted company. Autrey is now in a rebuilding mode after losing about 40 horses owned by Midwest.
“It’s a big bite out of your stable,” said Autrey, 31. “I think a lot of the horses were sitting on wins.”
ELMONT, N.Y. – Linda Rice was proud of the fact that she was able to share the Aqueduct spring trainer’s title without winning a single turf race. The move to Belmont Park usually means more turf racing, especially more turf sprints, the type of races Rice has shown an affinity at winning.
CINCINNATI – River Downs will begin what was supposed to be a 93-day meet Friday. The track was scheduled to open April 29, but that was before the rains came and the Ohio River flooded the racing surface, causing the 400-plus horses on the grounds at the time to be evacuated to nearby Turfway Park and to Beulah Park in Columbus. Horses were evacuated April 22 and were able to return April 29, the scheduled opening day, although the track was not opened for training until Tuesday.
