The two “wife” horses who created an Internet and media sensation when they finished one-two at Monmouth Park are entered side-by-side in a Sunday race at Monmouth in their first rematch since that memorable Aug. 22 stretch duel.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Between them, Bourbon Bay and Champ Pegasus have accounted for four graded stakes wins in turf marathons in Southern California this year.
When they meet for the first time in Sunday’s $250,000 Clement Hirsch Turf Championship at Hollywood Park, they do so at a time when their careers are headed in different directions. Literally.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Jockey Tyler Baze has ended plans for a comeback in 2010 while he continues to recover from facial injuries suffered at Del Mar in late July, according to his agent, Vic Stauffer.
Baze had hoped to be ready for the start of the Oak Tree at Hollywood Park meeting, which began Thursday, and then postponed his comeback to next weekend. He is now hoping to return for the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting, which begins Dec. 26, Stauffer said.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Tell a Kelly remains the top 2-year-old filly in California, but circumstances change Sunday when she races a longer distance against a tougher field than she crushed in the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante at seven furlongs one month ago.
The Grade 1 Oak Leaf Stakes, over 1 1/16 miles at Hollywood Park, is the West Coast prep for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. Tell a Kelly’s trainer, John Sadler, believes distance is a non-factor.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. − Representatives with Oak Tree and Santa Anita made presentations to the board of directors of the Thoroughbred Owners of California on Thursday, seeking the organization’s support to host six weeks of racing in Southern California in the fall of 2011.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Blame and Paddy O’Prado – the favorites for Saturday’s Jockey Club Gold Cup and Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational, respectively – arrived at Belmont Park about 1:30 p.m. Friday, a day after their scheduled flight from Kentucky was canceled due to inclement weather.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Maturity, sobriety, and stability are some of the contributing factors in Richard Hamel being on the verge of becoming the leading rider at Hastings for the first time in his career. Going into the final five days of racing at Hastings, Hamel is a cinch to win the title with 78 wins, seven more than Fernando Perez, who isn’t active. Pedro Alvarado is a distant third with 61 wins.
MIAMI − Bullstar and Stepaside are on the also-eligible list and might not even compete in Sunday’s ninth race at Calder. But their presence in the prospective lineup is significant, since they are the first of the Frank Calabrese-owned and Nick Canani-trained horses to hit the local entries this fall.
Canani finished second in the standings at the recently concluded Arlington Park session, winning races at nearly a 40 percent clip for Calabrese. The pair had similar success at Gulfstream Park last winter, when Canani won with 35 percent of his starters at the 2010 meet.