VANCOUVER, British Columbia – The trainers’ race at Hastings has heated up in recent weeks and what seemed like an insurmountable margin has shrunk to just a two-win lead for Troy Taylor over Craig MacPherson. Taylor should have the edge with Sage Gold in Sunday’s feature, but MacPherson certainly has a shot to win the $7,500 claiming race with Jump Pass.
The 6 1/2-furlong dash for 3-year-olds and up drew nine horses and will go as race 6 on a seven-race card that begins at 1:40 p.m.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Eye of the Leopard, last year’s champion 3-year-old in Canada, ended a slump when he won a recent optional claimer with determination. He goes back to stakes company Sunday at Woodbine in the nine-furlong Durham Cup, a Grade 3 race worth $150,000.
Eye of the Leopard had gone winless since taking the $1 million Queen’s Plate in June 2009, before his victory in a third-level allowance with an $80,000 claiming option traveling 1 1/16 miles on Sept. 15.
ELMONT, N.Y. – With the possible exception of Winchester, the older North American turf males entered in Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational at Belmont Park have been a bit of an inconsistent and uninspiring group.
ELMONT, N.Y. – The seven trainers opposing Blame in Saturday’s $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup could only hope the nasty weather that hit the New York Metropolitan area on Thursday lasted another day. For if Blame couldn’t get to Belmont Park, then he certainly couldn’t run.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. − There is a lot on trainer David Hofmans’s shoulders these days, most notably a sling he wears because of a fractured right scapula he suffered courtesy of some roughhousing with his 11-year-old grandson, Cody.
“My grandkids took me out,” Hofmans said jokingly at his Hollywood Park barn.
Baba Booyah and Romeo Again look to repeat in the $50,000 Farer Belle Lee and $50,000 Frontier Handicaps, respectively, at Pinnacle Race Course on Saturday.
The Farer Belle Lee is for Michigan-bred fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles. The 1 1/8-mile Frontier is for statebred males.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Before the five Grade 1 stakes are run here Saturday, Jackson Bend, a familiar name from the 3-year-old division, returns to the races in the $70,000 Star of Cozzene Stakes at 1 1/16 miles.
A five-time winner at 2, but winless in six starts this year, Jackson Bend finished third, beaten less than a length by Lookin At Lucky in the Preakness. Before that, he had second-place finishes in the Holy Bull and twice ran second to Eskendereya in the Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream and Wood Memorial at Aqueduct. He also finished 12th in the Kentucky Derby.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. − In the spring and summer of 2009, Lilly Fa Pootz was collecting wins in $7,500 claiming races at Emerald Downs in Washington. She had yet to start on turf.
When she finally did, finishing third in a $16,000 claimer at Golden Gate Fields last November in her 17th career start, trainer Jerry Hollendorfer saw enough that day to claim her for that amount in her next start in December. Hollendorfer has raced Lilly Fa Pootz primarily on turf this year, and she has changed in the most unexpected ways.
MIAMI – Local 2-year-old division leaders Gourmet Dinner and Awesome Feather skipped last weekend’s prep races to await the finales of the Florida Stallion Stakes on Oct. 16, with both beginning their final preparations for those starts by working a mile here on Tuesday. The colt Gourmet Dinner is pointing for the In Reality, and the filly Awesome Feather goes in the My Dear Girl