ELMONT, N.Y. – It’s a photograph that trainer Chad Brown still finds hard to digest. But the picture of last year’s Noble Damsel Stakes did indeed show Rutherienne’s nose on the wire ahead of Quiet Meadow, even if the body of the jockey of Quiet Meadow was ahead of that of Rutherienne’s rider.
“It looks like we’re ahead, but I’ll take their word for it,” Brown, the trainer of Quiet Meadow said.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Eric Guillot has consolidated a 20-horse stable at Churchill Downs, marking the first time the Louisiana-born trainer will have a sizable contingent of runners to compete on the Kentucky circuit.
Guillot, who had raced primarily in Southern California since 2006 before leaving earlier this year to move back east, has one of the top contenders for the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint in Champagne d’Oro, the standout 3-year-old filly who won the Grade 1 Acorn and Grade 1 Test in New York this year.
The front-running Duty Calls heads a field of eight 2-year-old Michigan-bred colts and geldings in Sunday’s $50,000 Patrick Wood Stakes at Pinnacle Race Course. The six-furlong race goes as race 8 on the card.
Duty Calls, from the barn of leading trainer Robert Gorham, posted the field’s best Beyer Figure of 45 in his only start, which came back on Aug. 1. He led by as much as three lengths in that 4 1/2-furlong race, but lugged out in the stretch and barely held on to win by a neck.
Unreachable Star, first or second in each of his last five races against Indiana-breds, will seek to maintain his sharp form when he faces eight other Indiana-bred and Indiana-registered colts and geldings in the $84,000 Gus Grissom at Hoosier Park on Sunday afternoon.
AUBURN, Wash. – After 11 consecutive stakes appearances, Assessment will dip into the allowance ranks Sunday at Emerald Downs. The 2009 horse of the meeting, Assessment tops a five-horse field competing for a $21,500 purse in the ninth race on a 10-race card that begins at 2 p.m. Pacific.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – California shippers have been deadly in the $1 million Woodbine Mile over the years, and they could rule the roost again Sunday when The Usual Q.T. and Victor’s Cry take part in the one-mile turf race.
The 14th running of the Woodbine Mile heads a bettor-friendly 11-race card that also includes two other turf stakes, the Grade 1 Northern Dancer and the Grade 2 Canadian.
A total of 136 yearlings make up the bulk of the 162 horses cataloged for the Canadian Thoroughbred 2010 Alberta Thoroughbred sale at Westerner Park in Red Deer on Thursday. The sale, which will be held in the Agricentre, begins at 1 p.m.
Cape Canaveral is the most represented sire in the sale with 14 horses. A son of Mr. Prospector, Cape Canaveral won the Grade 3 San Miguel in his second start and has sired 16 black-type winners.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Handicappers will have to decide if Vying Ty Grr has enough speed to clear early when she drops into a $25,000 claiming race for 3-year-old fillies at Hastings Sunday. The 6 1/2-furlong dash drew eight horses and goes as race 7 on the eight-race card, which begins at 1:40 p.m.
FORT ERIE, Ontario – Jockey Real Simard started his 2010 racing season at Fort Erie wondering how things would work out, since it was his first venture outside Western Canada.
Simard, 45, is a native of northern Alberta and had won over 2,000 races since the mid-80s, primarily at Northlands Park in Edmonton and Stampede Park in Calgary.
“I decided it was time for a change,” said Simard, “and now that Stampede Park in Calgary is closed, it was the proper time to assess my future.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Points of Grace hadn’t had a break in more than nine months when she finished a close fourth here in last year’s Grade 2, $300,000 Canadian Stakes. Now, after getting the winter off, Points of Grace is a much fresher runner and appears to have hit her best stride coming into Sunday’s 1 1/8-mile turf race for fillies and mares.
“She’s going into the race in as good order as she can be,” said Malcolm Pierce, who trains Points of Grace.