Quite a Handful will be shaking top-class turf horses Debussy and Gio Ponti on Monday when he invades from Chicago for the $125,000 DeBartolo Memorial at Remington Park.
The DeBartolo, at 1 1/8 miles on turf, drew a field of 10 horses, including millionaire Going Ballistic and the Grade 3-winning filly Peach Brew. Remington will also run the $50,000 Ricks Memorial for fillies and mares as part of a special afternoon card that starts at 1:30 p.m. Central.
Just about everything connected with Comedero indicates that the 3-year-old colt is strictly a sprinter.
He’s 8 for 10 lifetime, including seven stakes victories, but in his lone try beyond seven furlongs, Comedero faded to 11th, beaten 23 lengths, last fall in an experiment going one mile at Remington Park.
Pedigree-wise, Comedero is cut out to be a pure sprinter. His dam, Pawnee Path, was 7 for 15 in her career – all dirt sprints. His sire, Posse, won five stakes in his two-year racing career, all at distances between 5 1/2 and seven furlongs.
Pat Byrne trained Awesome Again to an undefeated season and a Breeders’ Cup Classic victory in 1998, so he knows a good horse when he sees one. Having slipped under the racing radar in recent years, Byrne will be trying to recapture a sliver of the national spotlight Monday when he sends out a son of Awesome Again named Awesome Attack in the showcase race of the River Downs meet, the $100,000 Cradle Stakes.
The historic All American Futurity has eluded trainer Blane Wood, but it has not been for a lack of trying. Last year, he had three runners in the field, with the best finish a third.
Monday, Wood has one hope in a field of nine – Miss Racy Jess, who is unbeaten in three starts. The $2,050,000 All American Futurity at Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico will be her stakes debut. One of two fillies in the field, Miss Racy Jess won a division of the 440-yard time trials in 21.43 seconds on Aug. 19, recording the fifth-fastest qualifying time.
The Glenn Delahoussaye-trained entry of Tough Brush and Jump Jump look to pack a solid one-two punch in Monday night’s $50,000 Lafayette Stakes at Evangeline Downs. The Delahoussaye tandem will face eight other 2-year-olds in the closing night feature at six furlongs.
Tough Brush should be a primary pace player in the Lafayette. He comes off a fourth-place finish in the $100,000 Shine Young Futurity here after forcing the issue early. Delahoussaye is adding blinkers to Tough Brush, which could sharpen the colt’s speed further. Kerwin Clark will handle the riding duties.
Fred Bradley was merely a wee lad when the Dade Park track photographer included him in a winner’s circle shot in 1938. Little would anyone have known then that Bradley would be back at the Henderson, Ky., track more than 70 years later as the owner-breeder of one of the most popular racehorses of his era in Kentucky, a gelding named Brass Hat, who on Monday will make his first-ever start at what now is Ellis Park.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Dearest Princess and Otero will have home-field advantage over Emerald Downs-based Soul Custody in the $50,000 Hong Kong Jockey Club for 3-year-old fillies at Hastings Monday. The 1 1/16-mile race drew nine horses and will serve as the final prep for the $75,000 B.C. Oaks Sept. 25.
Trainer Jim Meyaard holds a tight hand with pair of aces in the $50,000 Sun Sprint Championship Handicap at Northlands Park on Monday.
The ace of spades is clearly Salt Flat Speed who will be looking to win his sixth straight race. He is backed up by a pretty strong kicker in Westerner Handicap winner Andiotis. Meyaard also entered Rapid’n Ready but indicated he probably wouldn’t run.
The 6 1/2-furlong dash for 3-year-olds and up drew eight horses and goes as race 8.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Society’s Chairman, a 7-year-old horse who is trained by Roger Attfield, is the elder statesman on Monday’s yearling sales stakes program.
But Society’s Chairman will be playing more than a ceremonial role as he looms a solid favorite while going in search of his third straight win in the Halton, the sales stakes for 3-year-olds and up over one mile of turf.