FORT ERIE, Ontario – Set in Stone, a 3 3/4-length winner going seven furlongs in a $16,000 claiming race at Woodbine last time out, will be looking to make it two in a row in Sunday’s $30,000 Andy Passero Memorial Cup at Fort Erie.
The 1 1/16-mile feature, restricted to horses who have started at least twice at Fort Erie this season, drew a field of eight.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Bill Tharrenos, who sent out his first winner here in 2005, generally has operated beneath the radar in subsequent seasons.
But Tharrenos will find himself in a different light here Sunday when he sends out both Tree Pose and Lucky Be Me for the $125,000 Nandi, a six-furlong race for Ontario-sired 2-year-old fillies that drew a field of 11.
“I expect both fillies to run very well,” Tharrenos said.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Field Commission, last year’s Canadian champion sprinter, will experiment around two turns Sunday at Woodbine in the Grade 3, $150,000 Seagram Cup Stakes.
Field Commission is winless in four starts at the meet, but he didn’t finish worse than fourth in those four stakes. His best effort this year was a runner-up placing in the Grade 3 Connaught Cup behind Grand Adventure, who subsequently won the Grade 2 King Edward Stakes.
“He’s hasn’t run a bad race this year,” said trainer Danny Vella. “He’s a pretty legit horse. He runs every time.”
For the first time in 25 years trainer Sam David Jr. is not stabled at Louisiana Downs, so when he saddles horses in the seventh and ninth races on Sunday, they will be just his fourth and fifth starters at the meet. David has moved his base of operations to Lafayette, La., to be closer to family, and has reduced his 40-horse stable down to about 10 runners.
Bernell Rhone is optimistic about winning the $50,000 John Bullit at Canterbury Park on Sunday. Rhone brings three horses with different strengths to the 1 1/16-mile stakes race on the turf.
“I’m stacking them up this race,” Rhone said. “I like my chances.”
Rhone saddles Heza Wild Guy, who likes to run on the front end, and Chiphunter and Gesundheit, who come from off the pace.
Heza Wild Guy has won 5 of his last 11 starts. His most recent win came against Indiana-bred company in the A.J. Foyt at Indiana Downs on July 14.
Trainer Robertino Diodoro will try to pad his lead in the trainer’s standings with To the Penny, who figures to be one of the favorites in the seventh race at Northlands Park on Sunday. The $10,000 claiming race for 3-year-olds and up going six furlongs drew seven horses and will serve as the feature for the eight-race card that begins at 1 p.m.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – It is tough to separate a solid field of 3-year-old fillies running in a $50,000 optional claimer at Hastings that will serve as Sunday’s feature. The 6 1/2-furlong sprint drew eight horses and goes as race 6.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Bridgetown made a successful return from a 250-day layoff, rallying wide on the far turn under Julien Leparoux before overpowering pacesetting Red Rally in upper stretch en route to a one-length victory in Thursday’s $70,000 Latham Stakes at Saratoga.
Flamin’ Hot rallied wide under Alan Garcia to get second by 1 1/4 lengths over Red Rally. It was Flamin’ Hot’s first loss in five turf starts.
Skys Red Roxy, who pressed the lead and finished second in last month’s Regret Stakes, looks for her first stakes win in the $20,000 Ann Arbor Stakes at Pinnacle Race Course. The one-mile race is for 3-year-old Michigan-bred fillies, who will all carry 121 pounds.
Skys Red Roxy, with a morning line of 5-1, gets a new jockey in Federico Mata for the Ann Arbor. Prior to the Regret, she won her maiden in Indiana and then backed that up with a 66 Beyer Speed Figure, the best of any Ann Arbor entrant, in winning an allowance race locally.
No Garlic will attempt to keep his record unblemished as he goes after his second stakes win while facing eight maiden 2-year-old Ohio-bred rivals in the 19th running of the $50,000, six-furlong Cleveland Kindergarten Stakes at Thistledown.
No Garlic is undefeated in two starts. In his most recent outing on July 10, he led every step of the way en route to a 3 1/2-length win in the 5 1/2-furlong Hoover Stakes at River Downs. He won his maiden race at first asking at River Downs on June 28 going five furlongs.