Ankle problem sidelines Drosselmeyer

By David Grening

Belmont Stakes winner Drosselmeyer could be sidelined the remainder of the year due to ankle issues that have prompted his connections to take him out of training, trainer Bill Mott said Sunday.

Drosselmeyer, who as of Sunday was stabled in Saratoga, was expected to ship to WinStar Farm in Kentucky as early as Monday and will likely undergo a bone scan this week, Mott said. WinStar, the operation headed by Bill Casner and Ken Troutt, own Drosselmeyer.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Free Fee Lady wasn’t given much of a chance in Sunday’s $250,000 Bison City as she was sent away at 15-1 in a field of just four Canadian-bred 3-year-old fillies.

But when the mist had cleared it was Free Fee Lady, making her stakes debut and first start around two turns for owner Dick Bonnycastle and trainer Reade Baker, who emerged a four-length winner with jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson in the irons for the first time.

Santa Rosa is the destination for last weekend’s Alameda County Fair stakes winners.

Trainer Steve Specht plans to run Saturday’s Everett Nevin winner Luckarack in the Cavonnier Juvenile Aug. 14 at Santa Rosa, while Roger Hansen will point Sunday’s Sam Whiting winner Restless Youth to the Joseph Grace Aug. 8 there.

Meanwhile Del Mar stakes are next on the agenda for Lucky Mr. K, the odds-on runner-up to Luckarack in the Nevin, and Goggles McCoy, who was impressive in an allowance victory against older on Sunday.

By Mike Welsch

MIAMI - Life has been a struggle for Calder horsemen over the last several years. Declining handle, a continuous rise in workers’ compensation fees and other expenses combined with a squabble with management over ADW rights a couple of seasons back has made it tough for owners and trainers based in south Florida to keep their businesses viable.

But for one day, local horsemen had a reason to smile. For one day, it was good to be a Calder owner and trainer.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Malcolm Pierce’s fortunes took a turn for the better here at Woodbine last week.

Pierce, who had been batting well below his usual percentage this season, was 3 for 5 last week, highlighted by a one-two finish by Mullin’s Beach and Much Obliged in last Friday’s allowance prep for the Grade 3 Royal North Stakes on Aug. 2.

Arrow’s Conquest had chipped in with a first-level allowance race earlier on last Friday’s card and Posh Sox was a first-out winner in an Ontario-sired maiden race on Saturday.

By Mike Farrell

OCEANPORT, N.J. – Trappe Shot is on target for the $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin confirmed Tuesday. Trappe Shot won the Long Branch at Monmouth on Saturday, and the first two finishers in the Long Branch are extended invitations to the Haskell, to be run Aug. 1. McLaughlin will gladly accept the offer.

MIAMI – Life has been a struggle for Calder horsemen over the last several years. Declining handle, a continuous rise in workers’ compensation fees, and other expenses combined with a squabble with management over advance-deposit wagering rights a couple of seasons back has made it tough for owners and trainers based in south Florida to keep their businesses viable.

But for one day, local horsemen had a reason to smile. For one day, it was good to be a Calder owner and trainer.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Apprentice jockey Ryan Pacheco is hoping that moving his tack to Hastings will help land him a lot more live mounts than he was getting at Woodbine. Pacheco was one of 15 apprentices at Woodbine. At Hastings, Taletha Wyatt and Geovanni Franco are the only bug riders currently plying their trade, and unless Franco gets an extension, he will lose his apprentice status soon. At Woodbine this year, Pacheco won three races from 76 mounts.

Pacheco, 27, was born and raised in Toronto, but he had never been to the track until he was 18.

The people running Suffolk Downs have always celebrated boom times with stakes races. That usually means the Massachusetts Handicap, but since times haven’t been so flush recently, the track will hold a 75th birthday party Saturday with two sprint stakes.