A feeling of accomplishment and relief swept over trainer Jim Cassidy when the multiple stakes winner The Usual Q.T. returned from a three-month break to win a $71,500 allowance race on Sunday.
"It's a little of both," he said. "You never know how they'll come back."
Jockey Corey Nakatani will resume riding in Southern California on a full-time basis later this month, according to his new agent, Tommy Ball.
Nakatani, who has ridden at Oaklawn Park and Churchill Downs this year, will begin riding at Hollywood on July 9 or 10 and will focus on the Del Mar meeting, which runs from July 21 to Sept. 8, Ball said.
Ball said Nakatani may entertain a return to Southern California beyond Del Mar, if he is successful.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Turning Top gave trainer Simon Callaghan his first graded stakes win in the United States in the Grade 3 Beverly Hills Handicap at Hollywood Park last Saturday. The 3-year-old filly Conniption can give Callaghan a more prestigious milestone, his first win in a Grade 1, in Saturday's $250,000 American Oaks.
With only eight horses in his Santa Anita-based stable, Callaghan, 26, would have an excellent start to the summer if Conniption runs well in the American Oaks, which is run over 1 1/4 miles on turf. The race will be the filly's first start in a Grade 1.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - The $1 million Queen's Plate, which will be run for the 151st time here at Woodbine on Sunday, always has boasted strong links to both royal and Canadian racing traditions.
Queen Elizabeth II will take care of the royal element, as she is scheduled to be on hand on race day after arriving in Nova Scotia on Monday for the beginning of her Canadian tour.
Local racing tradition will be reflected by the powerhouses Sam-Son Farm, which has won with five of 35 Queen's Plate entrants, and Stronach Stable, which has two Queen's Plate scores from 27 entrants.
Chamberlain Bridge could have as many as three more starts before a planned start in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Churchill Downs this fall, trainer Bret Calhoun said.
A dominant 4 1/2-length winner of the Arlington Sprint here Saturday, Chamberlain Bridge will be pointed toward the $200,000 Pennsylvania Governor's Cup Handicap on July 31 at Penn National, a race in which he finished third last year. Also on Chamberlain Bridge's agenda is the $250,000 Turf Monster on Sept. 6 at Philadelphia Park, and the Woodford Stakes in October at Keeneland, Calhoun said.
Fresh off his win in the Cornhusker Handicap on Saturday night at Prairie Meadows, Shadowbdancing has returned to his home base at Arlington Park. Shadowbdancing stables here and trains here, but the horse apparently cannot show his best on Arlington's synthetic racing surface, and so will be pointed for another out-of-town start by trainer Terrel Gore.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Discouraged by stakes purse cuts at Arlington Park, Jonathan Sheppard mulled other plans for horses he was considering bringing to Chicago this summer, but while Just as Well's status for a repeat bid in the Arlington Handicap remains up in the air, Sheppard found no better option for Informed Decision than a return trip to the Chicago Handicap here Sunday.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - You have to go back a long way to find a poor race for Keertana. In fact, since she finished seventh in her career debut nearly two years ago in a Polytrack sprint at Arlington Park, you can't find one. Keertana has been respectable to brilliant in all 15 subsequent starts, earning more than $440,000 while emerging as a fringe player in the North American filly-mare turf division.
"She's developed into a decent little racehorse," said Tom Proctor, who trains the 4-year-old filly for owner-breeder Barbara Hunter.
Trainer Bob Young has a quality pair of 2-year-olds to fire at separate stakes at Louisiana Downs on Saturday. The undefeated Aces N Kings is being pointed to the $50,000 Minstrel, while impressive debut winner Smokey Ritz is set to run in the $50,000 Princess.
MIAMI - When Mambo Meister worked three furlongs in 34.01 seconds here Monday morning, the same day his name appeared on the nomination sheet for the $350,000 Smile Sprint Handicap, it was logical to assume that trainer Phil Gleaves was seriously considering turning his multiple graded stakes winner back in distance to try the Grade 2 Smile on the July 10 Summit of Speed program. Gleaves confirmed that later on Monday.
