Will fast times - and big bucks - at the Jersey Shore lead to a slow-go at Belmont Park?
Belmont opens its 59-day spring/summer meet on Friday with a nine-race card that drew 95 entries, including nine horses in the Grade 3, $100,000 Westchester Stakes. The question is: Will fields remain as strong three weeks from now when Monmouth Park, located just 70 miles away, opens its summer meet offering, on average, $1 million a day in purses?
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - If a swift pace may be the undoing of front-runners in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, the same could happen to 3-year-old grass horses in the Grade 2, $175,000 American Turf Stakes on Friday.
Eleven horses were entered in the American Turf, a 1 1/16-mile race, but Make Music for Me has bigger fish to fry, having gotten into the Kentucky Derby field. At least three of the remaining 10, however, including morning-line favorite Lost Aptitude, figure to have designs on the lead, and the American Turf pace could turn swift.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Another Arlington summer of Wayne Catalano and Frank Calabrese begins Friday, but for the second straight year, they will play for different teams. And for the second straight year, it's Calabrese and trainer Nick Canani who will be squaring off against Catalano on a regular basis.
The Woodbine Entertainment Group has announced several new executive appointments following its monthly board meeting last Friday.
"I'm set to take over as chief executive officer in June," said Nick Eaves, president and until recently chief operating officer of Woodbine Entertainment. "These changes were about setting ourselves up with a new leadership group, to take over the primary focus of our business."
Jamie Martin has been promoted to executive vice president of racing, and also will assume overall responsibility for marketing and communications.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Trainer Mark Casse, who has been taking care of business on his Florida farm and attending the various sales in the vicinity, will be making his first appearances of the Woodbine meeting this week.
And amongst the races of particular interest to Casse will be Saturday's $150,000 Fury, a seven-furlong stakes for Ontario-foaled 3-year-old fillies.
Casse will send out Attitude Included in the Fury, which attracted a field of eight headed by Resentless and Roan Inish.
AUBURN, Wash. - Emerald Downs added rolling $2 daily doubles to its wagering menu last week, giving bettors another multi-race option to complement the pick three and the pick four.
While the initial rolling double pools were small - an average of $1,847 per double Sunday - track officials expect them to grow as bettors realize the wager is available on every race. Previously, Emerald Downs offered doubles on the first two races and the last two races of every card, and those pools were markedly higher last weekend, averaging $4,655 for the two wagers Sunday.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Bella Diamante has gotten her second wind, literally, just in time for Friday afternoon's Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks. The race will be her second start since minor throat surgery, and she will be out to build off an eye-catching allowance score at Oaklawn on April 2.
Bella Diamante, who last weekend shipped from her Lone Star Park base to Churchill Downs, showed a good deal of promise early in her career. She ran second in three consecutive route stakes, including the Grade 3, $500,000 Delta Princess in December.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Nearly three years have passed since Jack's Wild was a force in the turf mile division for statebreds.
This year, trainer Jorge Gutierrez would be happy if Jack's Wild wins an optional claimer, such as Friday's seventh race at Hollywood Park.
"The horse has been doing great, but the last few races have been over his head," Gutierrez said. "I think at this level he should be tough."
In 2007, Jack's Wild won stakes at Santa Anita and Bay Meadows and placed in two other stakes. This year, Jack's Wild is winless in four starts.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - I finally saw something this morning that I hadn't seen during training hours at Churchill Downs in almost a week: the sun! But that was not nearly as surprising as what I witnessed during the 15-minute window of training for Derby and Oaks horses following the renovation break, when I got to watch arguably the best Derby worker and best Derby galloper since my arrival in Louisville 10 days earlier. Unfortunately, neither will run in the race.