WHO'S HOT

Mike Hushion

WHO'S HOT

In the middle of last week, I was in the paddock talking with valet Shane Borel, who is Calvin Borel's nephew and his uncle's biggest fan. I needled him a little, asking him why Calvin was not flying up the fence on closers as he is known to do. I even remarked that apprentice Freddie Lenclud seemed to be utilizing Borel's signature move more than Borel.

Then, on Saturday, Borel proceeded to win four races in a row, including some in rail-skimming fashion.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Kentucky Oaks Day is known as "Louisville's Day at the Races." For thousands of locals who either can't afford the price of tickets to the Kentucky Derby or have no desire to fight the even bigger crowd that day at Churchill Downs, the Oaks is enough for them.

Catastrophe: That is the name of a Louisiana-bred sire who stood for a $1,200 stud fee during the 2009 breeding season. Catastrophe: That is what the purchase of Flashy Wise Cat might have been called had not trainer Troy Young and his father, the owner Lee Young, been right about the horse when that son of Catastrophe went through the auction ring at a Texas yearling sale in 2006.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A potentially unsavory situation turned into a tearful one Wednesday when a 12-year-old mare who had not raced in more than nine years was scratched in the paddock prior to the fifth race at Churchill Downs.

The Grade 3, $750,000 Delta Jackpot and the Grade 3, $500,000 Princess are still two weeks away, but the prospective fields for the races will be known on Friday when pre-entries are taken for the 2-year-old stakes, to be run at Delta Downs on Dec. 4. Entries will be finalized on Dec. 1.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - When Field Commission finished a close fourth in his stakes debut here in last year's six-furlong Kennedy Road, it confirmed trainer Danny Vella's belief that the colt could compete with the best in his division.

Heading into Saturday's renewal of the $150,000 Kennedy Road, Field Commission has more than lived up those expectations as a graded stakes winner on both turf and Polytrack.

Nay's Tap had no problems with either a slightly longer distance or his first road trip in Tuesday night's $75,000 Sophomore Sprint Championship at Mountaineer Racetrack.

Racing beyond 4 1/2 furlongs for the first time and making his first start away from his home base of Charles Town, Nay's Tap ($6) survived an early duel with Petch to post a two-length victory in the six-furlong stakes for 3-year-olds.

Ruidoso Downs has filed an application with the New Mexico Racing Commission to move its 2011 meet to Las Cruces, N.M., in what would be an alternate plan for the track if it does not receive tax relief on its slot-machine operation during the state's upcoming legislative session.

Ruidoso, the home of the Grade 1 All-American Futurity for Quarter Horses, has raced for 62 years in the mountaintop town of Ruidoso Downs, N.M. The track does not yet have a facility constructed to move to in Las Cruces, one of the largest cities in the state.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Paul Attard, who celebrated his 28th birthday earlier this month, is the youngest of six trainers here sharing that family surname. But while his father, Sid, and cousins Steve and Kevin have found themselves in the spotlight on more than one occasion this season, Paul Attard quietly has put together his best campaign since he took out his trainer's license here in 2002.