MIAMI - When his Delightful Kiss was barnstorming the country winning graded stakes, friends used to tell former rider Pete Anderson he had the best one-horse stable in America.
Delightful Kiss has since been joined under Anderson's shed by Chary, a 3-year-old filly, and Wild Mia, a 2-year-old filly. One month ago, Chary captured the Calder Oaks. Last Saturday, Wild Mia won her maiden in the John Franks Juvenile Fillies Turf.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Churchill Downs has scheduled six nights of racing in 2010, including four nights at the spring meet, officials said Tuesday as they unveiled some of the details of the permanent lighting system that will be installed at the track.
The dates for night racing are June 11, June 18, June 25, and July 2 at the spring meet and Oct. 31 and Nov. 19. All are Fridays except Oct. 31, a Sunday and the opening night of the fall meet.
Jockey Travis Dunkelberger won his ninth race in a row over a period of five days at two tracks on Sunday. The ninth win came aboard Citigambler in the third race at Charles Town, and the streak was snapped when he rode odds-on favorite Springs Girl to a second-place finish in race 7.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Jockey Tyler Baze will be sidelined until opening day of the Santa Anita winter meet, Dec. 26, as he recovers from surgery that was scheduled for Tuesday on his left pinkie finger. Consistently among the circuit's top five riders by wins, Baze broke his finger during a post-parade accident this past summer at Del Mar.
Baze, 27, finished second in the Del Mar standings, but admits the injury compromised his strength.
"I need to be able to whip left-handed," Baze said Sunday after riding his final race at Hollywood Park. "I can, but not like I should,"
Northern California 2-year-olds could take the first step along the Kentucky Derby trail Saturday in the $50,000 Golden Nugget at Golden Gate Fields.
The six-furlong Golden Nugget serves as a prep for the one-mile Gold Rush on Dec. 21, which serves as a stepping-stone for Golden Gate's early-season 3-year-old stakes next year.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Carem Crescent capped off her first campaign on a high note here at Woodbine last Sunday, capturing the $151,200 Jammed Lovely with odds-on favorite Milwaukee Appeal a neck back in second.
Owned and bred by Eugene Melnyk and conditioned by Malcolm Pierce, Carem Crescent was recording her second stakes score and fourth dwin from six starts while bringing her bankroll to $352,720.
Eurico Rosa da Silva, her regular rider, was aboard in the seven-furlong Jammed Lovely for Ontario-foaled 3-year-old fillies.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - What a difference a year makes.
Last fall, when 26 dates were run at Churchill Downs, Mike Maker broke the record for wins by a trainer at a fall meet by sending out 31 winners.
This fall, with 11 of 21 days in the books, Maker is just 30 short of equaling his record, having won just once with 19 starters.
Of course, nobody is feeling sorry for Maker, who is fresh from winning the $1 million Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile with Furthest Land.
"And I'm not complaining," Maker said with a laugh.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Gulfstream Park has made an adjustment to its 2010 stakes schedule that includes moving the Grade 1 Florida Derby up a week from March 27 to March 20. The change will now place the Florida Derby six weeks before the Kentucky Derby, as opposed to five weeks out, as it has been the past four years. Two of the last four Kentucky Derby winners - Barbaro in 2006 and Big Brown in 2008 - used a victory in the Florida Derby as a prep to capturing the Run for the Roses five weeks later.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Before the was run at Churchill Downs, trainer Tom Bush said he didn't think the extra half-furlong would hinder the chances of his stable star, Get Stormy.
Bush was right - barely.
Holding on by an inch or two, Get Stormy outlasted a torrid rush by Street Move to post his fourth straight victory in the $112,100 Commonwealth. Javier Castellano was aboard Get Stormy for Bush and owner Sullimar Stable.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Carem Crescent barely held off the 4-5 favorite, Milwaukee Appeal, to capture the $151,200 Jammed Lovely Stakes at Woodbine on Sunday.
It was the fourth winner on the card for jockey Eurico Da Silva, who had Carem Crescent attending moderate fractions in the seven-furlong race for Ontario-bred 3-year-old fillies.
Carem Crescent put away pacemaker Deeveetee at the sixteenth pole and went by to score by a neck, in a time 1:22.18. Not Just a Rumor rallied to finish a close third in the eight-horse field.
