COMING ATTRACTIONS
The 2009 autumn racing season at Hollywood Park is underway this weekend with an opening-week schedule (Friday-Saturday-Sunday) that makes way for five-day-a-week racing (Wednesday through Sunday) next week.
Many handicappers consider the Hollywood main track the most consistent and formful of the three synthetic surfaces in Southern California. Del Mar has Polytrack, Santa Anita has Pro-Ride, and Hollywood has Cushion Track.
When Churchill Downs experimented with nighttime racing on three occasions earlier this year, the place absolutely buzzed. A younger, hipper crowd averaging nearly 30,000 a night turned out, giving Churchill hope it had found a way to attract new fans.
WHO'S HOT
Heading into Wednesday's card, trainer Dale Romans had more winners, seven, than co-leading riders Leandro Goncalves and Jon Court, who had six winners apiece. Besides going 7 for 17, a 41 percent win rate, Romans saw many of his horses run career-best figures, such as Bobby B. Goode, who earned a 97 Beyer, and Lost Aptitude, who ran a 90.
Other trainers off to quick local starts included Eddie Kenneally and Steve Asmussen, who each won four races, and Ian Wilkes, Paul McGee, Lynn Whiting, Bill Mott, and Rusty Arnold, who each won two.
WHO'S HOT
Chad Brown
Though he won't turn 31 until the inner track opens next month, Chad Brown, the former assistant to Bobby Frankel, is winning at well over 20 percent this year and won with four of his first five starters at Aqueduct's fall meet, including all three of his starters on grass. Among those, the highlight was Expansion ($27.60), who went last to first in the Grade 2 Red Smith while making his first start for the trainer and first in a stakes race.
Tony Dutrow
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - The favored Attitude Included won her first stakes in her first try around two turns Wednesday night at Woodbine in the $125,000 South Ocean.
Attitude Included set moderate fractions on a clear lead in the 1 1/16-mile race for Ontario-sired 2-year-old fillies. She opened up a 2 1/2-length gap at the eighth pole, and then held off a closing Shesadozer to prevail by 1 1/4 lengths in a time of 1:46.75.
Peploe finished third. She was followed by Lady Boudreau and Someone to Love.
Corey Fraser rode Attitude Included for trainer Mark Casse.
Pinnacle Race Course in Michigan has been granted 84 racing days in 2010.
The meet will begin on June 5 and run through Oct. 31. Racing will be conducted Friday-Sunday through June 27, then Tuesdays will be added for the rest of the meet. The track raced 74 days this year, its second year of operation.
Also, in the recently passed Michigan budget, funding was fully restored for the breeding programs and for the Office of the Racing Commissioner.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Trainer Dino Condilenios traveled east to Woodbine with Rosberg for last November's Autumn Stakes following the end of the Hastings meeting. On Saturday, Condilenios will be sending out just his second Woodbine starter when Teide runs in the $150,000 Autumn at 1 1/16 miles.
"For now, this is the only race we're planning to run in here," said the 38-year-old Condilenios, who finished third with 33 wins at Hastings this year as the private trainer for Swift Thoroughbreds Inc.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Einstein, one of the major disappointments of the 2009 Breeders' Cup when he finished 11th of 12 in the Classic last weekend at Santa Anita, could get another chance to end his racing career on a more positive note.
Trainer Helen Pitts said Wednesday at Churchill Downs that Einstein is being seriously considered for the Grade 2, $400,000 Clark Handicap on Nov. 27. A 7-year-old owned by Frank Stronach, Einstein had been invited to run later this month in Japan, but the poor Breeders' Cup effort negated those plans, said Pitts.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Aaron Gryder, who won the $6 million Dubai World Cup in March but has struggled in recent months to find mounts in Southern California, is relocating to Hong Kong this weekend, he said on Wednesday.
Gryder said he will stay in Hong Kong at least through March, the term of his visa, and may stay until the end of the race season next July.
Gryder, 39, said his win on Well Armed in Dubai, combined with riding briefly in Hong Kong in June, has led to further interest in riding overseas.
