ELMONT, N.Y. - Saturday's Grade 1 Ruffian Handicap at Belmont Park was shaping up to be almost an exhibition for Godolphin Stable's horse Seventh Street. That changed on Wednesday when trainer Dale Romans opted to enter Delaware Handicap winner Swift Temper.
Swift Temper will be running back just 13 days after finishing a well-beaten second to Icon Project in the at Saratoga, but Romans said he thinks she's ready.
Sam Houston Race Park has made a significant calendar move with its richest stakes, the Grade 3, $200,000 Connally Turf Cup. It will now be run on Jan. 30, 2010, rather than its typical placement the first week in April.
The race was pushed to an earlier date after regional neighbor Fair Grounds moved its premier turf race, the Grade 2, $500,000 Mervin Muniz, from mid-March to its closing weekend, March 27.
"It worked on the calendar," said Eric Johnston, vice president of racing for Sam Houston, of the Connally date change.
Average daily handle dropped 17 percent at the 28-day meet that ended Monday at Ellis Park in Henderson, Ky., despite the track running fewer days than last year.
The all-sources average handle of nearly $1.67 million was down from the $2 million average posted at the 2008 meet, when 39 dates were run. Ellis officials attributed part of the decline in average to fewer races per program but said a bigger factor was the increased competition for the gambling dollar from riverboat casinos in neighboring states and racing in states with slots-enhanced purses.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Dazzling Countess, a runner-up in each of her two starts, has been purchased by the Bear Stable of Danny Dion and is entered in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden race Friday.
Dave Cotey, who owned Dazzling Countess in partnership with Derek Ball and Hugh Galbraith, will continue as the trainer of the Kentucky-bred filly who was purchased for $4,200 in the Fasig-Tipton October sale.
Dazzling Countess debuted over 5 1/2 furlongs with a $62,500 claiming tag here July 25 and was beaten a neck by Negligee.
BOSSIER CITY, La. - Jockey Jeff Burningham joined the list of riders injured at Louisiana Downs in recent weeks when he was thrown to the ground at the start of last Saturday's first race. His mount stumbled badly at the start, unseating Burningham who was then stepped on.
Fortunately for the 37-year-old Canadian, the result was less serious than it looked and he is expected to be back at work this week after taking off his mounts Sunday to nurse some bumps and bruises. Pat Valenzuela, Lonnie Meche, and Rico Flores were injured in a spill Aug. 23.
MIAMI - Apprentice Luis Saez won't win the 2009 Calder riding title. In fact, he's not even in the top 10 in the standings. But nobody, not even leading jockey Manoel Cruz, is a hotter commodity among the local colony than Saez.
Saez, a graduate of the Panama Jockey School, capped an outstanding weekend by deftly in Monday's main event. The previous afternoon, Saez posted a four-bagger, his biggest day since arriving in the United States earlier this year.
The Columbus race meet closed out its season on Monday with a significant increase in handle.
Racing was conducted on a Friday-through-Sunday basis, with Thursdays added mid-meet. The meet began July 24.
Part of a Friday-night card was lost because of thunderstorms, and a Sunday card was canceled after the first race, making for a total of 22 days of racing. A year ago, racing was conducted Thursday through Sunday with 24 days of racing.
Tizfiz could return to graded stakes company in the near future. The winner of the Grade 2 San Gorgonio at Santa Anita in January, she moved to the Midwest earlier this year and on Monday picked up her second straight stakes win in the $150,000 DeBartolo Memorial at Remington Park.
Tizfiz defeated male rivals in the 1 1/8-mile turf race, finishing full of run to earn a Beyer Speed Figure of 90. She shipped back to her Arlington Park base on Tuesday, said her trainer, John Good.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - According to trainer Dino Condilenios, Teide came out of his win in the S.W. Randall Plate in excellent shape and will be pointed to the $100,000 Premiers on Oct. 18. The Randall was one of five stakes run at Hastings last Monday. It is possible Teide will use the Sir Winston Churchill on Sept. 27 as a prep for the Premiers, but Condilenios was leaning towards skipping the Churchill and going straight into the Premiers.
Game Face comes into Saturday night's Grade 3, $400,000 Presque Isle Masters, the track's premier race, off two consecutive stakes wins but still has a question to answer for trainer Todd Pletcher. How will she perform in her first start over a synthetic surface?
"If she handles it well and runs a good race, we will look into running her in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint," Pletcher said. "If she doesn't, then we will pick out some dirt races and go that way with her. We'll just have to see how she likes it."
