ELMONT, N.Y. - If the opening-day card is any indication, this could be a very strong summer at Saratoga.
A total of 134 horses were carded for Wednesday's 10-race opening-day program, including a strong field of 13 juvenile fillies for the Grade 3, $100,000 Schuylerville Stakes going six furlongs. Six of the 10 races overfilled, and the total in purses for opening day is $557,700.
:: SARATOGA PPs:
MIAMI - Trainer Bill Kaplan had high hopes for Temo's Dream following the 3-year-old's breakthrough entry-level allowance win on June 14. And after suffering through a disappointing effort by Temo's Dream in the American Dreamer Stakes on turf four weeks later, Kaplan had those hopes rekindled after the former claimer rallied to an impressive second-level allowance victory in Friday's featured ninth race.
Mine That Bird arrived Friday afternoon at Mountaineer Park, where the 2009 Kentucky Derby winner is expected to make his next start Aug. 1 in the $750,000 West Virginia Derby. Mountaineer announced the arrival in a Friday press release.
Mine That Bird had vanned out of Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., early that morning with trainer Chip Woolley driving the truck pulling the horse's trailer northeast to Chester, W.Va. in a 6 1/2-hour trip.
The Grade 1, $750,000 Whitney Handicap at Saratoga has been added to the 2009 Breeders' Cup Challenge Win and You're In program, meaning the winner of the race receives an automatic berth into the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita on Nov. 7.
The Whitney will be run at Saratoga on Aug. 8 and is expected to feature defending winner Commentator, who did not run in the Classic last year. As of Friday, those being considered for the Whitney included Asiatic Boy, Dry Martini, Finallymadeit, Macho Again, Arson Squad, and possibly Tizway.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - Atomic Rain will run in the $1.25 million Haskell Invitational after all.
Atomic Rain, who was sold to Godolphin earlier this week, changed hands Friday morning as trainer Kelly Breen walked the colt three barns down, delivering him to Kiaran McLaughlin's Monmouth Park division.
Although he will be housed in McLaughlin's barn, Atomic Rain will be trained by Rachel Dore, previously an assistant to Godolphin Racing's Rick Mettee in New York.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Gloria Goodbody wants to run - now.
"She doesn't like a lot of time between races," trainer and co-owner John Glenney said.
After Gloria Goodbody finished second in the Grade 3 Locust Grove Handicap at Churchill Downs on July 5, Glenney made plans for a start in Sunday's $85,000 Osunitas Handicap at Del Mar. The restricted race for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on turf will be Gloria Goodbody's seventh start this year in a campaign that began at Fair Grounds on March 1. Gloria Goodbody has won 2 of 6 starts in 2009.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - In an effort to create a regional rivalry between Emerald Downs in Seattle and Hastings here in Vancouver, the Pacific Challenge was created this year. The Challenge consists of three stakes races for older horses bred in Washington or British Columbia: the B.C. Cup Classic, Distaff, and Sprint. The Challenge will be part of B.C. Cup Day, Aug. 3. In total there will be seven stakes, with the other four stakes restricted to B.C.-breds.
AUBURN, Wash. - The phone started ringing shortly after Sweet Nellie Brown's rollicking debut, and by the following morning, June 14, bidders from across the nation were lining up with offers for the 2-year-old filly. Word of a 17-length victory in a 4 1/2-furlong maiden race travels fast.
FORT ERIE, Ontario - Sunday's eight-race card at the Fort will be highlighted by the $28,750 Don Valliere Memorial Cup, a six-furlong dash for horses who have started two or more times here in 2009.
Eleven runners will go to post and the combination of route runners cutting back to six furlongs and sprinters mixing it up should make this dash an entertaining event.
Great Addiction, a 7-year-old gelding with a bankroll of over $335,000, and Judiths Wild Rush, an 8-year-old millionaire, are two recent routers who will give the sprint types a run for the money.
Tiz Late will try to remain unbeaten on the year and undefeated at Presque Isle Downs on Sunday in the $100,000 Leeward Stakes.
The 4-year-old gelding has made only two starts this year, something trainer Michael Trombetta said is by design. He is 3 for 3 at Presque Isle.
"He definitely has an affinity for this track," Trombetta said. "He ran a big race last year and we could see that his numbers jumped up when he ran over this surface. They jumped up like 20 percent. We tried him on the grass and then decided to lay him up and wait for this meet."
