SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - "He's one of those special horses who when you put them in the starting gate, you're know they'll find a way to get to the wire first."
That's how trainer Kiaran McLaughlin described Justenuffhumor, who continued his climb towards the top of the nation's turf division with a well-deserved half-length victory over a game Cowboy Cal in Friday's at Saratoga.
Jockey Dustin Dugas could not have made a smoother transition from bug boy to journeyman. He won in his first start without an apprentice allowance on Thursday, when he guided Dr. Destructo to a head win in the second race at Louisiana Downs.
It was a long closing drive to the wire in the seven-furlong maiden claimer, and there was an inquiry into the start. In the end, Dugas landed in the winner's circle for the 29th time at the meet, which ranks him ninth this season at Louisiana Downs.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - The choice for the connections of Asiatic Boy was this: stay home and run against superstar filly Rachel Alexandra in Saturday's $750,000 Woodward Stakes spotting her eight pounds on dirt, or ship cross-country to face Einstein, Colonel John, and nine or 10 others in the $1 million Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Sept. 6 over a synthetic surface he has never run on.
In the end, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin and owner Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum decided to stay home and run in the Woodward.
There is life beyond horseback. Bill Troilo, who retired in the spring after 27 years as a jockey, has been working as an entry clerk in the racing office at Ellis Park in Henderson, Ky. Troilo, 48, aspires to be a steward.
"I'm going to the stewards' accreditation school in November at the University of Louisville," said Troilo, a 10-time leading rider at River Downs in Cincinnati in the 1990s. "Hopefully I'll be able to work my way up as time goes on."
DEL MAR, Calif. - The career path of the 3-year-old colt Misremembered has soared this summer, highlighted by a victory in the Grade 2 Swaps Stakes at Hollywood Park last month.
Now trainer Bob Baffert is preparing Misremembered for an even tougher test, the $1 million Pacific Classic against older horses at Del Mar on Sept. 6. Friday at Del Mar, Misremembered worked seven furlongs in 1:23.60, the only horse to have a recorded work at the distance.
"He's just getting good," Baffert said. "He worked really nice."
SHAKOPEE, Minn. - State championship honors are on the line when statebreds compete in the Minnesota Festival of Champions, which concludes the Canterbury Park meeting on Sunday. The card includes seven Thoroughbred and two Quarter Horse stakes, which feature several intriguing matchups between the 3-year-old division and their older rivals.
One of those showdowns will take place in the $50,000 Minnesota Distaff Classic for fillies and mares at a 1 1/16 miles when leading 3-year-old Chick Fight meets 4-year-old Pretty As a Smile.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Sterwins, who has competed over a variety of distances and surfaces this season, is now being pointed to a return to turf in the Grade 1, $1 million Woodbine Mile.
Owned and bred by Eugene and Laura Melnyk and trained by Malcolm Pierce, Sterwins began his preparations for the Sept. 20 Woodbine Mile with a four-furlong breeze in 47.60 seconds on the main track here Friday morning.
The drill, under exercise rider Mark Ramsammy, was the first for Sterwins since he won the off-the-turf With Approval over 1 1/8 miles here Aug. 9.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - A crowd of about 200 turned out Thursday evening at the nearby Mississauga Convention Centre to welcome the 2009 inductees to the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.
The annual ceremony and fundraising event, which included dinner, a silent auction, and a live auction, also featured a performance by Ontario comedian Derek Edwards and some entertaining and informative video presentations compiled by Woodbine's television department.
FORT ERIE, Ontario - Nick Gonzalez, the leading trainer at Fort Erie, was going for his ninth win in a row when his first-time starter Early Spring entered the gate last Tuesday.
A victory would tie the Fort Erie record set by Alex Bankuti in 1984.
But for Gonzalez it was not to be. Early Spring, a 2-year-old filly, veered in at the break, never got untracked, and finished sixth.
"We had a great run at it," said Gonzalez, "and my crew gave it their all. They were right into the day-to-day scoreboard and put forth every effort as the win streak gained momentum.
