VANCOUVER, British Columbia - It is hard not to love a horse like Nineleventurbo, who will be one of the favorites in the fourth race at Hastings on Saturday. The six entrants will be running for a top claiming price of $17,500 in the 6 1/2-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up.
An 11-year-old gelding, Nineleventurbo has been a gem of consistency throughout his career. In 68 starts he has compiled an enviable record of 15-11-15 for earnings of $253,492.
Monsoon Rain, who is rolling through Manitoba's older horse division for the second straight year, will be seeking his fourth straight win when he starts in Saturday's 1 1/16-mile R.J. Speers at Assiniboia Downs.
Monsoon Rain, a Kentucky-bred 7-year-old gelding owned by Larry Carter, won the $30,000 Speers last August when trained by Martin Drexler.
The purses of 15 stakes, including eight California Cup races, have been reduced for the upcoming Oak Tree at Santa Anita meeting, which runs from Sept. 30 to Nov. 8. The meet is highlighted by the two-day Breeders' Cup program on Nov. 6-7.
In addition, the purses for eight early October prep races for the Breeders' Cup have been altered. The purses for three of the Breeders' Cup preps have been cut. The Goodwood Stakes was reduced $150,000, to $350,000; the Yellow Ribbon Stakes was cut $100,000, to $300,000; and the Oak Tree Mile is down $50,000, to $150,000.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Wolf Tail, winless in his first three starts, held off a late threat from Grace Upon Grace to pull an upset in Wednesday's $100,000 Graduation Stakes at Del Mar.
Ridden by Joel Rosario, Wolf Tail ($37.40) ran 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:05.15, winning by a neck. Daylight Storm finished third in the field of eight 2-year-old statebreds.
Wolf Tail rallied from seventh, with a four-wide move on the turn, while Grace Upon Grace snuck through on the inside in early stretch.
Toccet's Charm came from off the early pace to take command in the stretch and draw clear to win the $50,000 Jamestown at Colonial Downs Tuesday evening, the final card of the meet.
Jockey Malcom Franklin kept Toccet's Charm on the inside while chasing the early pace before dueling in upper stretch. He then asked for the 2-year-old's best and Toccet's Charm responded, drawing off to win by 2 1/2 lengths. Argent Affair was second in the field of eight Virginia-bred 2-year-olds.
When Terry Houghton won six races at Pinnacle Race Course on opening weekend here in early June, it looked like just another typical Michigan meet, with Houghton running away with the jockey race. But Houghton left for Mountaineer and now there's a real contest for top rider.
Graduates of the John Franks Memorial 2-year-olds in training sale this past March will be showcased this weekend at Evangeline Downs, with the filly division slated for Friday night and the colt and gelding race scheduled for Saturday evening. Both stakes will be worth $100,000.
The meet opened on a high note last Friday with both attendance and ontrack handle up from last year's opening weekend. On the track, apprentice Ashley Dill opened the crowd's eyes with a riding triple, including a $42.60 winner in the middle of the card.
Jockey Scott Stevens is quickly moving in on his 4,000th career victory after winning his 3,997th race Sunday when he guided 24-1 Quarter Horse longshot Quattro to victory in the Grade 3, $44,550 Bayer Legend Central Derby Challenge at Canterbury Park.
* Wheely Fast set a new course record for 330 yards in the last race Sunday, an allowance event for Quarter Horses, winging home in 16.676 seconds under rider Jerry Winters. Trained by Ron Winget and owned by Al and Claire Lundgren, Wheely Fast broke the record of 16.781 set by Callies Corona in 2007.
Less than two months after spring meeting champion Jamie Ness set a Thistledown record for consecutive training victories by visiting the winner's circle nine times without a defeat, veteran horseman Gerald Bennett is poised to match Ness's efforts Friday.