ETOBICOKE, Ontario - El Brujo is still in the mix for the Queen's Plate.
Despite watching El Brujo falter to finish ninth of 10 in the 1 1/8-mile Plate Trial May 31, trainer Malcolm Pierce is inclined to give the gelding another chance in the 1 1/4-mile Queen's Plate here at Woodbine next Sunday.
El Brujo, a Windways Farm homebred, had gone into the Plate Trial as the 8-5 choice after winning the six-furlong Achievement and the seven-furlong Queenston in his first two starts of the season.
ELMONT, N.Y. - There were no winning tickets sold on the pick six for a second consecutive day at Belmont Park on Thursday, resulting in a pick-six carryover of $109,015 entering Friday's card.
Bettors will have extra time to handicap the pick six as first post Friday is 3 p.m. Eastern, two hours later than usual. The pick six begins on race 4 (4:30 p.m. Eastern). The sequence does not include the Kashatreya Stakes, in which Commentator figures to be a 1-5 favorite.
Furthest Land set a track record while winning the $75,000 Golden Bear at Indiana Downs Wednesday evening.
Trained by Mike Maker, Furthest Land tracked the pacesetting My Private Lake before taking over and drawing off to win by 2 1/2 lengths. The Golden Bear was originally carded as a mile on the turf, but heavy rains forced the race on to the main track. Because of the surface switch, only four horses ,including an entry competed.
Orlando Mojica was aboard for the victory. Furthest Land ran the mile and 70 yards in 1.40.80 and returned $3.20 as the favorite.
Preservata, closing strongly under Tyrone Nelson, ran down Miss Missile and Alacazar to take the $30,000 La Verendrye at Assiniboia Downs on Wednesday night. The winning margin was three-quarters of a length with Alcazar battling gamely to edge Miss Missile by a neck for second in the six-furlong feature for fillies and mares.
Miss Missile, the 2-5 favorite, suffered her first defeat at Assiniboia in her seventh local appearance. She was Manitoba's champion 3-year-old filly last year.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Me the Sea and G T ($48.40), the second-longest shot in the field of Ontario-sired 3-year-olds, came from well off a hot pace to take the $125,800 Bold Ruckus Stakes on Wednesday night at Woodbine.
Me the Sea and G T trailed on the backstretch of the six-furlong turf event, while four runners battled for the early lead. Daniel Be Good ended up setting fractions of 21.87 seconds and 44.43, before being joined up front by The Boy's Ring.
Lawyers for Laurel Park asked Maryland s highest court Tuesday to restore its disqualified proposal for a slots casino license and later suggested that the state would be better off restarting a bidding process that has fallen short of expectations.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - This could be the final racing season for Kiss the Kid, and owner-trainer Amy Tarrant would like to send him off with a flourish.
"He's earned over $600,000 for me, and we'd like to get him a little bit higher," Tarrant said.
The 6-year-old has been running as well as ever, with three stakes wins in his last five races.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Tony Dutrow could have taken the easy way out. More impressed with Seattle Smooth when she races around two turns than one, Dutrow could have shipped the 4-year-old filly to Churchill Downs for Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Fleur de Lis Handicap.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Some horses wilt in mid-summer heat, losing weight, losing interest, and losing their form. But the last two years, summer time has been the right time for the 5-year-old mare Communique.
In 2007, Kentucky-based Communique shipped to California and produced what was then the best performance of her career, a close fourth at odds of 44-1 in the Grade 1 American Oaks. The summer of 2008 went even better: Communique crushed a decent field in the Grade 3 Modesty at Arlington, then came back with a strong second to Mauralakana in the $500,000 Beverly D.
