The Ontario Racing Commission has announced a pilot project for whip use in Thoroughbred racing.
The initiative requires all jockeys in the first two races of every card at Woodbine from Wednesday through June 28 to use a "Lite Touch" whip.
The whips, shorter than traditional ones, include three rows of feathers at least one inch in length and a rubber, natural-stitch, or open-leather looped "popper."
ELMONT, N.Y. - Had things gone as planned, Dancing Forever would probably have had his final workout Sunday morning in preparation for a repeat bid in next Saturday's Grade 1 Manhattan Handicap at Belmont Park.
But Mother Nature put a crimp in trainer Shug McGaughey's plan and now Dancing Forever will run in an allowance race here on Sunday afternoon with an eye toward the Grade 1 Man o' War here on July 11.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - It might have felt like jockey Junior Alvarado came out of nowhere to win 54 races last summer at Arlington Park, and then disappeared into thin air not long after Arlington's end.
And that perception is not entirely inaccurate. Alvarado, a 24-year-old Venezuelan, basically was an unknown when he came here last year from Florida, and after a surprisingly strong summer, he left early in the Hawthorne fall-winter meet to become a contract rider in Caracas, Venezuela.
EAST BOSTON, Mass. - The Massachusetts-bred Ask Queenie will return for an 8-year-old campaign this year at Suffolk Downs.
The hard-knocking winner of $627,285 during her 52-race career is "doing very good" after a seven-month vacation, according to owner Laurine Barreira. Barreira should know because she has been left in charge of Ask Queenie by her mother, trainer Lori Lockhart.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Macho Again has won the occasional big event, having earned more than $1 million while accounting for the Derby Trial, Jim Dandy, and New Orleans Handicap in his 17-race career. The gray 4-year-old colt is not the most consistent runner in the world, and when he returns to action June 13 in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster Handicap, he will be attempting to rebound off a lackluster sixth-place finish as the favorite in the Alysheba Stakes.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - A yearling purchased for $30,000 may prove impossible to catch in a field that features several expensive yearlings and weanlings in Hollywood Park's fourth race Sunday.
Ghost Shadow, a first-time starter bought for $30,000 at the Keeneland September yearling sale last fall, has drawn the rail in a maiden special weight race for 2-year-old fillies over five furlongs. The filly, by 2004 Horse of the Year Ghostzapper, has already developed a reputation for quickness, having worked three furlongs in 33.80 seconds from the gate April 11.
Rachel Alexandra, who became the fifth filly to win the Preakness Stakes, will not run in the 141st Belmont Stakes here on June 6, her connections announced late Friday afternoon.
As a result, Calvin Borel, who rode Mine That Bird to victory in the Kentucky Derby and Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness, will once again be aboard Mine That Bird in the Belmont Stakes, the third leg of the Triple Crown.
MIAMI - Trainer David Fawkes has learned that having a top 3-year-old in the barn like Big Drama entitles him to more perks than just the potential big payday or notoriety that goes along with competing in major stakes. One such perk is the frequent flyer miles he's been piling up travelling between his home in south Florida and Monmouth Park, where Big Drama is stabled and is likely to remain throughout the summer.
FORT ERIE, Ontario - The 2009 racing season at this border oval is about to spread its wings as turf racing is now on the schedule together with the eagerly awaited addition of 2-year-olds.
Tom Gostlin, Fort Erie's racing secretary, said he will card turf races at four levels, beginning Sunday. They are maiden special weight, $7,500 claiming, $7,500 non-winners of three, and starter allowances for $5,000 or $10,000 claimers.
Gostlin noted that the course surface restricts him to one turf race per day.
