ALBANY, Calif. - Jockey Russell Baze notched his 400th victory of 2008 when he guided Portland Storm ($5.40) to a rail-hugging victory in the sixth race at Golden Gate Fields on Friday.
The victory helped Baze to reach the 400-win milestone for the 12th time in his career. No other rider has reached the figure more than three times.
Hawthorne Race Course was forced to cancel its Friday program, the second straight cancellation at the Chicago-area track.
Races were called off lsdy Sunday because of bitter cold, but Friday, jockeys declined to ride over a wet track surface that still was icy underneath, with little cushion between the layer of ice and the top of the track.
MIAMI - Trainer Jonathan Sheppard is back in south Florida for another winter at Gulfstream Park, a winter he's hoping will include a trip to the podium on the evening of Jan. 26 to accept an Eclipse Award for his star pupil Forever Together.
ARCADIA, Calif. - A trainer best known for his work with horses on the main track, Bob Baffert has an outstanding turf specialist in the 2-year-old filly Internallyflawless.
Internallyflawless was second in the Grade 3 Miesque Stakes at Hollywood Park on Nov. 28 and will attempt to win her first stakes Sunday at Santa Anita in the $70,000 Blue Norther Stakes for 2-year-old fillies.
To accomplish that goal, Baffert will start Internallyflawless without blinkers for the first time in her career.
Unusual Suspect ($7) made a strong move into the lane to take control of the race and win the opening day Silveyville Stakes at Golden Gate Fields on Friday.
Chantal Sutherland settled the 4-year-old Unusual Heat colt behind the dawdling pace of 11-10 favorite Bamaha Breeze, who set fractions of 26.17, 52.37 and 1:16.98 in the 1 1/16-mile race. When she asked Unusual Suspect, he moved three wide outside Bamaha Breeze and Cover Magic and quickly took command as the trio turned for home.
STICKNEY, Ill. - Not to suggest that winter handicapping at Hawthorne Race Course has become somewhat tricky, but 20 racing programs have passed since anyone hit the pick six at Hawthorne.
And even though the Hawthorne pick six does not attract much play on a day-to-day basis, the carryover pool for the bet has grown to $227,137 for Friday's 10-race card. Jim Miller, Hawthorne's assistant general manager, said he expects $500,000 to $750,000 more to be bet into the pick six on Friday, making chilly Hawthorne a flash point for Friday racing action.
ARCADIA, Calif. - The defection of Mr. Rod from the $70,000 Eddie Logan Stakes on Saturday at Santa Anita gives the hard-luck colt Kelly Leak an excellent shot at redemption.
In just four starts, Kelly Leak has had enough bad luck to last a career. He was disqualified from victory in the Best Pal Stakes at Del Mar in August, and in his most recent start lost a heartbreaker by a nose in his first start on turf, going six furlongs at Hollywood Park on Dec. 4.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Channing Hill drove to New York from Nebraska immediately upon graduating from high school, and he has never left.
After a solid apprentice year of 2005, in which he won 115 races on the New York Racing Association circuit and finished second to Emma-Jayne Wilson for the Eclipse Award, Hill was able to maintain enough business - and success - to make New York his permanent home.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Distance, surface, location. None of it matters for the 3-year-old colt Colonel John. He has won at seven furlongs and at 1 1/4 miles, Grade 1's on dirt and on synthetic tracks, in California and in New York.
Sometimes the best horse wins regardless, an idea worthy of recall on Friday when Santa Anita starts the longest meet of the year in Southern California - an 84-day marathon stretching from early winter to late spring.
