LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Mambo in Seattle, never a serious threat in the Fayette Stakes last Saturday at Keeneland when seventh as the 6-5 favorite, might try to make amends in the $500,000 Clark Handicap on Nov. 28 at Churchill Downs, said trainer Neil Howard.
"It's something we'll consider when we see how the horse does after he's been back to the track for a few days," said Howard.
Jockey Corey Lanerie said after the Fayette that Mambo in Seattle did not seem to care for the Polytrack at Keeneland.
Austin Miller, whose background is in casino gaming, has been named president of Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans by the track's parent company, Churchill Downs Inc. Miller fills a position officially vacant since the departure in September of Randy Soth, whose background was entirely in racing.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Woodbine's invading forces could not pull off a Breeders' Cup win at Santa Anita last weekend.
But Sealy Hill and Fatal Bullet did the next-best thing as both turned in strong second-place finishes.
Sealy Hill was coming off a solid third-place finish here in the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor, but her only win this year had come in allowance company and she was a 48-1 outsider in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - As soon as the afterglow wears off, horsemen will open a new condition book and return to reality. The eight-week autumn meet begins Wednesday at Hollywood Park, and the question begs - how much interest will opening day attract?
"We've never opened the Wednesday after the Breeders' Cup, so it's hard to gauge," Hollywood racing secretary Martin Panza candidly admits.
Beulah Park has resumed sending its live signal to out-of-state simulcast sites after the track and its horsemen suspended a dispute over simulcasting that dates back to Oct. 14, according to officials of the track and horsemen.
Beulah canceled three live race cards because of the dispute before reopening for live racing last Wednesday without sending its signal to out-of-state sites. Beulah cut purses by 46 percent for the cards beginning Wednesday, but purse levels were restored Monday.
ALBANY, Calif. - Victorina may have opened new vistas with her three-quarter-length victory over Unspoken Word in Sunday's Marina Stakes at Golden Gate Fields.
It was her first win around two turns - not that she had run poorly before at a mile or longer. She was third in the Grade 3 Dogwood, a one-turn mile at Churchill Downs, in 2006, losing by a length and a head. She was second to Secret Scheme in the 1 1/16-mile Noe Valley, beaten three lengths, and then ran second to Bai and Bai by three-quarters of a length in the 1 1/16-mile Muir Woods here in 2006 and 2007.
STICKNEY, Ill. - If Unreal Rocket can reach back into the past and retrieve the early speed she used to show, she has a chance to wire the field in the featured fourth race on Wednesday at Hawthorne. If she cannot - who knows what will happen in this third-level sprint allowance race also open to $40,000 claimers.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Santa Anita will cut overnight purses for its upcoming winter-spring meeting by approximately 7 to 10 percent, according to director of racing Mike Harlow.
The cuts, which have not been finalized pending discussions with the Thoroughbred Owners of California, are a reflection of a poor economy and a year-long decline in parimutuel handle on many major circuits, Harlow said.
"The same numbers are happening at all meets," Harlow said. "People are coming to the track with less money. The numbers don't lie."
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Saturday's Grade 2 Sky Classic Stakes looked like a showdown between Spice Route and Seaside Retreat, the second- and fourth-place finishers in the Grade 1 Canadian International. But it was the little-known German runner Lauro who sprung a 9-1 upset in the 1 3/8-mile event, under an astute ride from Tyler Pizarro.
There was no confirmed front-runner in the five-horse field, and Lauro inherited the lead and never looked back, scoring by a half-length over Seaside Retreat, while carrying 116 pounds.
