Jockey Patrick Valenzuela picked up the 4,000th win of his career Thursday at Louisiana Downs, when he guided Burst of Light from last to first in the second race. She won the optional claimer by two lengths and paid $9.
"I got that monkey off my back," he said. "I'm very blessed."
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - The $100,000 Premiers on Sunday drew only six horses but it shapes up as the most interesting and important race at Hastings this year.
A win by either Krazy Koffee or Spaghetti Mouse will assure him the title of horse of the year in British Columbia at the annual industry awards dinner scheduled for Nov. 15.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Casino Drive, the undefeated 3-year-old colt from Japan, will start in an optional claimer at Santa Anita on Sunday in advance of a scheduled appearance in the $5 million Breeders Cup Classic on Oct. 25.
Casino Drive is part of a seven-horse field in Sundays eighth race, which is run over 1 1/16 miles. The decision to start Casino Drive in the prep race, as opposed to training him up to the BC Classic, was made on Thursday, after Casino Drive breezed five furlongs in 1:02 at Hollywood Park.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario Contango and stakes-placed El Brujo are the obvious protagonists in Fridays Woodbine feature, a six-furlong first-level allowance for 2-year-olds.
When he debuted Aug. 22, Contango was a belated third to Bear Its True, who romped in his next start in an allowance at Presque Isle Downs.
Contango added Lasix for his second start and wound up setting moderate fractions before pulling away for a 7 3/4-length win over Montys Best, who came back to graduate with ease. Contangos six-furlong time of 1:10.40 translated into a 76 Beyer Speed Figure.
STICKNEY, Ill. At $250,000, the purse for the Grade 3 Hawthorne Derby is somewhat surprisingly fat, when you consider that most really good grass horses, 3-year-old or otherwise, probably are pointing to the Breeders Cup. A Keeneland race this weekend in that division, the Grade 3 Bryan Station, offers a $150,000 purse, and last weekends Grade 2 Jamaica at Belmont, which had top-shelf runners Court Vision and Gio Ponti, also was worth $250,000.
LEXINGTON, Ky. The Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup is a Kentucky race named for an English monarch, but the 25th running Saturday at Keeneland will have a definite New York flavor to it.
Six of the 11 3-year-old fillies entered in the $500,000 QE II made their last start in New York, a circuit that has produced quite a few QE II champions, including the 2007 winner, Bit of Whimsy. Barclay Tagg, the trainer of Bit of Whimsy, will be back with another contender Saturday in My Princess Jess, who drew the outside post in the 1 1/8-mile turf fixture.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Van Lear Rose may have earned herself a trip to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies with her victory here in Sunday's 1 1/16-mile Mazarine.
Owned by Kingview Farm, the nom du course of Richard Day, Van Lear Rose was making her fifth start in the Grade 3 Mazarine and coming off her first win in the seven-furlong Muskoka, a yearling sales stakes for 2-year-old fillies.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Michael Baze reached the finish line aboard Mr. Chairman in the $250,000 California Cup Classic at Santa Anita last Sunday and let fly a fist pump that released about three months of frustration.
The California Cup Classic was Baze's richest win since Georgie Boy won the $200,000 San Felipe Stakes here last March. In between, Baze suffered a neck injury at Hollywood Park in June that kept him out of action for a month.
Those participating in the post-season balloting for Ohio horse of the year honors are in for a difficult choice.
The results of last Saturday's Best of Ohio Series centerpiece races, the Distaff and Endurance, should make for a close vote.
The front-running win by Pay the Man in the 1 1/16-mile Distaff and Catlaunch's brave performance in the 1 1/14-mile Endurance gave both horses four stakes wins this year.