DEL MAR, Calif. - Out of Control, second in two Grade 1 races on turf earlier this year, will make his Grade 1 debut on the main track in the $1 million Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Aug. 24, trainer Bobby Frankel said Friday.
Out of Control's presence will give Frankel two starters in the Pacific Classic. He is also running Mast Track, the upset winner of the $750,000 Hollywood Gold Cup on Juneo28.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Skipped Bail may have found the spot for his first stakes victory here at Woodbine in Sunday's $100,000 With Approval.
The With Approval, a 1 1/8-mile overnight turf stakes, attracted a field of seven, including high-profile names such as Mike Fox and Marchfield.
Jockey E.J. Perrodin's nine-month road to recovery ends on Sunday. He will return to the saddle in the seventh race at Louisiana Downs, his first mount since a frightening riding accident last winter that left him with a severely fractured pelvis, six broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a lacerated spleen.
AUBURN, Wash. Burgundy Road and Enumerator head a field of five 2-year-olds in Sundays $50,000 Strong Ruler Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs.
Burgundy Road is the only maiden special weight winner in the field and may be a slight choice in the wagering, especially because he was more fortunate at the draw for posts. Burgundy Road will start from post 3 and Enumerator will break from the inside, a post that contributed to a rough trip for him in the six-furlong Premio Esmeralda on July 19.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Bucephalus and El Brujo, the top two finishers in the July 5 Clarendon Stakes, will lock horns again Sunday at Woodbine in the $150,000 Vandal, a six-furlong stakes for Ontario-bred 2-year-olds.
Bucephalus, an $80,000 yearling purchase by Knob Hill Stable, finished second in his five-furlong debut behind Dryden, who subsequently ran second in the Colin Stakes. Bucephalus won his maiden in style in the 5 1/2-furlong Clarendon, registering a respectable 76 Beyer Figure. Trainer Kevin Attard said the colt ran to his expectations that day.
FORT ERIE, Ontario - A competitive field of 11 will go to post in the $27,500 Don Valliere Memorial Cup, the Sunday Fort Erie feature. For 3-year-olds and up, the six-furlong Valliere is restricted to horses who have made two starts at the meeting. The 11 runners entered are all geldings.
A number of the entrants have good speed and there is a good chance that a hot pace will develop.
EDMONTON, Alberta The connections of Tanika could be excused for breathing a sigh of relief when Holy Nova and Lady Raj, the top two mares based at Hastings this summer, stayed at home to contest a pair of stakes last Monday on the rich B.C. Cup Day program.
Lady Raj was upset in the Distaff and Holy Nova was fifth versus male rivals in the Sprint, while Tanika rested comfortably here in Barry Browns shed row in anticipation of Sundays Madamoiselle.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia Aragorn has a lot of catching up to do in order to be compared to his half-brother Spaghetti Mouse, a multiple graded stakes winner who has earned more than $800,000. He could take a big first step when he runs in a first-level allowance race at Hastings on Sunday. The 1 1/16-mile feature for 3-year-olds and up drew six horses and goes as the seventh race.
AURORA, Colo. The $34,650 Gold Rush Futurity is one of four stakes at Arapahoe Park on Sunday, the final day of the 36-day stand.
Major Big Time won the Silver Cup Futurity here on July 26, and returns in the Gold Rush Futurity, carded as the eighth race. He won the Silver Cup by 6 1/2 lengths, but he wont have an easy task in the six-furlong Gold Rush. Those who will ofer stern opposition include Gray Matters, Toccet to Me, and Jimni.
The final eight races of Friday's Saratoga card were canceled when heavy rain made for unsafe track conditions.
The main track suffered multiple washouts on the backside as a result of the storm. The races were canceled just before the scheduled start of the third race. Track officials said it would have taken more than an hour to fix the track.