Louis Stokes, a 29-year-old native of Lafayette, La., won the hotly contested riding title at the 56-day Summit meeting, which concluded last week. His 38 wins were two better than runner-up Weldon Cloninger Jr. Jeffrey Skerrett was third with 35. Cloninger and Skerrett were co-champions at last year's corresponding meeting.
"It feels great to win my first title, a lot better than last year," said Stokes, who suffered four cracked ribs and a punctured lung in a spill here in 2007.
Jockey Ronnie Allen Jr. leads the jockey standings at Presque Isle after overcoming a great deal of adversity in his personal life. Allen came back from a 4 1/2-year hiatus this past February at Tampa Bay Downs and won 46 races before coming north to Presque Isle. He has 59 wins this meet, seven more than his nearest rival, Rex Stokes.
The 44-year-old Allen is a recovering alcoholic.
"I thank God, my family, and my friends that I'm back and I am happy," Allen said.
The Minnesota Thoroughbred Association will host its annual yearling sale at Canterbury Park on Saturday. Seventy-four horses were cataloged for the sale, including yearlings by Holy Bull, Woodman, Birdstone, Teton Forest, Double Honor, and locally based sires Demidoff, Kyle's Our Man, Ghazi, and Sam Lord's Castle.
Trainer James Jones sent out Singin Vicar for his second consecutive derby victory of the meet Sunday. He defeated the Nebraska-invader City Slicker by 1 1/2 lengths in the open $35,000 Colorado Derby. In his previous start on July 4, the $35,000 Colorado Breeders Derby, he romped by six lengths over Major River.
Last summer, Jones accomplished the identical feat with Folsum for breeder Willard Burbach. Both horses were bred in Colorado. Burbach is the outright owner of Singin Vicar and co-owner of Folsum.
Build it and they will come.
Pinnacle Race Course, the field of dreams that rose from the swamps and cornfields just south of Detroit Metropolitan Airport, has attracted good crowds through its first four days of racing, including an overflow crowd on opening day that resulted in police turning cars away from the track when the two-lane country roads and the parking lots they lead to were inundated.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Grade 1-winning sprinter Fabulous Strike will be forced to miss Saturday's Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap after injuring his left front foot Tuesday morning, trainer Todd Beattie said.
According to Beattie, Fabulous Strike ripped off a piece of the frog on the bottom of his front left foot. Beattie said the injury would be similar to "peeling off layers of skin under your heel."
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Real Appeal might return to graded stakes competition for his next start following his recent last-to-first win in the $75,000 Alysheba Breeders' Cup for 3-year-olds at Lone Star Park. He breezed five furlongs in 1:00.40 at his Churchill Downs base Tuesday.
"We're going to take a look at the West Virginia Derby," said Tom Amoss, who trains Real Appeal for Roulette Racing. "It's a big step, obviously. We're going to look at it and decide if he fits."
BOSSIER CITY, La. - Smokin Again and Zigaree both turned in eye-catching wins in the 2-year-old turf stakes run last Saturday at Louisiana Downs. The horses, both purchased at auction this past spring, were clear winners and earned career-best Beyer Speed Figures.
Smokin Again picked up her second win from three starts in the $50,000 Princess, where she covered about five furlongs on turf in a quick 56.69 seconds. For the effort, she earned a Beyer Figure of 76.
The Delaware Racing Commission agreed to reduce the suspension of jockey Jeremy Rose from six months to 90 days while also fining him $5,000 following an appeals hearing Tuesday at Delaware Park in Stanton, Del.
Rose, 29, was suspended June 25 for using his whip to strike his mount, Appeal to the City, on her left eye nearing the end of a six-furlong turf race on June 23 at Delaware. The filly did not sustain a serious injury, but aside from the six-month ban, the Delaware stewards ordered Rose to undergo anger-management counseling and pay the horse's veterinary bills.
Laurel Park will open for a 10-day mini-meet featuring weekday twilight racing from Aug. 8 through Aug. 21.
The track will offer free admission on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, when first post time is 3:30 p.m. Eastern. Racing begins at 1:10 p.m. for Saturday and Sunday cards.
The meet will feature a pair of $50,000 stakes for Maryland-bred 3-year-olds, the Twixt on Aug. 9 and the Humphrey S. Finney on Aug. 16.