SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Nearly one year after his biggest win, Timber Reserve finally picked up his next win.
Plagued by foot problems since winning the Pennsylvania Derby last Labor Day, Timber Reserve returned to the winner's circle Friday at Saratoga, winning a third-level allowance race by 1 1/2 lengths over favored Extreme Supreme. He ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.17 and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 99.
Fabulous Snoop hasnt had an anxious moment while winning his first two career starts this summer at Yavapai Downs. He looks to continue that trend in Mondays $20,000 Yavapai Downs Thoroughbred Futurity. The six-furlong event, for 2-year-olds who qualified from trials earlier in the meet, has a full field of 12.
The Futurity highlights the penultimate day of the stand. The 55-day meet comes to a close Tuesday. Racing returns to Turf Paradise in Phoenix for its 156-day meet beginning Oct. 3 and running through May 3, 2009.
Evangeline Downs in Opelousas, La., has canceled its racing program for Monday, the meets final day, in anticipation of the arrival of Hurricane Gustav. The track sits at the intersection of Interstate 49 and U.S. Highway 190, two of the primary evacuation routes out of southeastern Louisiana, which includes the cities of New Orleans and Baton Rouge. There are no plans to make up the scrapped program, which included the $100,000 Lafayette Stakes as well as the tracks first-ever turf event.
Puppeteer finished second in front of third-place Buckeye Buddy in the Independence Day Stakes on the Mountaineer Park turf course, but there is reason to believe Buckeye Buddy can reverse that decision in the $75,000 Labor Day Stakes on Monday at Mountaineer.
WINNIPEG, Manitoba As four straight race days come to a close with Mondays Labor Day card, the next generation of Thoroughbreds take center stage as seven 2-year-olds that went through a Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society sale last year compete for top prize of the $40,000 purse in the CTHS Sales Stakes. On Tuesday, 41 Thoroughbreds will pass through the sales ring in the annual Manitoba division CTHS yearling sale.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario Legal Move and Dancers Bajan, the two most accomplished participants on Mondays yearling sales stakes program, may end up in the same race.
Or, they may not.
Legal Move and Dancers Bajan both have been entered in the Kenora, the six-furlong race for 3-year-olds and upward that is one of six $125,000 stakes for horses who went through the ring at local yearling sales. Dancers Bajan is cross-entered in the Elgin, the 1 1/16-mile stakes for 3-year-olds and upward.
EDMONTON, Alberta Robo Willie and Rock Creek Bobby meet for the first time as the major protagonists in the $50,000 Canadian Juvenile at Northlands Park on Monday.
Robo Willie, winner of the Edmonton Juvenile and Birdcatcher, carries 120 pounds and concedes two pounds to each of his four rivals. Rock Creek Bobby brings a two-race winning streak of his own to the table, including an impressive victory in the Sales Stakes on Aug. 16 which earned him a Beyer Figure of 65 for running 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:18.20.
The final Saturday of the Del Mar meeting will feature a pick six carryover of $156,689.
Saturdays pick six covers the fifth through 10th races on a 10-race program that begins at 2 p.m.
Here are the early changes for those pick six races.
Exotic Design is scratched from the fifth race, a sprint for maiden 2-year-old fillies. The race has a field of 11. Casino Gold, trained by Bob Baffert, is the 2-1 morning-line favorite.
Rick Moore, the general manager of racing at Hoosier Park Racing and Casino for the last 14 years, announced his resignation Friday, opening day of the track's Thoroughbred meet, effective Sept. 12. Jeffrey Smith will assume the role of general manager of racing, while continuing his role as Hoosier's managing director of racing.