Without Zaftig around, J Z Warrior showed her class in the $70,000 Dearly Precious Stakes for
3-year-old fillies at Monmouth Park.
In her previous race at Belmont Park, J Z Warrior finished 9 1/2 lengths behind Zaftig in the Grade 3 Nassau County Stakes. That effort was flattered when Zaftig came back to win the Grade 1 Acorn and J Z Warrior earned her first stakes win in the Dearly Precious.
Fabulous Strike rolled to an easy win in his comeback, beating two overmatched rivals Saturday in the $68,250 Vincent A. Moscarelli Memorial Stakes at Delaware Park.
The 5-year-old gelding had not run since capturing the Grade 1 Vosburgh at Belmont Park last September. He came down with a lung infection that required a lengthy recuperation and knocked him out of consideration for the Breeders' Cup Sprint.
Trainer Todd Beattie brought Fabulous Strike along slowly and that patience paid off with a winning effort - Fabulous Strike's 10th in 15 starts.
ETOBICOKE, Ont. - Jim McAleney has picked up the mount on Jungle Brew after his scheduled rider, Eibar Coa, was injured at Belmont Park on Friday.
Jungle Fighter, a maiden owned by Stronach Stable and trained by Brian Lynch, is the fourth choice in the Queen's Plate morning line at 8-1.
McAleney was the leading rider at Woodbine heading into Saturday's card.
A total of 279 horses have been nominated to the 10th annual Claiming Crown series, it was announced Friday by officials with the events co-sponsors, the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association and the National Horsemens Benevolent and Protective Association.
The Claiming Crown, set for Aug. 2, will be held for the eighth time in its 10-year history at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn. The only times the Claiming Crown has been run elsewhere was in 2002 at Philadelphia Park and last year at Ellis Park in Kentucky.
Fair Grounds will run its first Quarter Horse meet in August, the New Orleans track announced Thursday.
State legislation that brought slot machines to Louisiana racetracks requires the racing venues to host Quarter Horse meets to help divide slot-machine revenue between different breeds in the state.
Ismael Valenzuela, better known as Milo during a career that included 2,545 wins, will be inducted into the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame in a special ceremony at Santa Anita on Sunday evening.
Valenzuela, 73, is unable to travel to Saratoga Springs, N.Y., for the annual induction ceremony on Aug. 4. Sunday's ceremony will be the first since the Hall of Fame was formed in 1955 to be held outside of Saratoga Springs, according to a statement from the Hall.
Valenzuela was elected to the Hall of Fame by the organization's Historic Review Committee.
The Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission has issued an advisory to trainer Larry Jones that a horse he trains for owner Jim Squires has tested positive for the bronchial dilator clenbuterol, the top official of the commission said Friday.
John Wayne, the executive director of the commission, said that he would have no other comment other than to confirm that the advisory was issued.
"There has been a notification of an alleged violation," Wayne said. "Because of a longstanding policy, we have no other comment at this time because the matter has not been heard."
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Arlington Park would consider boosting the purse of the July 12 Arlington Handicap in an effort to lure Curlin to Chicago for his next start, track officials said Thursday.
Trainer Steve Asmussen mentioned three possible upcoming races for Curlin in the wake of his victory last weekend in the Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs, but on Friday basically narrowed that potential list to two: The Man o' War at Belmont Park and the Arlington Handicap, both on July 12.
AUBURN, Wash. Enumclaw Girl has shown a lot in just three races. She flashed enough precocity to win her only start last year at 2. She demonstrated enough class to win the six-furlong U. S. Bank Stakes in her first start this season. And she showed enough grit to look the talented Startjumpin Marnie in the eye through the length of the stretch before dropping a neck decision in the 6 1/2-furlong Federal Way Handicap here on May 31.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Lava Man is unlikely to try for an unprecedented fourth consecutive victory in the $750,000 Hollywood Gold Cup next Saturday, trainer Doug O'Neill said on Friday.
Citing the three-week gap between Lava Man's third-place finish in the Grade 1 Charles Whittingham Handicap on June 7 and the Gold Cup, O'Neill said that he was more likely to run Lava Man in the $400,000 Eddie Read Handicap over 1o1/8 miles on turf at Del Mar on Julyo20.
"I'm leaning against running him," O'Neill said. "It may be a little too quick back."