ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Marlang was 10-1 when he rolled to a 2 3/4-length victory in the Charlie Barley Stakes at one mile on turf at Woodbine on June 21.
On Saturday, Marlang will be looking to confirm that he's the real thing in the $150,000 Toronto Cup at 1 1/8 miles on the same surface.
The $150,000 Toronto Cup serves as a stepping-stone to the $500,000 Breeders', a 1 1/2-mile turf race here Aug. 3, which is the final leg of the Canadian Triple Crown.
DEL MAR, Calif. - The carnival rides, fried Twinkie stands, and livestock exhibitions took up all the space at the Del Mar Fairgrounds for three weeks through last Sunday, but the transformation to Del Mar's racing season, which begins Wednesday, was going full steam ahead Thursday morning, when the main track opened for training and most of the remnants of the fair were gone.
July is no time for handicappers or horsemen to get comfortable. Or have you forgotten what happened one year ago at Del Mar?
Last summer at Del Mar, the brand-new Polytrack racing surface was a joy for horses during the cool morning training hours. The surface was quick, kind, and safe. Horses and trainers both loved it.
The installation of Polytrack prior to the 2007 Del Mar season forced handicappers to reconsider certain "rules." Whereas early pace runners often dominated on dirt at Del Mar, horses with more stamina thrived over the new synthetic surface. The era of automatic gate-to-wire winners quickly dissipated, and the Polytrack final times were extremely slow by Southern California standards.
FORT ERIE, Ontario - Not Bourbon breezed four furlongs in 47.20 seconds on the main track at Woodbine on Wednesday morning and then drew post 7 here in the late-afternoon draw for Sunday's $500,000 Prince of Wales.
A field of eight was announced for the 1 3/16-mile Prince of Wales, which follows the Queen's Plate as the second leg of the triple crown for Canadian-bred 3-year-olds.
Not Bourbon, winner of the 1 1/4-mile Queen's Plate at Woodbine on June 22, was made the 7-5 morning-line favorite in the Prince of Wales and will be looking for his fourth consecutive score.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Bill Heiligbrodt has an eye for young talent. Through the years he has campaigned a large number of 2-year-old stakes winners, and back in 1998 he made the decision to send horses to a then 32-year-old Steve Asmussen, who has since become one of the winningest trainers in North America.
Jockey Mike Ziegler had a consecutive riding triple last Sunday at Arapahoe Park, becoming the first rider of the meet to accomplish the feat. He started the streak in the fifth race aboard Princess Hailey ($10); followed by a convincing score on Sunny Serenade ($10.40), and capped it off with a 14-length romp in the Arabian Cobra Derby on Caitlyns Hot ($3.80).