INGLEWOOD, Calif. - After nine starts, Indian Sun has yet to win a stakes, and yet to indicate to owner Cecil Peacock and trainer Dan Hendricks what kind of surface he prefers.
Stakes-placed on both turf and synthetic tracks, Indian Sun may answer that question in Saturday's $100,000 Will Rogers Stakes at Hollywood Park. The Grade 3 Will Rogers is run at a mile on turf for 3-year-olds and is the second race on an 11-race program that begins at noon.
Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, La., moves into its 35th season of racing Saturday under new ownership, with a new hotel on the property, and a Win and You're In race on its Super Derby undercard. The track has also tweaked its post times, made some adjustments to its stakes schedule, and lured some sizeable new outfits from Texas.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - One Lucky Buck will make his graded stakes debut later this month at Lone Star Park after winning his last three starts impressively. Thursday, his connections were trying to determine whether the start would come on dirt or turf.
Trainer Chris Hartman said the options are the Grade 3, $400,000 Lone Star Park Handicap or the Grade 3, $200,000 Dallas Turf Cup, both of which will be run on the Lone Star Million Day program May 26.
BALTIMORE - The 133rd Preakness will cap off what is perennially the best program of the year in Maryland racing. Eight stakes, five of them graded, and one starter handicap also are on tap on a marathon Saturday program that begins at 10:30 a.m. Eastern.
The Preakness has been carded as the 12th of 13 races. In reverse order, this is a rundown of the other stakes:
AUBURN, Wash. - Selections made with birthdates, addresses, and social security numbers surely outperformed those based on sound handicapping principles last week at Emerald Downs, and it wasn't any photo finish.
Favorites won 2 of the 28 races run during the three-day race week, and fully 19 of the winners were more than 5-1. Among the notable upsets, though by no means the most outlandish, came in the twin $50,000 stakes for 3-year-olds at six furlongs.
Some of the best Louisiana-breds in training will help open the Louisiana Downs meet on Saturday. The track has carded six statebred stakes worth a cumulative $300,000 for its opening-day program.
The 10-race card was drawn on Wednesday, and among horses entered were the stakes winners Tortuga Flats, Desert Wheat, Raspberry Wine, Tensas Yucatan, Brother Bean, St. Zarb, and Hisse.
The signal from Louisiana Downs is facing a blackout on all national account-wagering companies because of a dispute centering on the amount of money horsemen receive from bets made via those wagering companies, officials for the track and the local horsemen's group said Wednesday.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - In a meeting Tuesday night to discuss the ongoing dispute with Churchill Downs regarding revenue splits from Internet and phone wagering, a coalition of Kentucky horsemen's groups encouraged owners and trainers to remain committed to obtaining a greater share of the revenue.
The urging came the day before Churchill Downs dropped purses 20 percent, citing an anticipated downturn in handle as a result of horsemen blocking the Churchill signal and wagering from several national account-wagering services and Calder Race Course.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - The $150,000 Marine, a 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds that will be renewed here Saturday, serves a dual purpose in the grand scheme of things here at Woodbine.
For American-breds, the Marine presents a rare local opportunity to run in a Grade 3 stakes here.
For Canadian-breds, the Marine can serve as an important stepping-stone to the $1 million Queen's Plate, a restricted 1 1/4-mile race here June 22.
Trainer Norm DeSouza be among those taking advantage of the Marine's open status when he sends out Mighty Vow.