ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Jim DiVito's Arlington Park meet has gone so well, the success spilled over all the way to Iowa.
On Saturday, the same day Solo Survivor scored a major upset here in the Arlington Matron, the DiVito-trained West Coast Coach captured the Prairie Meadows Freshman Stakes in Des Moines.
Two Saturdays earlier, Piratesonthelake, still another DiVito trainee, dead-heated for first in the Arlington Sprint Handicap, and this two-week period, DiVito conceded, has been the best spell of his long training career.
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DRF Past Performances
All I Can Get remained atop the Michigan-bred 3-year-old male division with a gutsy win in Tuesday's $50,000 Mackinac Handicap. The 1-5 favorite hooked up with second choice My First Buck, and the two dueled down the stretch with All I Can Get gaining a neck advantage late. It was more than 14 lengths back to Scarlet Fact in third.
Mr. Mink, a former Indiana horse of the year, scored a definitive victory in the $13,850 Tic N Tin Handicap, last Saturday's feature at Fairmount. Making his first start in nearly three months, Mr. Mink set a torrid pace of 21.80 and 44.60 seconds, but had plenty left to hold Just Viareggio safe by a length. The final time for six furlongs over a sloppy track was 1:10.40, and the win earned Mr. Mink an 87 Beyer Speed Figure.
The live racing season in Nebraska will have one final hurrah this weekend as Horsemen's Atokad Downs closes out the year with a three-day festival of races geared toward horses that have run in the state this year. The meet will offer a bottom purse of $10,000.
Horsemen's Atokad Downs will offer six-race cards on Friday and Saturday and close out the weekend with seven races on Sunday. The races range from $2,500 claimers up to open allowance company.
Despite facing competition from the Cleveland Browns home opener on Sunday, Thistledown posted records for wagering last weekend.
The track's director of mutuels, Bob Hickey, said that $960,144 was bet offtrack on Saturday's card, a record for a card other than an Ohio Derby Day. On Sunday, $843,215 was wagered offtrack. That figure would have been a record if not for Saturday.
Hickey said that Thistledown has established a presence in the New York City offtrack betting market.
ERIE, Pa. - A field of eight was entered on Wednesday for the $400,000 Presque Isle Masters, the highlight of this inaugural meet. The six-furlong race over Tapeta is for fillies and mares and will be run Saturday along with two $175,000 supporting stakes.
The expected favorite is Shaggy Mane, who finished second in the Grade 1 Princess Rooney at Calder in her last out July 7 at Calder. She will ship in from Southern California for trainer Don Chatlos after working on the synthetic surfaces at Del Mar and Hollywood Park.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Trainer Reade Baker and jockey Jim McAleney will have plenty of stakes on their plates this weekend.
On Saturday, Baker will send out Bear Holiday for the $125,000 Swynford, a seven-furlong stakes for 2-year-olds that goes as the fourth race at Woodbine.
Bear Holiday is undefeated in three starts and will be seeking his third consecutive stakes score under regular rider Jerry Baird.
In the eighth race, Baker and McAleney will team up with Dash It Darling in the $125,000 La Prevoyante, a one-mile turf race for Ontario-sired 3-year-old fillies.
BOSSIER CITY, La. - Next Saturday's Super Derby is the highlight of the biggest day of the Louisiana Downs meet, but the four supporting turf races, all worth $200,000, have drawn a lot of interest themselves.
"It has been crazy," said Tommy Sibille, the track's stakes coordinator, during a brief lull in what seemed to be a constant stream of phone calls Wednesday morning. "This has got to be some kind of record for nominations. It seems everybody is interested in those turf races."
Leonnatus Anteas, the champion 2-year-old last year in Canada, could make his first start outside of his home country next weekend at Louisiana Downs. He is being seriously considered for the Grade 2, $500,000 Super Derby on Sept. 22, according to his trainer, Kevin Attard.
"We're looking at it," Attard said Tuesday. "We haven't confirmed it yet, but it's looking like a strong possibility. I've got a meeting with the owners tomorrow, and we're going to discuss it."