SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - War Pass ran well enough winning his debut to be considered for the Grade 1 Hopeful here on closing day. But trainer Nick Zito would prefer to bring the 2-year-old along gradually, which is why he has opted to run War Pass in a first-level allowance race here Sunday.
War Pass, a son of Cherokee Run, is one of six maiden winners entered in the six-furlong allowance race, which has a pot of $67,000. It will be run as the third race on the 10-race card.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Christophe Clement is based in New York. There is no Polytrack in New York. In Summation, who Clement trains, ran a career-best race last month in his Polytrack debut, capturing the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Handicap at Hollywood Park. And that is why In Summation traveled from Saratoga to Arlington on Wednesday night to start in Saturdays $150,000 Arlington Sprint Handicap.
Clement was not pleased with In Summation's weight assignment - his 124 pounds is 6 to 12 pounds more than six rivals Saturday - but Clement felt he had no option but to ship and run.
DEL MAR, Calif. - By 2 a.m. on Thursday, Mike Machowsky had abandoned hope of getting any sleep. His top 2-year-old, Drill Down, was a few hours from a workout and Machowsky could not stop thinking about it.
"I couldn't sleep well," he said.
Six hours later, Machowsky's mind was at ease. Drill Down, a sharp maiden winner last month and probable favorite for the $250,000 Del Mar Futurity on Sept. 5, worked six furlongs in 1:13.60 to remain on course for the meeting's championship race for 2-year-olds.
FORT ERIE, Ontario - It is coming up to crunch time for the setting of racing dates for the 2008 season at Fort Erie.
Both the owner of the track, Nordic Gaming Corp., and the local Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association generally agree that a number of issues, primarily monetary, have created uncertainty around next season's dates and purse structure.
The $1 million Florida Derby will once again be positioned five weeks prior to the Kentucky Derby next year, but Gulfstream Park has changed both the distance and date of the Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes. Those races are among the highlights a 2008 Gulfstream Park stakes schedule, which has been put together by the track's new director of racing, Bernie Hettel, and racing secretary, Bill Couch. The meet opens on Jan. 3 and continues through April 20.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Todd Pletcher has been trying to tell anyone who would listen that his Eclipse Award-winning filly Wait a While was just as good this year as she was last year, despite the fact she had not won a race since March. Now everybody will listen.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - While no one could quarrel with their decision, it is noteworthy that owner Will Farish and trainer Neil Howard have elected to have Grasshopper make his stakes debut against Street Sense in Saturday's $1 million Travers Stakes at Saratoga.
Grasshopper certainly earned his shot in the Travers when he won a second-level allowance race here by six lengths on July 30. That performance, coupled with the lack of depth to the field beyond Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense, is what prompted Farish and Howard, conservative by nature, to run.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Purim, based in Chicago with trainer Tom Proctor, checked into Woodbine on Thursday morning and looms as a serious contender in Saturday's $200,000 Play the King.
The Grade 2 Play the King, a seven-furlong turf race, is the major local prep for the Grade 1, $1 million Woodbine Mile here Sept. 16.
Purim will be making his first start since May 26, when he finished eighth in the Grade 3 Hanshin Handicap over one mile on Arlington's Polytrack.
"We actually did some throat surgery on him after that," Proctor said. "He's doing good now."