BOSSIER CITY, La. - With more than 50 years of riding experience between them, Don Simington and his agent, Ronald Ardoin, bring a lot to the table. Their extensive resumes have paid off handsomely for the former riding rivals since they began to work together a month into the current season.
"It has been a wonderful run," said Ardoin, the all-time leading rider at Louisiana Downs. "Things have really taken off."
OCEANPORT, N.J. - Trainer Mark Shuman is giving strong consideration to running Xchanger in the Grade 1, $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on Aug. 5.
"We'll see what the next week brings," Shuman said Wednesday morning. "We'll give him a workout on the weekend and see if everything falls into place. We're better than 50-50. I'd say we're 75 percent there."
The addition of Xchanger, winner of the Barbaro Stakes at Delaware Park on July 15, brings the field of likely Haskell runners to six.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Before there was Curlin, there was Tiz Wonderful.
At the beginning of the year, trainer Steve Asmussen thought he had his best chance to win a classic race with Tiz Wonderful, a son of Tiznow, who had won all three of his starts at 2 in impressive fashion. But before Asmussen could even map out a 3-year-old campaign for him, Tiz Wonderful had a tendon injury diagnosed that knocked him off the Triple Crown trail.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Noe Garcia, the groom for the popular older horse Lava Man, was listed in fair condition on Tuesday at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, one day after losing his left arm in an early morning traffic accident near Del Mar racetrack. The driver of the car that hit Garcia's van admitted he had been drinking, according to a California Highway Patrol report.
BOSSIER CITY, La. - Turf will be the next frontier for Ahead of Her Time, who ran her career record to 5 for 5 on Saturday in winning the $100,000 Louisiana Breeders' Oaks at Louisiana Downs. The goal is the $200,000 DeBartolo Oaks, said her co-owner and trainer, Jerry Hardin. The turf route for 3-year-old fillies will be run at Louisiana Downs on Sept. 22.
Before that, Ahead of Her Time might start in the $75,000 Lyrique here Aug. 18. Either race would mark the turf debut for Ahead of Her Time, a daughter of Leestown.
Laurel Park in Maryland will distribute $3.29 million in stakes purses during this fall's 68-day meet, which begins Sept. 5, a sharp reduction from the $4.73 million that was distributed last year during the same meet, according to a stakes schedule that was approved by the Maryland Racing Commission on Tuesday.
Laurel Park reached an agreement with its horsemen last month to reduce purses for the fall meet, citing a projected $3 million shortfall in the purse fund. The track will hold 32 stakes during the fall meet, compared with 43 stakes during the fall meet last year.
AUBURN, Wash. - One came hard and the other easy, but at the end of last weekend, trainer Doris Harwood had added two more stakes wins to her total. She now has seven stakes wins at the meet, just one shy of the single season record held jointly by Bud Klokstad and Steve Bullock.
Asked if she would set a new record, she replied cautiously.
"I think I've got a shot at it," she said.
With just 15 of the 35 stakes at this meet in the books and three divisional leaders in her barn, it would be surprising if Harwood didn't shatter the old mark.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - With the commitments of Gold Coyote, Possetothemax, and possibly Cool Catz, the $70,000 Middleground Breeders' Cup on Sunday is shaping up as a worthy end to the 10th anniversary Thoroughbred meet at Lone Star Park.
The six-furlong race for 2-year-olds is one of two stakes this weekend. The other is the $70,000 Silver Spur Breeders' Cup for 2-year-old fillies on Saturday.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Gary Contessa just enjoyed the best race meet of his professional life. On Saturday, he hopes to win the biggest race of his 23-year training career.
Fresh off his first Belmont Park trainer title, the 49-year-old Contessa will look to step into the national spotlight Saturday when he saddles Papi Chullo in the Grade 1, $750,000 Whitney Handicap at Saratoga.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Bear Holiday came into last Saturday's Colin in the shadow of Dancing Allstar, who had been so impressive in defeating fellow fillies in the My Dear here on July 2. But it was Bear Holiday who was in the spotlight following the six-furlong Colin, as he got up in the last jump under jockey Jerry Baird to nip the front-running Dancing Allstar by a nose.
"I was really impressed," said Reade Baker, who trains Bear Holiday for the Bear Stable of Danny Dion.
"I've always like this horse. He's really professional. He's never made a misstep since I got him."
