Sat, 06/30/2007 - 00:00

$464K carryover for Gold Cup Day

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The Hollywood Gold Cup program on Saturday at Hollywood Park will feature a two-day pick six carryover of $464,908 after no one hit the bet on Friday night.

Saturday's pick six covers the sixth through 11th race on a program that includes four stakes. There are large fields throughout Saturday's pick six, which starts with a starter allowance over seven furlongs in the sixth race.

The seventh race is the Landaluce Stakes for 2-year-old fillies over six furlongs. The Kentucky shipper Elocution will be favored.

Fri, 06/29/2007 - 00:00

Familiar rivals tune up for Dwyer

ELMONT, N.Y. - Nobiz Like Shobiz and Any Given Saturday completed preparations for their meeting in Wednesday's $150,00 Dwyer Stakes by putting in workouts over Belmont Park's main track on Friday morning.

Any Given Saturday, who finished two spots behind Nobiz Like Shobiz in the Wood Memorial and two spots ahead of him in the Kentucky Derby, worked four furlongs in 47.63 seconds. It was the fastest of 31 works at the distance.

"He went well,'' trainer Todd Pletcher said. "He's training as good as ever.''

Fri, 06/29/2007 - 00:00

Fahey's success has people taking notice

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - During the summers and weekends when a teenaged John Fahey 3rd was working part-time as a hotwalker for D. Wayne Lukas at Churchill Downs, his career aspiration was to be a trainer.

Today, after working seven years for Lukas and another three as an assistant to Steve Asmussen, Fahey, 29, is enjoying the pinnacle of a nascent training career, which began three years ago this month. Fahey has won seven races at the Churchill spring meet and is savoring the recognition his success has elicited among his lifelong friends, neighbors, and family members.

Fri, 06/29/2007 - 00:00

Organ Pipe sharp but unproven

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Organ Pipe's recent form makes him a top contender in an optional claimer at Hollywood Park on Sunday. The race is run over 1 1/16 miles on turf for 3-year-olds, and will be used by some runners as a prep to the $100,000 Oceanside Stakes at Del Mar July 18.

Jeff Mullins, who trains Organ Pipe, is not thinking that far ahead, at least not yet.

"I don't know if he is that good," he said. "We'll let him prove it to us. If not we'll run him for $50,000."

Fri, 06/29/2007 - 00:00

Famous Frolic, Kristali meet again

MIAMI - While sprint racing will be the focus on next Saturday's Summit of Speed card, south Florida's long-distance runners take the stage in Sunday's $50,000 Arthur L. Stakes, to be run at 1o1/2 miles on the turf, weather permitting.

The Arthur L. will feature a rematch between Famous Frolic and Kristali, who finished first and third, just a neck apart, going the same distance over the main track in the New York New York Stakes three weeks earlier.

Fri, 06/29/2007 - 00:00

Trainer Calhoun's star rising fast

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - The first six months of the year have been more than productive for trainer Bret Calhoun. He not only leads the standings at his home track of Lone Star Park, but also, for the first time, he is racing a division of horses at Churchill Downs. Going into Friday, Calhoun was also only 13 wins from career victory 1,000.

Fri, 06/29/2007 - 00:00

Atlanta Highway targets Azalea BC

BOSSIER CITY, La. - Atlanta Highway is hitting the road. Trainer Andrew Leggio Jr. said the filly, who has won her last three starts, is being pointed for the Grade 3, $300,000 Azalea Breeders' Cup during the Summit of Speed program at Calder Race Course next Saturday.

Atlanta Highway is scheduled to fly to Florida from her Louisiana Downs base. She will head into the Azalea off a 6 1/2-length win in the $100,000 Stonerside at Lone Star Park on May 28.

"I think a whole lot of her," Leggio said. "She's done nothing wrong since I've had her, and she's just a flat runner."

Fri, 06/29/2007 - 00:00

Cayenne Red keeps rolling on Polytrack

CHICAGO - The all-weather racing surface appeared to be playing slow Wednesday afternoon at Arlington Park - until Cayenne Red took to the track. On a day when horses were having trouble cracking 1:12 for six furlongs, Cayenne Red traveled the distance in 1:10.86, winning a $35,000 claimer by 4 1/2 lengths and never appearing to turn a hair while doing it.

But that's nothing new: Cayenne Red is a Polytrack kingpin. In nine starts on Polytrack surfaces at Keeneland, Turfway, and Arlington, Cayenne Red has won seven times and finished third in another race.

Fri, 06/29/2007 - 00:00

Bravo nears 4,000

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Reaching 4,000 wins seemed an impossible dream for Joe Bravo when he suffered a broken back in a spill on opening day of the 2006 meet at Gulfstream Park.

"I definitely thought that was it," Bravo said. "I thought there was no shot I could come back. Doctors were talking about surgery, putting rods in my back."

Bravo was able to recover with only physical therapy and amazingly rebounded to win a record 12th title at Monmouth Park last summer.

Fri, 06/29/2007 - 00:00

Todd's free time turns productive

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - In a joke that asks the question "When does life really begin?" the punch line is, "When the kids leave home."

The same could be said about Glen Todd's increased involvement in horse racing. Todd, who is hoping for a big effort by Act of God in Sunday's Grade 3, $100,000 Lieutenant Governors at Hastings, has been involved with racing his whole life. Recently, though, he has expanded his stable to roughly 37 horses, and he and his partner, Patrick Kinsella, lead the owners standings at Hastings.