ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Trainer Wayne Mogge, who is based at Turfway Park, shipped Top Speed to Woodbine for a first-level allowance race on July 22, and the colt finished second.
After returning to his home base, the 3-year-old will be back in town and making his stakes debut in Sunday's $500,000 Breeders' over 1 1/2 miles on turf.
"He's kind of an immature colt," said Mogge, who trains a division for Toronto-based owner Stuart Hyman. "It's taken him a while to come together.
BOSSIER CITY, La. - Things have quieted down considerably for trainer Cecil Borel since those frenzied days that prevailed immediately after younger brother Calvin piloted Street Sense to victory in this year's Kentucky Derby.
The elder Borel, who is more of a father figure than an older brother to Calvin, was a big part of a celebration that began before the race was even declared official, high-fiving his younger brother on the way to the winner's circle. Cecil also was highly popular with the media, seemingly granting as many interviews as the winning connections.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - When Barry Irwin finalized a deal last Saturday to purchase the undefeated 3-year-old filly Astor Park, he did so with the newly created $1 million Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint in mind.
In the last week, however, Irwin found a much more immediate goal for the filly. Astor Park will arrive at Saratoga from Penn National on Friday and run in Saturday's Grade 1 $250,000 Test Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at seven furlongs.
HENDERSON, Ky. - Seventy-two horses have been entered in the seven races of the ninth annual Claiming Crown, the $600,000 series that will be run Saturday for the first time at Ellis Park.
Ten older horses were entered in the $150,000 Claiming Crown Jewel, the richest race in the series. Track oddsmaker Luke Kruytbosch made Mining for Silver a 4-1 favorite in the Jewel, reflecting the competitive nature of the 1 1/8-mile race.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - First, Fantastic Shirl needed a scratch to get into the De La Rose. Then, she needed a daring ride by John Velazquez to win it.
Stuck behind a wall of horses in upper stretch, Velazquez guided Fantastic Shirl to the inside, then split horses in deep stretch to win the $83,500 De La Rose by one length over Amansara. It was a neck back to A True Pussycat in third.
When entries came out Sunday, Fantastic Shirl was on the outside looking in at the De La Rose field. But she drew into the field when Stan Hough scratched Star Prize.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - Cable Boy, a rapidly developing undefeated colt, will face a stiff challenge Sunday when he faces some of the leaders of the 3-year-old division in the Grade 1, $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park.
Scrambling to make up for time lost due to extraordinary circumstances, Cable Boy did not debut until May 13. In a span of three races, all at Monmouth, he has demonstrated talent and speed, breaking the track record for a mile and 70 yards in his second race.
HENDERSON, Ky. - Can it possibly be? A Claiming Crown without Scott Lake?
Indeed, several defections left Lake, easily the all-time leading trainer in the eight-year history of the Claiming Crown, without a starter for the seven-race series, which will be run Saturday at Ellis Park. Several weeks out, Lake had hoped to run as many as three or four horses in the Claiming Crown, which, when it was run at Canterbury Park in Minnesota, Lake often called a working vacation and a welcome respite from his usual grind of running a huge East Coast stable.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Terry Finley hopes Flashy Bull's seventh-place finish in last Saturday's Grade 1 Whitney Handicap was just a bump in the road that has thus far been paved in black and gold success stories in 2007.
Finley, 43, is the president of West Point Thoroughbreds, a racing syndicate that is enjoying a career year on the track. Through the first seven months of 2007, West Point has won the first two Grade 1 races in its 16-year existence and has banked more than $2.2 million. It has 37 wins from 148 starters.
Moneyinmywranglers aced every test her trainer, Sharon Barker, has put in front of her this summer. On Friday night she will meet open company stakes rivals for the first time in the $50,000 Ponca City at Remington Park.
The six-furlong race for 3-year-old fillies drew a deep field of 12. Devil House, Alba Dabas Secret, Irish Party, and Lunarlady, who are all stakes winners, will meet up-and-comers Gallant Dreamer, Tres Dream, Quite a Rush, and Tri Delt Girl.
Felix Chavez put on a new hat this week, the hat of a jockey agent. Chavez, 68, was forced to retire from training last November due to health concerns. Chavez said he previously worked as a jockey agent, "for about a month after I got out of the army, while I got down to my riding weight." He rode from 1955 to 1971.
He began training at River Downs in 1971, and trained for 35 years, starting horses at 13 different tracks. Chavez clocked at Turfway Park this spring, but couldn't wait to get back to River Downs.