The score so far this year stands at one apiece. Asi Siempre finished second to Indian Vale's fourth on May 4 in the Louisville Handicap. Six weeks later, it was Indian Vale first, Asi Siempre second in the Fleur de Lis Handicap.
On Sunday, these two top-class mares take their rivalry to Delaware Park, where they figure to dominate the wagering - and quite possibly the race itself - in the $1 million Delaware Handicap.
Lloyd Romero, who has been retired from training for about a year now, was thrilled to hear that Louisiana Downs will run a $125,000 stakes named for Hallowed Dreams on Saturday. He co-owns and trained the famed Louisiana-bred, who won the first 16 races of her career to tie the modern mark for consecutive wins held by Citation, Cigar, and Mister Frisky. Hallowed Dreams's streak ran from May 1999 to July 2000.
MIAMI - After a series of unlucky trips and frustrating losses that began when he was pinned down on the rail and forced to race against the grain of the track bias in the Grade 2 Carry Back Stakes on the 2006 Summit of Speed card, it was only fitting that Mach Ride finally had the breaks go his way for the most important race of his career - Saturday's $500,000 Smile Sprint Handicap.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - The last time Brownie Points ran on turf, she finished second to Lady of Venice, who went on to win the $1 million CashCall Mile at Hollywood Park last Friday. Brownie Points switched to dirt after that turf try, but she will try grass again July 21 in the Grade 3, $150,000 Modesty for fillies and mares at Arlington Park, said her trainer, Donnie Von Hemel.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - While average daily all-sources handle dipped 3 percent from corresponding dates last year, ontrack numbers were encouraging at the 52-day spring meet that ended Sunday at Churchill Downs.
The average daily handle from all sources on live Churchill races was $11.1 million, down from $11.4 million at the 57-day meet last year, but ontrack handle was up 6 percent and attendance was up 5 percent on daily averages of $1.86 million and 12,994.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Carla Gaines sat in her office on the Hollywood Park backstretch on Sunday, contemplating the future of Nashoba's Key, the top horse in her barn.
Two months ago, Nashoba's Key did not have that distinction, but her quick rise to the top of the California older female division during the Hollywood Park spring-summer meeting has led Gaines to set lofty goals.
Saturday, Nashoba's Key won her second consecutive graded stakes and remained undefeated after five starts with a victory in the Grade 1 Vanity Handicap over 1 1/8 miles on the main track.
Rick Pickering, the Alameda County Fair CEO and director of racing, revealed his vision of the fair's racing future Sunday.
Speaking to fans attending a Daily Racing Form handicapping seminar, Pickering showed an artist's rendition of a reconfigured synthetic racetrack and turf course for the Pleasanton facility.
Northern California's racing landscape undergoes a significant change Wednesday with the start of the wine country race meet at the Solano County Fair at Vallejo. Previously, the Solano meet ran for two weeks, followed by the two-week Sonoma County meet in Santa Rosa. But this year Solano and Sonoma have combined their meets into one four-week meet, with the first week at Vallejo and the next three at Santa Rosa.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Buff Bradley scarcely could have hoped for a better comeback effort from Brass Hat. Not only did the venerable gelding win a stakes-caliber allowance race Sunday in his first start since recovering from a fractured sesamoid, but also he broke a 36-year-old track record for 1 1/16 miles when finishing in 1:41.27.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - Trainer Mark Hennig sends out a pair of 3-year-old fillies with solid upside potential Wednesday at Monmouth Park.
Both won their maidens last time; both step up to $38,000 first-level allowance races for fillies and mares.
Dattts Awesome faces seven rivals in the sixth race at 1 1/16 miles on the turf. One race later, Christina Lake takes on six going one mile and 70 yards on the main track.
Of the two, Christina Lake is most precocious. This is only the third start for Peter Van Andel's homebred.