BOSSIER CITY, La. - Louisiana Downs cancelled its scheduled 10-race program on Friday because of torrential rains that have hit the region in recent days.
"With flash-flooding in the area, we decided that for the safety of our patrons and all parties involved, that the best thing to do would be to cancel," Mark Midland, the track's vice president of racing operations, said Friday. "We do plan to race tomorrow with moderating weather conditions."
As there is reason to believe that Valbenny, a daughter of Val Royal out of an Indian Ridge mare, cannot stay 1 1/4 miles, as Black-Eyed Susan winner Panty Raid may not take to turf in her first try on that surface, and as Audacious Chloe is taking a major step up in class, it is logical to look for the winner of Saturday's American Oaks from among the four foreign invaders.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Jockey Alex Solis climbed off Valbenny after winning the Grade 2 Honeymoon Breeders' Cup Handicap at Hollywood Park last month shaking his head in amazement.
"I felt like I had her in third gear," Solis recalled on Thursday.
MIAMI - Since its inception in 2001, Calder's innovative Summit of Speed has lured some of the world's fastest horses to south Florida to compete in a daylong festival of sprint races. And in its relatively short history, the Summit of Speed already sports an impressive roster of participants that includes Eclipse Award champions Orientate, Lost in the Fog, and Xtra Heat as well as the 2003 Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Cajun Beat.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - After Salute the Sarge won Wednesday's $114,900 Hollywood Juvenile Championship at Hollywood Park, it was hard to tell who was more thrilled - trainer Eric Guillot, or trainer Nick Hines, for whom the colt is named.
Hines's nickname is "Sarge," and he roared to the racetrack like a linebacker celebrating a winning touchdown to congratulate Guillot's crew - and anyone else in his path. Hines beat Guillot to the racetrack even though he does not train the colt.
ELMONT, N.Y. - From a speed-figure standpoint, both Any Given Saturday and Nobiz Like Shobiz ran the best race of their careers finishing first and second in Wednesday's Grade 2 Dwyer Stakes at Belmont Park.
Considering who their competition figures to be the next time they run, both Any Given Saturday and Nobiz Like Shobiz may have to step up their games yet again. Any Given Saturday earned a 110 Beyer Speed Figure winning the Dwyer by four lengths over Nobiz Like Shobiz, who earned a 103. It was the first time Nobiz Like Shobiz cracked the triple-digit Beyer Speed Figure mark.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Trainer Mac Benson has sent out six winners from his first 22 starters at Woodbine this year.
But, the strange thing is that Benson's record is 6 for 13 on turf but 0 for 9 on Polytrack here this year.
Benson will be looking to put a Polytrack win on his ledger here Saturday when he sends out Druids Mound for the $150,000 Clarendon, a 5 1/2-furlong stakes for Ontario-foaled 2-year-olds.
Benson has watched Druids Mound finish second in each of his two starts, including a nose defeat in his latest here June 10.
ELMONT, N.Y. - There is a pick-six carryover of $303,367 entering Friday's card at Belmont Park. The wager went unhit on both Wednesday and again on Thursday.
A victory by Game Informer ($41) in Thursday's fifth race - the second leg of the sequence - all but assured the carryover. Going into the last race there was one live ticket - worth $303,367 - to the favorite, Lhotse Quality, who could only manage to be second.
Other double-digit winners in the sequence included Sense of Speed ($10) and Motor City Papa ($10.80).
Intentional Fever ($8.60), ridden by Rosie Napravnik for trainer Tony Dutrow, scored the first stakes victory of her career in Wednesday's $58,850 Beautiful Day for 3-year-old fillies at Delaware Park.
Still eligible for her second-allowance condition, Intentional Fever ran six furlongs in 1:08.91 and finished 1 3/4 lengths ahead of Allude, the 8-5 favorite. Broadway Baby was third.
Confucius Say turned what shaped up on paper as a great race into a complete rout.
Despite carrying 125 pounds, the highest assignment of his 34-race career, the 9-year-old Confucius Say ($6) cruised to a 12 1/2-length victory in Wednesday's $100,000 Charles Town Dash Invitational Handicap.
Content to prompt the pace while three-wide under jockey Larry Reynolds, Confucius Say moved easily to the lead, opened up on the turn, and was hand-ridden late en route to his 16th lifetime victory.
