INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Joe Talamo, the apprentice jockey dueling for the riding title at Hollywood Park, is 17 years old, could pass for 15 and carries himself as if he is going on 25. He's riding like a veteran, too.
Talamo, and his ever-present smile, are everywhere at Hollywood Park these days - in the stables most morning visiting trainers, shaking hands with owners in the paddock in the afternoon, and, increasingly, in the winner's circle.
Venomous, who in the last few months has asserted himself as one of the best sprinters in the region, and Comalagold, who in the next few months could become the all-time leading earner among Alabama-breds, each turned in stirring allowance wins recently at Louisiana Downs. Those victories have set them up nicely for separate stakes engagements here June 23.
Venomous punched his ticket to the $50,000 Temperence Hill when he won a 5 1/2-furlong allowance by 6 1/4 lengths June 1. He stalked the pace, then simply overpowered his rivals in the stretch, earning a Beyer Figure of 99.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Trainer Dave Cotey will take two shots at Sunday's $125,000 Victoria Park Stakes at Woodbine when he runs Strike Impact and Angel of the House in the nine-furlong event for 3-year-olds.
Strike Impact showed some promise at 2, but was a disappointment in his first three starts this year. He finished 13 lengths back in his penultimate race, a dull effort that Cotey attributed to an illness.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - The Stonerside Stable operation of Texas residents Bob and Janice McNair has accounted for some notable Lone Star Park winners this meet. The first was Bob and John, who captured last month's Grade 3, $400,000 Lone Star Park Handicap. The latest is Spark Plug.
AUBURN, Wash. - Trainer Doris Harwood began this meeting with nine stakes wins at Emerald Downs, and she has already added three more. The 3-year-old filly Shampoo won the U.S. Bank Stakes and the Federal Way Handicap, and Dinner at Arlene's won the Hastings Park Handicap for fillies and mares.
Harwood also trains Liberty for Al, who could make some noise in the route stakes for 3-year-olds, and a passel of well-bred 2-year-olds headed by the impressive maiden special weight winner Smarty Deb, who the trainer feels has the potential to be the best horse she has ever trained.
The top three finishers from last November's Norman Hall Stakes are entered in the $45,000 Rise Jim Stakes for 3-year-olds at Suffolk Downs.
Disco Fox outkicked Fifty Seven G and Senor St. Pat last fall in the Norman Hall to take top 2-year-old honors in the region. On Sunday, Senor St. Pat - and perhaps Fifty Seven G - appears ready to get a measure of revenge in the Rise Jim, a six-furlong statebred contest.
Disco Fox and Fifty Seven G are trained by Karl Grusmark, and he said Fifty Seven G will likely be scratched unless an off track culls the field.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The formidable Todd Pletcher duo of Master Command and Magna Graduate both were scheduled for final prerace workouts this weekend at Belmont Park as they point to the next major event on the national racing calendar, the Grade 1 Stephen Foster Handicap on June 16 at Churchill Downs.
FORT ERIE, Ontario - Mike Newell altered his off-season pattern this winter, and the change has paid dividends.
The veteran trainer shipped as usual to Thistledown after last year's Fort Erie meet. But instead of sending his runners to the farm when that meet ended in December, Newell decided to try Mountaineer Park.
"We had a bunch of horses that looked like they could go on," said Newell. "We had a good winter, but a lot of the days were cancelled. We made a living with a few wins and came back with fit horses."
ELMONT, N.Y. - After capturing the Dubai World Cup in March, Invasor got a very brief break, then went right along in his training in preparation for a defense of his Horse of the Year title. His trainer, Kiaran McLaughlin, has circled the Grade 1, $400,000 Suburban Handicap on June 30 at Belmont Park as the start of his second season, and on Friday morning at Belmont, Invasor inched closer to the Suburban with a half-mile workout.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - At this time last season, trainer Craig MacPherson had started
17 horses and hadn't won a race.
It got worse before it got better. He went a few more weeks before he saddled his first winner of the year, and heading into July he had just a single winner from his first 36 starters at the Hastings meet.
Compare that with his impressive statistics for the current meet. MacPherson has won 8 races from 29 starts, and along with Troy Taylor is the second leading trainer behind Toni Cloutier, who has 11 wins.