Gulfstream Park has denied access to the 10 jockeys who have been banned by three tracks in connection with an investigation being conducted by the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau. Tampa Bay Downs has barred seven riders, Calder has barred two, and Philadelphia Park one.
The investigation is thought to trace to at least one race at Great Lakes Downs in Michigan. Racing officials and the TRPB have declined to comment on the investigation.
She's That Cat and Country Diva, two of the fastest female sprinters on the grounds at Mountaineer Race Track this season, will go head to head for the first time in the $75,000 New Year's Eve Stakes.
Unfortunately, one filly has gotten hot at the same time the other is tailing off.
A filly who is unbeaten in two starts locally and a gelding who improved dramatically when stretched out beyond six furlongs for the first time appear formidable in the season-ending championship races for Maryland-bred 2-year-olds Saturday at Laurel Park.
Spectacular Malibu, a decisive winner of the Maryland Million Lassie in October and second in the Grade 3 Tempted at Aqueduct last time out, heads a field of eight for the Maryland Juvenile Fillies Championship, which goes as race 8 on a nine-race live card.
Determining the best horse in Saturday's $50,000 Holiday Cheer Stakes at Turfway Park is not difficult. It is two-time graded stakes winner Straight Line. Determining the best horse under the conditions of the Holiday Cheer - a six-furlong race contested over Polytrack - is not as clear-cut.
ALBANY, Calif. - Eleven were entered in Saturday's Golden Gate Fields feature, a one-mile allowance race, on one of the fullest northern California cards in recent memory.
A total of 97 horses were entered on the nine-race card.
The feature promises to be a wide-open affair.
Saratoga's Magic, the logical selection, needs one scratch to draw into the main body of the race. The 3-year-old Saratoga's Magic, third by a neck in his first start off a claim by leading trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, is coupled with 4-year-old Donnybrook Pride.
ARCADIA, Calif. - The way that Balance started her career has left trainer David Hofmans confident she can win Saturday's $250,000 La Brea Stakes at Santa Anita.
Balance, a winner of 4 of 8 starts and $570,159, won 4 of her first 6 starts. She has not started since finishing 11th in the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs last May, emerging from that race with a bone chip in an ankle.
NEW ORLEANS - Trainer Patrick Mouton has won a pair of stakes races at the Fair Grounds meet with recently claimed horses. Follow the Lite looked particularly impressive winning the $75,000 Esplanade Stakes on Dec. 22, a nice dividend on the 4-year-old Lite the Fuse filly claimed by Mouton for owner Stanley B. Seelig for $50,000 Oct. 13.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. After a solid first-level allowance win in a sprint Wednesday, Sports Town will be stretched out in a stakes race for his next start, trainer John Terranova said Thursday.
What has yet to be decided, however, is whether that start will come in New York or Florida.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Having won the Gallant Fox Handicap in both 1995 and 1996, trainer Steve Klesaris knows the type of horse it takes to handle the race's demanding 1 5/8-mile distance. Klesaris believes both Angelic Aura and Park Avenue Prince are that type of horse.
Saturday, at Aqueduct, Klesaris will send both horses against Successful Affair in the $65,000 Gallant Fox, named for the 1930 Triple Crown winner. The Klesaris horses will be coupled in the wagering because both are owned in part by Jeff Puglisi and Klesaris.
ARCADIA, Calif. - The stretch run of the first division of the Generous Stakes at Hollywood Park on Nov. 24 seemed to last forever for trainer Don Chatlos.
His horse, Optari, was well-placed turning for home but was blocked for nearly a furlong under jockey David Flores. The 2-1 favorite, Optari finished sixth.
The trouble will be fresh in the minds of bettors in Saturday's $75,000 Eddie Logan Stakes, a one-mile turf race for 2-year-olds at Santa Anita.
