ETOBICOKE, Ontario - The $125,000 Display Stakes has been a springboard to greater things for several promising runners in recent years, including Judiths Wild Rush and Accountforthegold.
Following his easy victory in the allowance prep for the Display, Acoustic Shadow will try to show that he belongs in the upper echelon of Woodbine's 2-year-old division in Saturday's renewal of the 1 1/16-mile Display.
MIAMI - After much of the Extreme Day I program was washed down the drain by heavy rain in July, Calder management wasted little time rescheduling the innovative event, which returns on Saturday with a series of unorthodox races that includes the world's fastest daily double and the King George's Wrong Way Stakes.
"There were 8,000 people here in bad weather for the first Extreme Day and we are eager to present these races," said Calder president Ken Dunn.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Nearly everything about Hucking Hot's American debut in the Hidden Light Stakes went perfectly. Everything that is, but the start.
Before she won the race with an impressive stretch rally, Hucking Hot threw a tantrum before loading. The incident has been foremost on the minds of trainer Paddy Gallagher and his assistant, Jamie Lloyd, in advance of Hucking Hot's return in Saturday's $100,000 Miesque Stakes at Hollywood Park.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Shot Gun Ela has been a hard-knocking sort over the past couple of seasons but seemed to be aiming a little high when she ran in the six-furlong Ontario Fashion here at Woodbine on Nov. 4.
But after a front-running 2 1/2-length victory at odds of 28-1 in that race, Shot Gun Ela shouldn't be taken lightly at Woodbine in Sunday's seven-furlong $150,000 Bessarabian for fillies and mares.
Trainer David Donk has no second thoughts about sending New York-based Fishy Advice to Maryland for Saturday's Laurel Turf Cup.
The purse is worthy at $100,000, but the field came up huge - 14 plus four also-eligibles - making for a crush of potential upsetters along with the risk of bad traffic.
"The more horses the better chance there'll be some pace, and that helps us," Donk said Thursday from New York.
The Turf Cup at 1 1/8 miles on grass is among seven six-figure stakes on Laurel's Fall Festival of Racing card, led by the De Francis Memorial Dash.
By STEVE ANDERSEN
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - A touch of good fortune may be all that is keeping Crested out of the winner's circle after a stakes race.
Three times since August, Crested has run well in stakes but come up short, finishing fourth twice and second in the other race, the Grade 3 Hawthorne Derby in Chicago on Oct. 14.
That last race left trainer Wally Dollase certain that Crested is on the verge of a breakthrough performance in Sunday's $500,000 Hollywood Derby at Hollywood Park.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Multiple stakes winner Change Up may be the top juvenile filly in trainer Steve Flint's barn, but his second-stringer, Get Ready Bertie, doesn't look too shabby either. Flint will find out a little bit more about Get Ready Bertie when she faces eight rivals in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Demoiselle Stakes at Aqueduct.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Though he hasn't been gone long, it was still a happy homecoming Thursday for jockey Richard Migliore, who guided Afrashad to a gate-to-wire 1 1/4-length victory over Sir Greeley in the $108,300 Fall Highweight Handicap at Aqueduct.
Migliore, a New York regular since the mid-1980's, recently moved his tack to Southern California, where he was slated to return early Friday morning. He arrived in New York late Wednesday so that he could spend Thanksgiving with his family as well as ride Afrashad, a horse Migliore thinks "can do better things next year."
NEW ORLEANS - Fiery Dancer heads a solid field of eight 3-year-old fillies in Saturday's feature race at Fair Grounds, the $75,000 Pago Hop at about a mile on the turf. Though she has only one win in six races on the grass, Fiery Dancer has run well in stakes competition, and finished second last May in the Edgewood Stakes at Churchill Downs.
"She's a pretty nice filly," said trainer Merrill Scherer. "She does everything easy. She'll rate if you want her to, she can lay close to the pace or come from behind."
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Ordinarily, trainers are looking to run their horses in the easiest possible spot. But in the case of Discreet Cat, trainer Rick Mettee is looking forward to giving his undefeated 3-year-old his sternest test to date in Saturday's $300,000 Cigar Mile.
"He's ready to be pushed," said Mettee, who oversees Godolphin Racing's New York division. "I hope he is pushed."