Mon, 11/06/2006 - 00:00

Barn misses Pine Island

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - As he watched Pine Island on the track moments before the start of Saturday's Breeders' Cup Distaff at Churchill Downs, trainer Shug McGaughey couldn't help but feel good about his filly's chances in the race.

"I watched her warm up on that Jumbotron," McGaughey said Monday morning outside his Belmont Park barn. "I thought 'God almighty, look how good she's warming up.' "

Mon, 11/06/2006 - 00:00

Sovereign likely for Leonnatus Anteas

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Leonnatus Anteas is known as "Big Red" around trainer Kevin Attard's barn, and he certainly became more worthy of that moniker after his championship performance in Sunday's $294,765 Coronation Futurity.

Leonnatus Anteas defeated a

Mon, 11/06/2006 - 00:00

Track watered too heavily, trainers say

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - After frequently watering its new synthetic surface on Friday and Saturday, Hollywood Park stopped watering the surface on Sunday in response to complaints from horsemen.

The track was watered several times on Saturday afternoon between races, and some trainers said that made the track too firm. The complaints continued during training on Sunday morning, when management announced it would stop watering the track.

Mon, 11/06/2006 - 00:00

Quemar coming off solid effort

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The durable Quemar does not go too long between starts.

Since arriving from New Zealand in May, Quemar has made nine starts, winning once and finishing second or third five times.

A 4-year-old filly, Quemar is coming off her best performance during that span, a third-place finish in the Grade 2 Las Palmas Handicap at the Oak Tree at Santa Anita meeting when she finished a half-length behind favored Beautyandthebeast.

Mon, 11/06/2006 - 00:00

Some divisions clear, some cloudy

Horsephotos
When Invasor passed Bernardini in deep stretch for a one-length victory in the Classic, he likely secured Horse of the Year honors.

Invasor, owned by Sheikh Hamdan al-Maktoum's Shadwell Stable, likely clinched Horse of the Year and champion older horse by defeating his main rivals for both of those awards, Bernardini and Lava Man, respectively, in the Classic. He got a Beyer Speed Figure of 116.

Bernardini, owned by Sheikh Hamdan's brother Sheikh Mohammed, will be the front-runner for champion 3-year-old, based on a year that saw him win the Preakness, Travers, and Jockey Club Gold Cup before finishing a close second to the older Invasor in the Classic.

Mon, 11/06/2006 - 00:00

Seven Cup winners will run in 2007

Of the eight Breeders' Cup winners on Saturday, seven are expected to race again next year.

Invasor, who won the Classic, is already at the Palm Meadows training facility in Florida, where he will prepare for a 5-year-old campaign. His first goal will be the Dubai World Cup, according to trainer Kiaran McLaughlin.

Also wintering in Florida will be Dreaming of Anna, the Juvenile Fillies winner, and Street Sense, the runaway winner of the Juvenile. Like Invasor, they will be at Palm Meadows. Neither will race again this year.

Mon, 11/06/2006 - 00:00

Maiden fits well in South Ocean

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Wednesday's $125,000 South Ocean is far from the toughest Ontario sire stakes ever run at Woodbine. Moon Path, a maiden, looks better than most of the winners in an eight-horse field of 2-year-old fillies, and she has every reason to benefit from the move to 1 1/16 miles.

Moon Path, a $150,000 yearling purchase by Sam-Son Farm, finished a close sixth when she debuted on the grass in August. After a six-week absence, she rallied five wide to finish second behind the well-regarded Boldly Seductive in a seven-furlong maiden special on the Polytrack on Oct. 5.

Mon, 11/06/2006 - 00:00

Handle a high, TV rating a low

Preliminary total handle figures for the eight Breeders' Cup races on Saturday at Churchill Downs in Louisville set a record at $132 million, a total that is expected to rise to $134 million when separate-pool totals from several foreign countries are added into the figures, the director of simulcasting for Breeders' Cup said on Monday.

Mon, 11/06/2006 - 00:00

Runaway Julie pulls away from favorite

Runaway Julie ($17.60) took the lead leaving midstretch and drew off for a 4 1/2-length victory over 4-5 favorite Imahoneytoo in Saturday's $50,000 Bobbie Bricker Memorial Handicap for Ohio-bred fillies and mares at Beulah Park.

Jockey Ricardo Feliciano settled Runaway Julie near the back of the nine-horse field through the opening half-mile before she commenced her rally on the final turn. Runaway Julie ran the 1 1/16 miles in 1:48.00. Imahoneytoo, who had traffic trouble on the final turn and entering the stretch finished willingly when clear to gain the place.

Mon, 11/06/2006 - 00:00

Shop Again scores upset at 14-1

Shop Again upset favorite Starry Pie by a neck in the $50,000 Ada for fillies and mares at Remington Park on Saturday. It was another three-quarters of a length back in third to Open Meadows.

Shop Again ($31.80) sat in third early in the six-furlong race as Open Meadows set pressured fractions of 22 seconds for the opening quarter and 45 seconds for the half-mile mark. Shop Again took the lead in the stretch then held off Starry Pie, covering the distance in 1:10.37.

Don Pettinger rode the winner for trainer Donnie Von Hemel.