ARCADIA, Calif. - Garrett Gomez, a leading rider in California in 2005 who has ridden primarily in New York since April, returns to California on Wednesday's card at the Oak Tree at Santa Anita meeting.
Gomez said earlier this month that he plans to ride in California through the winter, but may return to the East Coast next spring.
ARCADIA, Calif. - How convenient. Trainers Dan Hendricks and Doug O'Neill have found the ideal scenarios for their respective stables over the next two weekends.
Saturday, in the $250,000 California Cup Classic at the Oak Tree at Santa Anita meeting, Hendricks will start Top This and That, while O'Neill starts Iced Out and King Mobay. On the following Saturday, the best California-breds from both stables - Brother Derek (Hendricks) and Lava Man (O'Neill) - are after a much bigger prize in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Once upon a time, the opening of the 2006 Aqueduct fall meet was going to be a momentous occasion. New York Racing Association officials were hopeful that Wednesday's opening of the fall meet would coincide with the opening of its casino, which was to have included 4,500 slot machines.
The revenue from the slots would help spike an increase in purses that would not only ease the acrimony between horsemen and management, but would presumably bring a higher quality product to the Big A, which will be the home of New York racing for the next six months.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - As the Nov. 4 Breeders' Cup draws nearer and horses from around the world begin descending on Kentucky, Flower Alley and Perfect Drift were among a slew of candidates out for serious work over the weekend at state racetracks and training centers.
Flower Alley, one of the 18 horses that trainer Todd Pletcher planned to pre-enter Monday for the Breeders' Cup, went six furlongs in 1:13.40 Sunday at Churchill Downs, while Perfect Drift went five furlongs in 1:02.40 Saturday at his Trackside training center base in Louisville.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - The sky could be the limit for Arravale, who earned her second Grade 1 victory when she defeated a solid field of fillies and mares in Sunday's $1 million E.P. Taylor Stakes over 1 1/4 miles of soft turf at Woodbine.
Arravale, a Kentucky-bred 3-year-old filly who is owned by Bob Costigan and trained here by Mac Benson, also had captured the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks in her second trip of the season to California on July 2.
CHICAGO - Trainer Chris Block is not one for taking wild swings at the pinata, and his conservative approach has prevailed upon the camp of owner Bob Lothenbach, who elected not to pay the $20,000 it would have taken to pre-enter Vacare by midday Monday in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Collier Hill certainly had the most intriguing background of any contestant in last Sunday's Grade 1 Canadian International here at Woodbine.
A gelding who was the senior member of the field at age 8, Collier Hill had raced in England, Scotland, Ireland Germany, Sweden, and the United Emirates in a 43-start career, which also included several races over hurdles.
And that experience undoubtedly came in quite handy as Collier Hill toughed it out for a nose victory over Go Deputy over 1 1/2 miles of soft turf in the Canadian International.
The record $7.3 million that Louisiana Downs handled last month on its Super Derby Day card helped lift the track to a 4 percent increase in average daily handle during its 93-day meet that closed Saturday. From all sources, Louisiana Downs handled an average $2,068,722 a day on its races, up from $1,985,467 during the corresponding 91-day meet in 2005.
Attendance at the track, which operates a slots casino, is free, so no crowd figures are released. Purses at the meet averaged $199,000 a day, which officials said was almost identical to the distribution in 2005.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Dilemma won his stakes debut in Sunday's $69,420 Sunny Slope Stakes at the Oak Tree at Santa Anita meeting, rallying along the rail to win by 2 1/4 lengths in the sprint for 2-year-olds.
Dilemma ($5.20) ran six furlongs in 1:09.69 under jockey Alex Solis. Pacesetter Caped for Flight held second, four lengths in front of Prime Ruler in the field of six.
Owned by Glen Hill Farm and trained by Paddy Gallagher, Dilemma has won two of four starts and $85,252. He beat maidens at Del Mar in September.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - World traveler Collier Hill fended off New York invader Go Deputy in the final strides to capture the Grade 1, $2 million Canadian International at Woodbine Sunday.
Collier Hill, an 8-year-old gelding based in England, raced in second throughout most of the mile and a half grass race, as Last Answer set fractions of :26.86, :52.95 and 1:19.06 over a very soft course.
