A trainer at the Charles Town Races in West Virginia has filed an appeal with the stewards claiming that the placing judges made an error in calling the order of finish in a race at the track on Sept. 9.
Preston Herbst, the trainer, was scheduled to have his appeal heard on Friday morning. Herbst said Thursday that he asked for the appeal after several trainers and racing officials told him that track officials used an erroneous photo taken prior to the wire to determine the winner of the race.
The classy mare Friel's for Real may be based at Philadelphia Park, but she's no stranger to Laurel, where she has recorded four of her 12 victories.
The 6-year-old Friel's for Real returns to Maryland for Saturday's $100,000 Gala Lil Stakes, a one-mile dirt race for fillies and mares.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - The fourth annual New Jersey Festival returns to Monmouth Park on Saturday with 10 races, including four stakes, exclusively for New Jersey-breds.
The showcase day for the local breeding industry celebrates a year in which statebreds Park Avenue Ball and Wild Gams won graded stakes.
"Our horses have done very well in open company," said Mike Campbell, executive director of the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association of New Jersey. "This day puts us on a par with other states like New York, Maryland and California. It brings our program national attention."
MIAMI - Trainer Ron Spatz won the first two runnings of the $100,000 U Can Do It Handicap in 2002 and 2003 with Chispiski. On Saturday, Spatz stands a pretty good chance of winning this filly-and-mare dash for the third time in five years when he sends out A Sea Trippi against 10 rivals in the 6 1/2-furlong event.
CHICAGO - You could run a one-turn mile race at Hawthorne Race Course - if you had a horse that was a beautiful mover on concrete and had the makings of a star hurdler of cyclone fencing. As it stands, the one-turn mile specialists residing in Chicago are done until the next Arlington Park meet, that added backstretch ground of the mile run occupied at Hawthorne by parking lot, Laramie Avenue, and even a house sitting just west of the short main-track chute. At Hawthorne, the longest one-turn race is 6 1/2 furlongs; from there, one goes up to one mile and 70 yards around two turns.
Junior College went back-to-back by winning the Don Bernhardt and Governor's handicaps at the recently ended meet at Ellis Park. Now the 4-year-old gelding will try to get his trainer back-to-back stakes wins to start the Turfway Park fall meet.
Junior College looks like the logical horse to beat Saturday in the $75,000 Marfa Stakes at Turfway, the Florence, Ky., track where trainer Tony Reinstedler has already won the first stakes, the Turfway Park Fall Championship, with Gouldings Green. Junior College will be making his first start over the synthetic Polytrack surface.
POMONA, Calif. - Notwithstanding her diminutive size, the 2-year-old Katispsublue towers over her rivals Saturday in the $130,000 Barretts Debutante at Fairplex Park.
A 6 1/2-furlong race restricted to 2-year-old fillies offered at a Barretts sale, the Barretts Debutante drew 12 entrants, and 10 will start. None are as fast as Katispsublue, who won her debut by seven lengths Aug. 26 at Del Mar.
EDMONTON, Alberta - After a pair of less than spectacular performances going up against the best fillies in western Canada, Gabe's Prospect will be odds-on to get back into the win column when she takes on six rivals in a $40,000 optional claiming event on Saturday at Northlands Park.
Trained by Kelly Grieves, Gabe's Prospect looked especially impressive this spring when she won her maiden and then strung together a three-race win streak that included the $75,000 Penny Ridge at Stampede Park.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - What a Blurr hasn't won a race this year, but she still looks like the one to beat in the $50,000 Delta Colleen at Hastings on Saturday. A 1 1/16-mile race, the Delta Colleen is for fillies and mares and attracted nine horses.
AUBURN, Wash. - Gold Deville looms as the one to beat in Saturday's top race at Emerald Downs, a $10,000 starter handicap at 1 1/16 miles that has drawn a field of seven fillies and mares.
The 4-year-old Gold Deville, trained by Pat Mullens, is coming off a hard-earned victory over Star Amethyst in a one-mile race for $25,000 claimers on Sept. 2. It was Gold Deville's second win from nine starts this year. She also defeated $25,000 optional claiming company going 6 1/2 furlongs here in July.