ELMONT, N.Y. - If you give them more time, they will run.
That appears to be the mantra regarding the $100,000 General Douglas MacArthur Handicap, which, after twice failing to fill last week, finally drew enough entries to be carded as the featured event on Wednesday's nine-race card at Belmont Park.
West Virginia heads a field of six now seemingly set to contest the one-turn mile of the MacArthur, which serves as a stepping-stone to next month's $250,000 Empire Classic.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Young Dom had a trouble-filled trip when he finished fourth in the $502,000 Breeders' Stakes on Aug. 6. He should be tough if things go his way in Wednesday's Woodbine feature, a first-level allowance on the turf.
Young Dom, trained by Debbie England, won his maiden going about 1 1/4 miles in his grass debut in June. He finished seventh in a subsequent 1 3/8-mile allowance, though, and went into the Breeders' as one of the outsiders in the 10-horse field.
EDMONTON, Alberta - Blowin in the Wind and Candid Remark were among 10 nominees to last Saturday's $100,000 Speed to Spare, but instead they were dropped into much easier company in a $23,800 allowance, which goes as the feature race at Northlands Park on Wednesday.
Blowin in the Wind and Candid Remark, both stretch-runners, face four other rivals, including Eternal Secrecy, Alberta's claimer of the year in 2005, and Wild Bender, 2005's local champion 3-year-old filly who will be testing males at the one-mile distance.
First-time starter Sprung won her maiden in grand style at Woodbine, taking the Grade 3 Natalma Stakes while returning a hefty $98.60 to win.
Ridden by Emile Ramsammy, Sprung broke from the outside post in the 13-horse field of 2-year-old fillies and rated kindly near the back of the pack in the one-mile grass race. She made her way to the rail on the turn and found room early in the stretch before overhauling Quiet Action and A.P. Reality en route to a three-quarter-length score.
Allswellthatnswell matched expectations of bettors by racing gate to wire as the odds-on favorite in the $61,750 E.B. Johnston Stakes for fillies and mares at Fairplex Park. The one-length win by Allswellthatnswell ($3.20) was the fourth of her career, and her first over a distance of ground.
A 1 1/16-mile race, the E.B. Johnston is the prep for the $100,000 Las Madrinas Handicap on Sept. 22.
Isaias Enriquez rode Allswell-thatnswell for trainer Don Warren and owner-breeder Buddy Johnston. I Can See finished second; Off the Richter was third.
More Than Regal ($6.60) rallied strongly through the stretch and was up late to score a three-quarter-length victory over R's Star in the $75,000 Prairie Meadows Derby on closing night of the 36-day mixed meeting.
R's Star, who trailed the field while saving ground to the stretch, rallied inside rivals to stick a head in front 70 yards out before settling for second, three-quarters of a length in front of Star by Design. Even-money favorite Off Duty, who pressed the pace before taking the lead on the final turn, faded to fourth.
Concerns over the condition of both turf courses at Belmont Park prompted New York Racing Association officials to move three of Sunday's five scheduled grass races to the dirt and will limit the number of turf races carded for the immediate future.
If you give them more time, they will run.
That appears to be the mantra regarding the $100,000 General Douglas MacArthur Handicap, which, after twice failing to fill last week, finally drew enough entries to be carded as the featured event on Wednesday's nine-race card at Belmont Park.
West Virginia heads a field of six now seemingly set to contest the one-turn mile of the MacArthur, which serves as a stepping-stone to next month's $250,000 Empire Classic.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Horse racing a game of inches? More like fractions of inches - or less. An hour after the Arlington-Washington Lassie was decided by a whisker, there was nothing separating Officer Rocket and Got the Last Laugh as the Grade 3, $200,000 ended in a dead heat.