POMONA, Calif. - A smashing maiden victory by Chief's Magic stamped the 2-year-old as a potential graded stakes runner. But what's the rush?
Chief's Magic could have run anywhere in the country after blasting Del Mar maidens Sept. 2 by more than seven lengths while earning an 89 Beyer Speed Figure. The number is only 3 points less than Horse Greeley earned winning the Del Mar Futurity.
Lawyer Ron and Strong Contender are among 11 3-year-olds under consideration for the Grade 2, $500,000 Super Derby next Saturday at Louisiana Downs. Both were scheduled to put in a final work for the 1 1/8-mile race over the weekend and fly into Shreveport, La., on Wednesday.
The flight will originate in New York, where Strong Contender is based, and come through Kentucky, where Lawyer Ron is stationed. A flight from California is due in Thursday. Among those that could be on board are Point Determined and Cindago, the front-running winner of the $106,000 El Cajon at Del Mar.
Stewards at Charles Town Races in West Virginia on Friday ordered that the top two finishers in a race on Sept. 9 should be reversed because the placing judges mistakenly placed the wrong horse first.
The highly unusual move resulted in the redistribution of the $28,000 purse in the $15,000 claiming race, which was the second race on Sept. 9. In addition, the stewards said that penalties would be issued against the three placing judges at the track.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - Siphon City, swallowed up by the big boys in the Grade 1 Whitney Handicap at Saratoga, looks to regroup Sunday in the $70,000 Formal Gold Stakes at Monmouth Park.
Siphon City carried a three-stakes winning streak into the Whitney, including a career-best victory in the Grade 2 Cornhusker Breeders' Cup Handicap at Prairie Meadows. He was taking a large leap in class in the Whitney, where he faced some of the leaders of the division. After setting the pace, Siphon City faded to eighth, finishing 17 lengths behind Invasor.
MIAMI - Darluna worked fast before her last start, the Sambacarioca Stakes on Aug. 26, then ran to those works by rallying to a convincing 2 3/4-length victory despite making her first start in nearly six months.
Darluna, a 4-year-old daughter of Premiership, worked even faster here Friday morning when she blistered five furlongs from the half-mile to the seven-eighths pole in 59.40 seconds. And trainer Steve DiMauro is hopeful Darluna will again run back to her work when she goes later this month in the Grade 3 Turfway Breeders' Cup Stakes at Turfway Park.
Raf's Society Gal has won three of her last five races, all at a mile and 70 yards, by margins of between 13 1/4 and 15 3/4 lengths.
In her last seven races, all of them routes, Hoosick Falls shows six wins, including four by anywhere from 9 1/4 to 16 3/4 lengths.
But because both are need-the-lead types, they could merely duel each other into defeat and set things up for one of the other contenders in Sunday's $50,000 Jack Betta Be Rite Stakes at Finger Lakes.
EDMONTON, Alberta - Papoose Dancer and Kellys Guest seek to turn the tables on Cee's a Flirt in Sunday's Northlands Park feature, a $30,000 claimer for fillies and mares at 6 1/2 furlongs.
After a one-month layoff, Cee's a Flirt returned Sept. 2 to post a victory over Papoose Dancer and Kellys Guest at the same distance and claiming price as Sunday's race. The win marked the first for the 5-year-old Cee's a Flirt since she was claimed for $22,000 by trainer Carson Frey in mid-July.