ELMONT, N.Y. - Still in search of that elusive graded stakes win on dirt, Good Reward may have found the right spot to achieve that goal in Saturday's Grade 2, $150,000 Brooklyn Breeders' Cup Handicap at Belmont Park.
The Brooklyn, usually run during Belmont's spring-summer meeting, was moved to the fall when the Woodward was moved from Belmont's fall meet to Saratoga. A field of seven was entered for the Brooklyn, including graded stakes winners Wanderin Boy and Funny Cide.
ELMONT, N.Y. - For All We Know had a big start to her racing career, winning her first three starts by a combined nine lengths. Her connections are hoping for an equally big finish as For All We Know starts the final chapter of her career in Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Floral Park Handicap at Belmont Park.
For All We Know, owned by John Oxley and trained by John Ward, comes into the six-furlong Floral Park off a seven-month layoff. But she has been breezing steadily since the spring, logging 11 five-furlong workouts since May 26.
The initial review is in, from none other than the trainer of California's best older horse. Doug O'Neill, gives Hollywood Park's new synthetic surface two thumbs up, way up.
"I love it," O'Neill said Thursday morning after training horses on Hollywood's Cushion Track surface, which opened for training on Wednesday. The track's fall race meeting opens Nov. 1
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - A full field of 12 3-year-olds will start in the Grade 3, $250,000 British Columbia Derby next Sunday. With a full field, the purse for the derby will be over $300,000.
A total of 24 horses were nominated, headed by Brother Derek and Point Determined. But neither horse will likely make the trip here from California.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Nick and Pauline Felicella paid a record $120,000 for a yearling colt by In Excess at the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society's yearling and mixed sale, held Tuesday at the Thunderbird Show Park in Langley, British Columbia. The previous record for a yearling bought at a sale held by the British Columbia division of the society was $98,000 in 2000. The sale-topper is out of Ashwood Tie, by Black Tie Affair.
Fair Grounds has given $15,000, donated by employees of Churchill Downs Inc., the track's owner, to the New Orleans Police Department. The money will be used to purchase 35 bulletproof vests for officers in the city's 3rd District, where the track is located.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Artie Schiller, the winner of last year's Breeders' Cup Mile and runner-up in the Eclipse Award voting for male turf champion, has been retired from racing. He will stand stud at Hurricane Hall near Lexington, Ky.
Artie Schiller, a son of El Prado, won 10 of 22 career starts and earned $2,088,853 for owners William Entenmann and Denise Walsh. Jimmy Jerkens trained Artie Schiller, who was plagued by ankle problems following his fourth-place finish in the Grade 2 Fourstardave Handicap at Saratoga on Aug. 5.
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."
