Sequoia King has yet to return much on the $525,000 investment owner Jess Jackson made at last year's Fasig-Tipton yearling sale at Saratoga. After easily winning his maiden at Keeneland this past April, Sequoia King has failed to win in three stakes starts, including twice as the favorite.
Despite his shortcomings, Sequoia King figures to be favored when he faces six other largely unproven 2-year-olds in Saturday's $54,000 Par Four Stakes at Delaware Park.
Brownie Points has had such a productive year on dirt, it is easy to forget she won her first stakes on turf. Saturday, she will return to her roots in the $75,000 Lyrique Handicap on the turf at Louisiana Downs.
The Lyrique, for 3-year-old fillies at about 1 1/16 miles, drew a field of eight, including recent stakes winners Aly's Vow, Kalyrra, and Rich Fantasy. The race is a stepping-stone to the $200,000 DeBartolo Oaks at Louisiana Downs on Sept. 23.
My Silver Charm raced close to a hot pace in her last start, and could find herself alone on the lead in the $40,000 Lakeway. The six-furlong race for 3-year-old fillies drew eight others, including Jb's Golden Regret, who last year won the $100,000 La Senorita at Retama.
But the one to catch is My Silver Charm, who in her last start was third in the $50,000 Ponca City at Remington. She pushed fractions of 21.60 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 44.20 for a half-mile. My Silver Charm figures to be prominent again and will break from the rail under Carlos Gonzalez.
The stakes-winning 3-year-olds Jazzy Okie and Starry Pie will vie for favoritism against older rivals in the $50,000 Black Mesa. The six-furlong race, for fillies and mares bred in Oklahoma, drew a 10-horse field that includes defending champ Passion Fever and the multiple stakes winner Racing Sundown.
Jazzy Okie defeated older rivals in her last start, the $40,000 Muscogee Creek Nation at Fair Meadows in Tulsa. Starry Pie was sixth to older rivals last out in the Grade 3 Gardenia at Ellis Park and before that won the $50,000 Dixie Miss for 3-year-olds at Louisiana Downs.
ALTOONA, Iowa - King Freddie heads a field of 11, including two former winners of the race, in the $75,000-added Ralph Hayes on Saturday at Prairie Meadows. A 1 1/16-mile race for older Iowa-bred colts and geldings, the Hayes is the highlight of the 13th annual Iowa Classic Night, an all-stakes program for statebreds featuring six Thoroughbred stakes totaling more than $420,000.
AURORA, Colo. - Folsum has the look of an absolute lock in Saturday's $25,000-added Silver Cup Futurity at Arapahoe Park. Undefeated in two starts, Folsum will face six others in the six-furlong test, restricted to horses sold or bought at the Silver Cup sale. All of his opponents are maidens.
Folsum is coming off a highly impressive score in the Colorado Breeders Futurity on Aug. 13. He never looked back in the six-furlong race and won by 7 1/2 lengths under mild urging while racing along the rail. On July 31 he won his maiden by 1 1/2 lengths in front-running fashion.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Le Cinquieme Essai will try to put an end to his string of second-place finishes Saturday at Woodbine in the Grade 2, $200,000 Play the King Stakes.
The seven-furlong turf sprint, which is a prep for the $1 million Woodbine Mile on Sept. 17, has also attracted American shippers Becrux and Vicarage.
Le Cinquieme Essai ran a close second in the 2005 Play the King, and then ended up third behind Leroidesanimaux and Mobil in the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile.
EDMONTON, Alberta - Edenwold, the Queen's Plate winner, is set to make his Western debut in the Grade 3, $300,000 Canadian Derby over 1 3/8 miles here at Northlands Park on Saturday. But there are no free passes for Edenwold, as a deep and competitive group of nine opponents has gathered to try and block his path to the winner's circle.