VANCOUVER, British Columbia - A total of 111 nominations were received for the seven stakes that make up the B.C. Cup on Monday, Aug. 7.
The $100,000 Classic at 1 1/8 miles features a confrontation between last year's B.C. Derby winner, Spaghetti Mouse, and the top handicap horse in Alberta, True Metropolitan.
Two tough trips, one poor effort, and three losing tickets are the only things to show for Thursday.
Galloping Angel started at 7-1 in race 3, but was blocked at a crucial stage into the lane, lost her momentum, and finished third. She can be played back against similar, in a second-condition allowance for fillies and mares on grass.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - For Bernardini, Saturday's $500,000 isn't merely a prep for next month's $1 million Travers Stakes. It's more important than that.
If Bernardini, the Preakness winner, is going to have a chance to unseat the popular but injured Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro from his perch atop the 3-year-old division, he is virtually going to have to run the table in the second half of the year.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - The $500,000 Grade 1 Diana Stakes lost two of its major players this week, but it didn't lose its competitiveness as a solid field of seven was entered in the Grade 1 race for fillies and mares at Saratoga.
Gorella and Karen's Caper were held out of the race by trainers Patrick Biancone and Bobby Frankel, respectively, but the two horsemen have entered others who they believe are equally as capable. Biancone will run Lady of Venice. Bobby Frankel put in Argentina.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - The Jim Dandy won't be the only race on Saturday's card that will be used as a prep for the $1 million Travers on Aug. 26.
A second-level allowance race earlier in the day at Saratoga includes Corinthian, a 3-year-old who is making his first start since being disqualified from first place and placed third in the Fountain of Youth on March 4.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Attima's last-place finish in the Grade 1 American Oaks at Hollywood Park on July 2 left trainer Julio Canani stunned. It was a performance too poor to be true after Attima had won her first two starts in the United States, including the Grade 2 Honeymoon Breeders' Cup Handicap.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - About 100 yards from the finish of the Stephen Foster Handicap, you could see who was going to win Kentucky's richest, most prestigious annual race for older dirt route horses. Perfect Drift, at age 7 was on the brink of earning his second victory in the Foster, having beaten Mineshaft in 2003.
"I guess I was thinking how I could spend the money," said trainer Murray Johnson, asked his thoughts when Perfect Drift was a half-furlong from the Foster finish, clear of eight opponents.
DEL MAR, Calif. - The $85,000 Wickerr Handicap at Del Mar on Saturday might as well be known as the Regrouping Stakes. Several leading contenders are seeking to rebound from recent losses in the one-mile turf stakes.
Captain Squire, the 119-pound topweight, finished a game second in the Grade 3 Ack Ack Handicap at Hollywood Park on June 10, his first start since finishing fourth in the Golden Shaheen Stakes in Dubai in March.
DEL MAR, Calif. - A day after two horses were euthanized as a result of injuries suffered during races at Del Mar, bringing to seven the number of fatalities at the meeting, track officials on Thursday moved forward with a plan to add a third veterinarian to the prerace inspection team.
Del Mar vice-president Craig Fravel said racing officials were scheduled to meet on Thursday to complete staffing plans. Fravel said the third inspector could be in place by the weekend.
Scat Daddy showed he has some guts to go along with his talent.
Seemingly beaten at the sixteenth pole, Scat Daddy somehow was able to run down the pacesetting Teuflesberg to win the Grade 2, $150,000 at Saratoga. It was 5 1/2 lengths back to War Wolf in third. Trip to the Bank and Bagger Vance completed the order of finish.
