Follow the Storm has ripped through his conditions and will be aiming for his fifth straight win on Saturday when he makes his turf and stakes debut in the $50,000 Excalibur at Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, La.
The one-mile race for 3-year-olds on turf drew a well-matched field of eight, including James Ready Magic, who has won his last two starts, and Clock, a half-brother to Grade 3 winners Watch, War Thief, and Prime Meridian.
A total of 83 horses have been pre-entered in the seven races comprising the July 15 Claiming Crown at Canterbury Park, the showcase of the meet at the Minnesota racetrack. The Claiming Crown card also is home to Canterbury's most prestigious stakes race, the Lady Canterbury Breeders' Cup Handicap.
Pre-entries range from a high of 16 in the $100,000 Tiara, for females going long on turf, to a low of just six in the Jewel. Somewhat illogically, the Jewel, for 3-year-olds and up going long on dirt, is the day's richest race, with a $150,000 purse.
A panel of California stewards on Wednesday upheld the victory by Intercontinental in the 2005 Palomar Breeders' Cup Handicap at Del Mar, saying in a written statement that Intercontinental was not given an advantage when she received a Lasix shot too close to post time.
MIAMI - Restricted stakes rarely turn into key races, but such was the case with Calder's Georgia Oaks on May 7. Four of the nine starters from that field returned to win their next start, including Silversider, who came back to easily defeat older horses in the Sara's Success Stakes three weeks after dead-heating with El Bank Robber for the victory in the Georgia Oaks.
Five horses with six-figure earnings on turf showed up in the entries for the relatively small purse of $60,000 up for grabs in Saturday's one-mile Da Hoss Stakes at Colonial Downs. But it's an 8-year-old gelding who is winless on grass and hasn't even competed on the surface in five years who is the most intriguing entrant.
Confucius Say, back in action after nearly four years on the sidelines, will make the third start of his comeback and a rare appearance on turf in the Da Hoss.
A three-horse, uncoupled entry gives trainer Scott Lake an excellent chance in the $50,000 Mo Bay Stakes at Delaware Park.
The five-furlong turf race drew 14 older runners, but only eight will be permitted to start because the rails will be set out 25 feet.
Call Me Wild will go for his fourth straight victory against six other Pennsylvania-bred 3-year-olds in the seven-furlong Peppy Addy Stakes at Philadelphia Park.
Claimed for $20,000 out of a maiden race in February, Call Me Wild has since won 4 of 5 starts for high-percentage trainer Robert Reid. His only poor effort in that span came over a sloppy track.
Cherokee's Boy returns to one of his favorite tracks and cuts back to seven furlongs for the $75,000 Crying for More Stakes at Charles Town.
A winner of 13 races and slightly more than $1 million, the 6-year-old Cherokee's Boy is 8 for 11 at Charles Town. In his last two appearances there, Cherokee's Boy matched his career-best Beyers with a pair of 108's. He takes a distinct class drop after finishing last in the Grade 3 Salvator Mile at Monmouth.
The $40,000 Victor S. Myers Jr. and the $40,000 Frances Genter Stakes, to be run Saturday at Canterbury Park, serve as respective preps for the Minnesota Derby and Oaks for statebreds later this month.
Rock' N Fire might go off as the favorite in the Myers, a six-furlong race for Minnesota-bred 3-year-old males. A winner in his career debut at Churchill Downs last November, Rock' N Fire finished third in the Prevue Stakes at Turfway Park in his second start.
Lovesablumin seeks to return to her winning ways when she heads a field of eight in the $20,000-added Breeders' Special for Nebraska-bred 3-year-old fillies at Lincoln.
Lovesablumin, who is owned, trained and was bred by Terrell Hemmer, won her maiden at first asking this spring at Fonner Park, then returned to win the Fonner Park Special for fillies.