OCEANPORT, N.J. - The jockey focus prior to opening day at Monmouth Park centered on Joe Bravo's bid for a 12th title, the return of Eclipse Award winner Jorge Chavez, and the arrival of Eddie Castro from Florida.
Jose Lezcano barely got a mention.
At the midpoint, Lezcano has developed into one of the most compelling stories of the meet.
More confident and comfortable in his second year on the Jersey Shore, Lezcano is threatening to give Bravo a serious run for the title.
CHICAGO - Beating nationally anonymous fillies named Flama del Sol and Queendom is not going to earn anyone an Eclipse Award, but regardless of what has been behind her so far, it's hard to imagine a horse being much more impressive than Vacare in two starts this Arlington meet.
BOSSIER CITY, La. - Turf racing at the higher class levels is usually off for most of the summer at Louisiana Downs, but a course made lush by midweek rains and a stakes-caliber field in Sunday's optional claiming feature promises to give grass aficionados a rare treat.
A group of eight horses will go about a mile over the turf in pursuit of a $26,500 purse.
If Sunday's $40,000 Tah Dah Stakes at River Downs were decided solely on pedigree rather than talent, Littlebitabling would win in a walk. Luckily for her, she appears to have both.
Littlebitabling is a 2-year-old filly out of the stakes-winning mare Rose Colored Lady who has become a veritable blue hen among Ohio broodmares. Rose Colored Lady has produced Barnsy, a winner of the Queen City Oaks, and Ready for Roses, the 2005 Ohio horse of the year.
MIAMI - Racing secretary Mike Anifantis released his weights for next weekend's $250,000 Turf Sprint Championship and its filly counterpart, the $250,000 Distaff Turf Sprint Championship on Friday, and is expecting the highweights in both races to ship to south Florida for the big day.
Anifantis assigned Atticus Kristy top weight of 120 pounds for the five-furlong Turf Sprint Championship, one more than trainer Patrick Biancone's Australian-bred Man of Illusion.
Online to Go owns the best Beyer Speed Figure and the widest margin of victory among the dozen lightly raced 2-year-olds who will race 5 1/2 furlongs on turf in Sunday's $60,000 Chenery Stakes at Colonial Downs.
But since Online to Go's 8 3/4-length romp and 69 Beyer came three months ago in a dirt sprint at Pimlico, savvy bettors may want to think long and hard about taking a short price. Online to Go, trained by Tim Salzman, is listed as the 9-5 favorite on the track's morning line off that debut win.
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.
