Jazzy Okie is coming home. Bred in Oklahoma, she will return to racing in her home state at Fair Meadows in Tulsa after spending time at Prairie Meadows in Iowa and Arlington Park in Illinois.
Jazzy Okie should start as the favorite in the $45,000 Boomer Stakes, a 5 1/2-furlong race for fillies and mares bred in Oklahoma which drew a field of 10.
Happy Ticket is headed to either Del Mar in Southern California or Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York for her next start, her trainer, Andrew Leggio Jr., said Thursday. A Louisiana Downs-based mare, Happy Ticket went over $1 million in earnings when she won the Grade 2, $300,000 Fleur de Lis at Churchill Downs on June 17.
The options Leggio and owner Stewart Madison have discussed are the Grade 1, $250,000 Go for Wand at 1 1/8 miles at Saratoga on July 30 and the Grade 2, $300,000 Clement Hirsch Handicap at 1 1/16 miles at Del Mar on Aug. 8.
PLEASANTON, Calif. - Is trainer Jeff Bonde holding all the aces for Saturday's $40,000 Juan Gonzalez Memorial at the Alameda County Fair?
Three of the six 2-year-old fillies in the five-furlong race hail from his barn, with two of them - the $500,000 purchase Untouched Talent and French Forest - running as an entry. He also sends out $260,000 purchase Heiress Apparent.
"They're all at about the same point, and the timing's perfect for them," Bonde said of his threesome.
Untouched Talent and Heiress Apparent have never run, while French Forst has run once.
Trainer Heath Taylor is in position to sweep both Grade 2 stakes Sunday at Delta Downs with eight qualifiers, including the fastest qualifier to each race.
First Tea Rose is the fastest qualifier to the $266,350 Firecracker Futurity and has won 2 of 3 starts. She raced to the fastest qualifying time of 17.739 seconds for 350 yards when she won her trial by three-quarters of a length.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Funny Cide, the popular 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner, invades Woodbine on Saturday for the $200,000 Dominion Day Stakes.
Funny Cide will become the first Kentucky Derby winner to compete at Woodbine since Sea Hero, who finished third in the 1993 Molson Million.
Funny Cide isn't the runner he was in 2003, when he won the Eclipse Award as champion 3-year-old. He has become, though, into a useful Grade 3 performer for owner Sackatoga Stable and trainer Barclay Tagg.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Quiet Cash heads a solid field of older horses vying for the major share of $125,000 in the Grade 3 Lieutenant Governors at Hastings on Saturday. The 1 1/8-mile feature drew 10 horses, including R. Associate who is returning to defend his title.
A 5-year-old son of Real Quiet, Quiet Cash will carry high weight of 122 pounds, and is certainly deserving of the assignment. As an older horse, Quiet Cash has won 6 of 8 starts at Hastings, and probably would have won the Lieutenant Governors last year if he hadn't broken poorly leaving the starting gate.
EDMONTON, Alberta - Wild Bender and Braetta continue their rivalry in Saturday's $50,000 Wild Rose, the 6 1/2-furlong feature here at Northlands Park. A full field of 10 has been entered for the Wild Rose, a handicap for fillies and mares.
Wild Bender, Alberta's champion 3-year-old filly last year, won the one-mile Ken Pearson Memorial at Stampede Park by a head over Braetta in May. Braetta, a 7-year-old trained by Don Gilkyson, came back to win the 1 1/16-mile Duchess of York at Stampede earlier this month, scoring by two lengths with Wild Bender second.
AUBURN, Wash. - A field of nine older sprinters, including seven coming off wins, will knock heads in Saturday's 6 1/2-furlong feature at Emerald Downs. The race is run under $25,000 optional claiming conditions, but only Call Columbo runs for the claiming price.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Funny Cide will be the center of attention when he runs in Saturday's Dominion Day here at Woodbine, but there is a second stakes on the menu.
And trainer Reade Baker would be more than happy to settle for a best supporting actor role on behalf of Tothemoonandback, who looms the horse to beat in the $150,000 Achievement, a six-furlong race for Ontario-foaled 3-year-olds.
Tothemoonandback, who tuned up for the Achievement by breezing four furlongs in 49 seconds on the training track here Wednesday, will be seeking his third straight win.
FORT ERIE, Ontario - Racegoers at Fort Erie are giving a thumbs-up to recent changes at the track.
A large video display screen, 16 feet by 12 feet, has been installed on the infield tote board, and following a trend in play at other tracks, the paddock commentary is being hosted by a female broadcaster.
"Initially, there have been some minor problems with the size of fonts on the board," said Herb McGirr Sr., director of operations at Fort Erie. "But it should be straightened out by this weekend."
