AUBURN, Wash. - The accent will be on speed in Thursday's top feature at Emerald Downs, a 6 1/2-furlong race for $25,000 claimers who have never won twice.
Four of the seven contestants - Top of Class, Kaptnwice, Chickasaw Park, and Weave Bin Slewed - have done their best running on the lead. Of that group, Weave Bin Slewed appears to be quickest of the quick.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Waupaca is the lead-off horse for a trio of rich stakes trainer Donnie Von Hemel is targeting over the next few weeks. Waupaca is pointing for the Grade 3, $200,000 Dallas Turf Cup on Saturday at Lone Star Park. As of Tuesday, Waupaca was expected to be the co-starting highweight at 116 pounds, along with the Bobby Frankel-trained New Export, who is expected to run, and Hendrix, a Craig Dollase-trained horse who is considered possible.
BOSSIER CITY, La. - Julien Leparoux, North America's leading rider by wins, will team with the Louisiana Downs-based Happy Ticket on Saturday in the Grade 2, $300,000 Fleur de Lis at Churchill Downs.
"He's the leading jock over there, and he's hot," said Andrew Leggio Jr., who trains Happy Ticket for Stewart Madison. "When guys are hot, they're hot."
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Sir Blitz, who put together a four-race win streak over Woodbine's turf course last summer, is the Toronto Thoroughbred Racing Club's claimer of the year.
The TTRC will honor Sir Blitz, along with some of Woodbine's other top performers of 2005, at its annual awards day here Sunday.
Sir Blitz, a 7-year-old gelding, is owned by his trainer, Danny Vella, in partnership with Greg Broadhurst and Selena Barber.
"He's just a very solid horse," said Vella. "Every time he goes out there, he runs hard."
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - After sprinting in her first five starts, Certain Harmony will experiment at 1 1/16 miles on Thursday at Woodbine in the finale of an eight-race card, an Ontario-sired allowance for fillies and mares.
Certain Harmony, trained by Mike Doyle for Hendrie Stable, showed a modicum of potential in her 2-year-old campaign, making three starts and placing in two Ontario-sired maiden dashes.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - As a card-carrying member of the club informally known as the Successful Trainers Who Worked for D. Wayne Lukas, Becky Maker had a natural rooting interest Saturday in the Belmont Stakes: any combination of Jazil, Bluegrass Cat, and Sunriver.
Sure enough, Maker nailed it. "I picked it one-two," she said.
Jockey Chance Rollins remains in a California intensive care unit but showed signs of mild improvement Monday following a spill in Sunday's third race at Bay Meadows.
Rollins, 36, was injured when his mount, Dr. Ramos, suddenly veered to the rail shortly after the start of a 1 1/16-mile race. Rollins, forced to bail off, was able to get one foot on the safety rail before somersaulting off the rail and landing heavily on his side just inside the rail.
Trainer Riaz Syed has been fined $1,000 and suspended for one year, beginning June 12 by Thistledown stewards for having in his possession 24 bottles of injectable substances and numerous needles and syringes of different sizes while on the grounds at Thistledown on Saturday.
During his suspension, Syed will be denied the privileges of all racecourses under the jurisdiction of the Ohio State Racing Commission, and his case has been referred to that body for possible further action.
Syed has eight horses under his care and has a 0-for-13 record this year.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Bad Hat, who had to abandon the Queen's Plate trail after contracting a virus, makes his turf debut Wednesday night at Woodbine in the $125,000 Bold Ruckus Stakes.
The six-furlong event has lured just four other Ontario-sired 3-year-olds, including Initforthemoney and Tothemoonandback. All five are trying the grass for the first time.