SAN MATEO, Calif. - Trainer Rene Amescua is one of the better practitioners of the claiming game.
Since Jan. 1, 2005, he has won 24 percent of the time with horses in their first start off a claim. More importantly, from a bettor's perspective, he shows a positive $2.43 return on investment with those horses.
Amescua will send out Colonel Courtney for the first time in Friday's Bay Meadows feature, a $32,000 claimer at six furlongs.
Chief What It Is gave trainer Lori Hendrickson the first stakes win of her career last Saturday at Louisiana Downs when he captured the $50,000 Airline, and there might be more where that came from. Hendrickson, based in Kentucky, is planning another stakes invasion next month with Rogue Scholar, who will vie for favoritism in the $75,000 Folklore Handicap here July 20.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Trainer Bobby Frankel picks his spots when shipping into Lone Star Park. In addition to capturing the Breeders' Cup Classic here in 2004 with Ghostzapper, he has had extreme success in one particular stakes, the Dallas Turf Cup.
From three starters in that race Frankel has won it twice, with Martiniquais in 1999, and El Gran Papa in 2001.
He also finished third in 2000 with Northern Quest. Frankel said Wednesday that he planned to start new import New Export in this year's Dallas Turf Cup, to be run Saturday.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Flying Glitter, who might have been the favorite had she come to Chicago, was not entered when entries were taken Wednesday for the Chicago Breeders' Cup Handicap, but 10 other female sprinters were, and in Flying Glitter's absence, Annika Lass and Ebony Breeze will be the top two choices.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - A pair of candidates for the June 25 Queen's Plate had significant workouts on different fronts on Wednesday morning.
Wanna Runner, who is looming as the probable favorite for the $1 million Queen's Plate, breezed six furlongs in 1:12.17 at Belmont Park.
Here at Woodbine, local Queen's Plate contender Edenwold worked six furlongs in 1:12.40.
Wanna Runner, owned by Mike Pegram and trained by Bob Baffert, was slated to leave Belmont on Wednesday night and arrive at Woodbine on Thursday morning.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - K. R.'s Regent has spent most of his 13-race career facing open company.
The 4-year-old K R's Regent gets a second straight crack at New Jersey-breds, only his third overall, in the $47,500 allowance feature at 1 1/16 miles on Friday at Monmouth Park.
K. R.'s Regent looks ideally positioned in this first-level spot. He should be tighter and fitter after finishing third despite steadying turning for home in his season debut here on June 4.
MIAMI- Arienne Cox picked a most unlikely spot to begin her riding career, going 1 1/2 miles in last Saturday's New York New York Stakes at Calder.
But then again, Cox is not your typical jockey. A 29-year-old rookie, Cox has earned master's degrees from Nova Southeastern and Florida State universities in both nursing and business management. She has held a trainer's license for the last 11 years, owns her own horses, and tips the scales at 120 pounds.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - When Gary Broad and his new trainer, Ron Ellis, traveled from California to Kentucky to buy yearlings nearly a year ago, the farthest thing from their minds was acquiring an older horse that might eventually contend for Horse of the Year the following season.
ELMONT, N.Y. - The Maktoum family won seven races at Belmont Park last weekend, three of them stakes. Of course, the biggest prize was Jazil's win in the Belmont Stakes for Sheikh Hamdan bid Rashid al-Maktoum's Shadwell Stable and trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. They are also the connections of , who heads Thursday's feature race.
The first-level allowance for 3-year-olds and up is scheduled for the inner turf at 1 1/8 miles, and goes as race 8. Nine were entered for turf, and two more were entered for dirt only.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Just days after returned from a Jan. 7 race at Louisiana Downs to a private farm in Lexington, the filly came down with a case of colic that, under different circumstances, might well have taken her life.
"She began exhibiting signs of colic at 8 o'clock one morning," said Dr. Greg Fox, a licensed veterinarian who trains Lady Dynasty for Nancy and Richard Kaster. "By 8:30, she was thrashing around in acute pain. By 9, she was being prepped for surgery at the Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, and by 10, she was already recovering from surgery."
