INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Red State may have found his best form at a perfect time.
A maiden winner on May 27, makes his first start against winners in a $49,000 allowance at Hollywood Park on Thursday. A big performance could lead to a start in the Real Good Deal Stakes for California-breds at Del Mar on Aug. 11.
"We're looking at that race on Thursday first," trainer Marty Jones said. "Hopefully [the Real Good Deal] will be a goal down the road."
OCEANPORT, N.J. - Even though the turnaround is a little snug, trainer Alan Seewald said he expects another solid effort from Shitaki on Thursday at Monmouth Park.
Shitaki was second behind a runaway winner here June 3 on a sealed track. She returns on less than two weeks' rest to face seven rivals going a mile and 70 yards in the "long" division of the featured $47,500 first-level allowance races for New Jersey-bred fillies and mares. A six-furlong division will also be run.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - A dry spell in Southern California ended for Jerry Hollendorfer when Hystericalady won the Grade 2 Hollywood Breeders' Cup Oaks on Sunday. Hollendorfer, the dominant trainer in northern California, is not waiting long to try to extend that success.
Saturday, Hollendorfer starts Cause to Believe in the Grade 3, $100,000 Affirmed Handicap for 3-year-olds at Hollywood Park. The Affirmed is run at 1 1/16 miles and is a vital prep to the $350,000 Swaps Breeders' Cup Stakes at 1 1/8 miles here July 8.
AUBURN, Wash. - It's one down and three to go for A Classic Life, who won a thrilling edition of the 6 1/2-furlong Washington State Legislators Handicap at Emerald Downs on Sunday by a hairbreadth over Queenledo, with Karis Makaw close behind in third.
CHICAGO - This much of Saturday's Chicago Breeders' Cup Handicap is easy enough to handicap: Saturday's edition of the Grade 3 sprint can't match the 2005 race.
Last year, Louisiana-bred and -based Happy Ticket came to Arlington Park and won the Chicago BC, proving for the first time that she was more than a regional talent. But Happy Ticket dances this year in the Fleur de Lis on Saturday at Churchill Downs, while the $175,000 Chicago BC is shaping up with a lesser cast of older female sprinters.
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.