With a four-win day last Friday and a single win on Saturday aboard My Halo in the Fonner Park Special Stakes, jockey R.D. Williams is just two victories away from the 4,000-win milestone for his career.
Williams leads the riders here with 33 wins on the season, as he goes after his 10th riding title here and first since his run of five straight ended in 1990. Williams returned to Fonner Park in 2004 on a regular basis.
Mike McCarthy, the former dominant rider at Delaware Park, is quietly making an impact as a ship-in trainer at Laurel Park.
McCarthy, who began training in 2003, is 4 for 11 with an $8.58 return on investment on his Laurel runners after winning with Quick Book ($10.20) last Wednesday.
Trainer Bob Baffert looked into the TV cameras after being asked the obvious question following Wanna Runner's dominant victory in Saturday's $600,000 WinStar Derby at Sunland.
"I don't know, I'm getting that temperature," Baffert said, laughing as he wiped his brow. "Derby fever. I feel pretty good."
You can't keep an old man down. Our Best Man, at the ripe age of 9, showed no signs of losing his competitive nature as he won his 15th race in 95 career starts Sunday at Turf Paradise.
Ridden by Adolfo Morales, Our Best Man beat some relatively young whippersnappers in the day's fifth race, finishing three-quarters of a length ahead of 6-year-old Il Meglio, with 5-year-old Adobe Hills another length back in third. Our Best Man paid $7 to win, and covered the 7 1/2 furlongs on the turf in 1:30 for trainer David Van Winkle.
The $200,000 Connally Breeders' Cup Turf at Sam Houston Race Park on Saturday night drew a full field of 12 horses, led by Fort Prado. The Connally, which has been elevated to a Grade 3 this year, will be the first graded stakes for Thoroughbreds ever run at Sam Houston.
Fort Prado is the 120-pound highweight for the 1 1/8-mile Connally. He will break from post 6 under Robby Albarado and has been made the 3-1 morning-line favorite. Trainer Jeff Trosclair told track officials Fort Prado was scheduled to van from his Louisiana Downs base late Wednesday.
Aqueduct canceled its final six races on Wednesday after jockeys expressed concern they wouldn't be able to complete the card due to extremely sloppy track conditions.
With a pick-six wager that had a pool surpassing $800,000 about to begin, management made the decision to cancel racing after the third race. Racing was scheduled to resume on Thursday with a pick-six carryover of $205,721.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Gold and Roses and Galloping Grocer, who squared off twice in restricted stakes last year, meet for the first time as 4-year-olds in Thursday's $60,000 Smart Coupon Stakes.
A one-mile overnight stakes for older New York-breds, the Smart Coupon goes as race 8. It drew a field of six that includes the Gary Contessa-trained entry of Melodeeman and Step It Up, as well as Interior Designer and the speedy Rogue Agent.
STICKNEY, Ill. - His day begins long before the sun has even thought about peaking over the northern California horizon. Jerry Hollendorfer is up at 3 a.m. and headed to work, training horses.
Each year, Hollendorfer is 1-10 to be leading trainer in northern California, where he doesn't just win - he pummels the opposition.
"He works like a mule," said Art Sherman, often second to Hollendorfer in various trainer races. "He drives himself unmercifully. He wants to be No. 1 - he's got this thing. He works harder than any trainer I know."
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Eight more new names are in the 23-horse lineup for the third and final pool in the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which opens Thursday at noon Eastern for the customary four-day run at tracks and wagering outlets throughout North America.
