Nebraska-bred 3-year-olds share the spotlight at Fonner Park, where the fillies division and the colts and geldings division of the $30,000 Fonner Park Special Stakes at six furlongs will be contested for the 51st time.
Marv Johnson's undefeated Saint Bay heads a field of six in the fillies division, where she will face Lovesablumin and Bumpnshoot, both impressive winners of their career debuts.
World-record holder A Long Goodbye will secure a $100,000 bonus if he can defend his title in the Grade 1, $111,150 New Mexico Challenge on Sunday afternoon at Sunland Park.
A Long Goodbye has won the Grade 3 KHEY Handicap and the Grade 2 West Texas Maturity, the first two races needed to secure the $100,000 bonus sponsored by Good Time Stores. He won the 350-yard KHEY by a neck and then the 400-yard West Texas Maturity by three-quarters of a length. Special Task Force was second in each of those races.
Horse B With You was in too deep when facing top fillies Balance and Wild Fit in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Oaks on March 12. She faces no such hurdles Saturday as she invades Turf Paradise to take a swing at the $40,000 Scottsdale Handicap. Carded at about a mile on the turf for 3-year-old fillies, the Scottsdale lured a field of nine.
And while the competition might not measure up to Balance and Wild Fit, there are other hurdles for Horse B With You. The 120-pound highweight, she must give five to eight pounds to her eight rivals and must also deal with post 9, the far outside.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - There are several noteworthy changes in the types of races being carded at Woodbine this year, including the scheduling of the first two-furlong maiden 2-year-old races in the track's 50-year history.
Two-furlong sprints for 2-year-olds have not been run at Toronto area tracks since the mid-1970's, when they were contested at Greenwood.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - The field for Saturday's $1 million Florida Derby grew to 11 horses by the time the race was drawn on Wednesday, with the unexpected additions of Hesanoldsalt and Sam's Ace. The turn of events may have provided a stumbling block for the undefeated Barbaro, who drew post 10 for the Grade 1 race, the marquee event on the Gulfstream Park stakes schedule.
With Borderland Derby winner Indy Wildcat waiting for next Saturday's Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby, another Southern California invader, Wanna Runner, looms the horse to beat for Saturday's $600,000 at Sunland Park. Wanna Runner drew post 5 in a field of nine entered Wednesday for the 1 1/8-mile race.
Trained by Bob Baffert, Wanna Runner has done some good work in California, including running third in the Grade 2 San Rafael behind Brother Derek and Stevie Wonderboy in January.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - The Wood Memorial lost one Strong Contender this week, but picked up another in Deputy Glitters, the Tampa Bay Derby winner.
On Wednesday, trainer John Ward announced that the undefeated and untested Strong Contender would skip the $750,000 Wood on April 8 to run in the Blue Grass at Keeneland one week later. Meanwhile, trainer Tom Albertrani
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - The Florida Derby won't be the only race of importance Saturday at Gulfstream Park. Six other stakes, three of them graded, will be run on a blockbuster 13-race card that will get off to an earlier start than usual, at noon Eastern.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Pommes Frites has never been better and appears to be the lone speed in Friday's $46,000 allowance feature at Gulfstream Park. That deadly combination should make her tough to beat in the 1 1/16-mile turf race for older fillies and mares.
