STICKNEY, Ill. - When Last Gran Standing recently went down with an injury, it deprived trainer Brian Williamson of one of the more promising Illinois-bred 3-year-olds. But the way Tally Up looked winning an open entry-level allowance race on Tuesday at Hawthorne, Williamson might have an adequate replacement.
Chit Chat Pam has developed into one of the most exciting 3-year-old fillies at the Sam Houston meet. She won her maiden in the $30,000 Cy-Fair on Jan. 14 in her second career start, then one start later won the $125,000 Two Altazano division of the Texas Stallion Stakes on Feb. 18 in her two-turn debut.
"She's done everything we've asked her to do, and she's done it pretty easy," said Bob Young, who trains Chit Chat Pam for Ken Murphy Thoroughbreds.
Larren Delorme made his presence in the riding colony felt last weekend, firmly planting himself in the top half of the rider standings while scoring what likely will be the only weekend stakes double of the meet. There is only one stakes race scheduled for each weekend at Fonner Park - but cold weather forced the cancellation of live racing on Feb. 18 at the Grand Island, Neb., racetrack, and that day's Grasmick Stakes was subsequently rescheduled for last Sunday.
Manor Downs near Austin, Texas, opened for a mixed meet for Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds last weekend. Racing at the track will continue through April 23.
Manor drew a crowd of 983 for its opening card Saturday, and 1,246 for its program on Sunday.
Indy Wildcat sure picked the right day to find himself. A 3-year-old son of A.P. Indy, Indy Wildcat stalked the pace in Sunday's $100,000 Borderland Derby and finished gamely to notch his first career win.
"He has been a little bit immature, but he is improving rapidly," winning trainer Paulo Capestro said after the race. "He wants distance. We will go back to California and wait for the WinStar Derby."
Wilson Dieguez, the second-leading rider here, returned to the saddle last week after suffering a badly bruised foot in a paddock accident Feb. 19.
Dieguez, 32, suffered the injury when he was unseated by his mount, the filly Musical Topper, as the horses prepared to leave the paddock for the day's seventh race.
"The filly reared and I went sliding off the back," said Dieguez. "She reared again and . . . stepped on my foot, pinning me down."
Dieguez was also unseated from his mount in the first race that day and had another horse rear up on him in the fourth race.
Todd Pletcher versus Steve Asmussen in a 3-year-old filly stakes this time of year usually means Gulfstream or Oaklawn, not Evangeline Downs. Imagine the excitement at Evangeline, near Opelousas, La., when entries for Friday night's $50,000 Green Oaks Stakes were drawn last weekend.
Not only was the powerful Asmussen stable represented by Devine Laughter, but also the WinStar Farm homebred Mama Nadine, trained by Pletcher, passed through the entry box. While Asmussen has raced at Evangeline on several occasions in recent seasons, this was to be Pletcher's first starter there.
Mountaineer Race Track is bringing back last year's stakes schedule in its entirety.
All 28 stakes will be run again in the same order as in 2005.
Nearly one-third of the stakes will be held on Aug. 6, when nine stakes, highlighted by the Grade 3, $750,000 West Virginia Derby, are conducted on a special afternoon card that will begin at 2 p.m. Eastern.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Long before he won his first stakes in the Grade 2 San Antonio Handicap on Feb. 5, Spellbinder went through morning trials designed to prepare him for a race such as Saturday's $1 million .
Last year, when Spellbinder was running in allowance races, he was an occasional workmate for stablemate Rock Hard Ten, who won the 2005 Big Cap. Sometimes, Spellbinder kept up with Rock Hard Ten, giving owners Jerry and Ann Moss and trainer Richard Mandella hope that Spellbinder could become a stakes horse.
BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. - Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin says he doesn't think about last year's Kentucky Derby too much. He doesn't obsess with how tantalizingly close he came - about four feet - to pulling off one of the biggest upsets in Kentucky Derby history with 71-1 shot Closing Argument.