It is nothing on the scale of a Smarty Party, but John Servis is coming to Louisiana Downs for the first time.
Servis, who trained Smarty Jones, has never started a horse at Louisiana Downs, but with the Fair Grounds meet moved to Bossier City this season, and Servis just three hours north at Oaklawn in Hot Springs, Ark., there will be fairly regular trips south during the coming weeks.
"I've got some horses doing well, ready to run," Servis said.
Lumbre has a number of things going for him heading into Saturday's $100,000 Zia Park Derby, a race in which he will take on stakes winners Real Dandy and Military Major, as well as the Southern California-based Stormin Away.
The 1 1/16-mile race is part of a stakes-filled weekend at Zia, the Hobbs, N.M., track that will close out its inaugural meet Sunday.
Seven years after Freddie Frisson gave Dallas Stewart his first and only victory in the Holiday Inaugural at Turfway Park, things are going quite well for horse and trainer.
Freddie Frisson has made an indelible mark as a broodmare, being the dam of First Samurai, one of the top 2-year-olds of 2005. Meanwhile, Stewart is having another highly productive year, with his stable on pace to surpass the $3 million mark for just the second time since 1997, when he left his 11-year post as an assistant to D. Wayne Lukas.
ALBANY, Calif. - Lunachick, Double D Appeal, and Thrilling Victory have something in common as they prepare for Saturday's $50,000-added Angel Island, a six-furlong stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Golden Gate Fields: Each of the three won a stakes in her last start.
But for Double D Appeal, the stakes victory came in the Nursery at Hollywood Park on May 16, 2004.
Orphan Brigade has shown he can handle just about any track, as evidenced by wins at Lone Star, Remington, Hawthorne, and Zia Park. The 4-year-old Orphan Brigade comes to Sunland Park for Saturday's $50,000 KLAQ Handicap, the first Thoroughbred stakes of the meet, which began Friday. Orphan Brigade carries high weight of 123 pounds and faces six others in the 5 1/2-furlong event.
PHOENIX - The unbeaten Restride looks to entrench herself atop the Arizona-bred 2-year-old filly ranks and a host of 2-year-old males attempt to sort themselves out in two divisions of the $35,000 Arizona Breeders' Futurity at Turf Paradise on Saturday. The filly division (race 7) and the colts and gelding division (race 9) both drew full fields of 12. Both races are at six furlongs.
Cherokee's Boy wasn't quite up to the challenge of shortening up to six furlongs six days after setting a track record going 1 1/8 miles. Does he stand a better chance of stretching out from seven to nine furlongs a week after matching the best Beyer Speed Figure of his career?
The 5-year-old Cherokee's Boy, closing in on $1 million in earnings, comes back on short rest while spotting five seemingly outclassed rivals between eight and 11 pounds in Saturday's $75,000 Jennings Handicap for Maryland-breds at Laurel Park.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Colonial Surprise will try for her second stakes win in a row Saturday at Woodbine in the Grade 3, 172,050 Bessarabian Handicap. The seven-furlong sprint for fillies and mares has attracted 11 others, including the gifted 3-year-old Hatpin and Silver Bird.
Colonial Surprise was an astute $37,500 claim by owner-trainer Nick DeToro in 2003. She won 2 of 7 outings and $92,480 in 2004, but has made just two starts this year, the first of which was a close third-place finish in a $100,000 optional claimer in September.
A busy opening weekend continues at Evangeline Downs on Saturday with the first running of the Louisiana HBPA Stakes. A 5 1/2-furlong race, the HBPA drew eight fillies and mares and carries a $75,000 purse.
In a departure from its normal schedule of racing under the lights, Evangeline's post time on Saturdays and Sundays during the 26-day meeting will be 2 p.m. Central.
Dreamsandvisions returns to the distance of one of his most impressive wins Saturday night, when he takes on multiple stakes winner Leaving on My Mind in the seven-furlong Conroe at Sam Houston Race Park.
The $40,000 Conroe drew seven 3-year-olds.
Dreamsandvisions has raced over the distance once and earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 91. The start came in an allowance race at Louisiana Downs on Sept. 4, and he closed from eighth to score a two-length win over Military Major, eventual winner of the $150,000 Oklahoma Derby.