Fri, 11/04/2005 - 00:00

'Lightning' still speedy at age 8

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Lilsisterlightning may have lost a step this year, but the 8-year-old mare still tries hard every time and could be tough to get past in Sunday's feature race at Hastings. She's one of many contenders in a 6 1/2-furlong sprint for $20,000 optional fillies and mares, which drew nine horses and goes as the eighth race.

Fri, 11/04/2005 - 00:00

Edenwold in hunt for juvenile prize

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Edenwold will try to lock up this year's Sovereign Award for Canadian champion 2-year-old Sunday at Woodbine in the $250,000 Coronation Futurity.

Edenwold, a $100,000 yearling purchase by owners Jim and Alice Sapara, has won three consecutive sprint stakes since winning his maiden with ease in July. He upset Kentucky shipper Key West Breeze in the open Colin Stakes, and then trounced Ontario-foaled runners in the Vandal, with a good Beyer Speed Figure of 86.

Fri, 11/04/2005 - 00:00

Rocky Gulch tops card of statebreds

Rocky Gulch will spot his rivals from 10 to 19 pounds on Sunday, when he starts as the 127-pound highweight in the $140,000 New Mexico Cup Classic at Zia Park in Hobbs, N.M.

The one-mile race is the richest Thoroughbred offering on the inaugural $1.2 million New Mexico Cup card, a program of 11 stakes restricted to horses bred in New Mexico.

Fri, 11/04/2005 - 00:00

Rohman off to Woodbine

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Trainer Bob Rohman is making plans to spend the final part of the 2005 Canadian racing season in Ontario. It will be a short stay. The last day of racing at Woodbine is Dec. 11, and Rohman is planning on leaving Hastings around Nov. 14.

He will be taking three horses with him, all 3-year-olds, including Bull Ranch, who finished second in the Grade 3 British Columbia Derby and then beat older horses in the Premiers. All three horses are owned by Siminichiello Stables Inc.

Fri, 11/04/2005 - 00:00

Unification bows out of Coronation Futurity

Michael Burns Photo Ltd.
Unification, winning last month's Grey Stakes, skipped the Coronation Futurity to avoid potential controversy.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Unification, winner of the Grade 3 Grey Stakes here Oct. 10, arrived at Woodbine on Wednesday for Sunday's $250,000 Coronation Futurity.

The Coronation, a 1 1/8-mile race for Canadian-bred 2-year-olds, was to have been Unification's third start in Canada, making him eligible for a Sovereign Award.

But on Friday morning, Unification was on his way back to his Saratoga base, trainer Eoin Harty's Coronation plans in tatters.

While Unification was free to enter the Coronation, his owner, Darley Stable, decided against running.

Thu, 11/03/2005 - 00:00

Oak Tree at Santa Anita carryover $366,827

ARCADIA, Calif. - Friday's program at Santa Anita features the largest carryover of the Oak Tree meeting - $366,827.

Friday, the pick six covers the third through eighth races, all of which have decent sized fields.

There are no major changes in the pick six races, which features three races on dirt and three on turf.

The third race is run over 1 1-8 miles on turf for maidens. Singalong and Hallowed Dream are the top contenders.

The fourth race is run over 5 1-2 furlongs, a starter allowance. Special Favor will go favored.

Thu, 11/03/2005 - 00:00

Will Latice be sharp?

Adam Coglianese/NYRA
Long Island Handicap highweight Latice showed a strong turn of foot in the Waya in August.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Latice has already shown she can win off a long layoff. Saturday, she will try to prove herself equally adept when running back on short notice.

Latice, the 2004 French Oaks winner, heads a field of seven entered in Saturday's Grade 2, $150,000 , scheduled for 1 1/2 miles over Aqueduct's turf course. The Long Island tops a 10-race card that also includes the Grade 3 Turnback the Alarm Handicap for fillies and mares on dirt.

Thu, 11/03/2005 - 00:00

Indian Vale yet to fulfill star potential

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Todd Pletcher said good-bye to his champion mare Ashado early Thursday morning and a few hours later bristled at the suggestion that anyone could fill her shoes.

In her first three starts, however, Indian Vale looked like a star in the making, especially at Saratoga, where she won a pair of allowance races by double-digit lengths. Indian Vale bombed in her stakes debut, however, finishing fifth as the 2-5 favorite in the Grade 2 Cotillion Handicap at Philadelphia Park.

Thu, 11/03/2005 - 00:00

Dominguez will ride in New York full time

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Ramon Dominguez will be at Aqueduct on Saturday to ride several horses, including Spotlight in the Grade 2 Long Island Handicap. Beginning at the end of December, Dominguez will ride here on a regular basis.

Dominguez, the nation's leading rider in wins in 2001 and 2003, will begin riding in New York full time Dec. 29, his agent, Steve Rushing, confirmed Thursday. Dominguez regularly rides on the Delaware circuit, with the exception of last summer, when he rode at Saratoga. Dominguez won 20 races from 196 mounts at Saratoga.

Thu, 11/03/2005 - 00:00

Iroquois card has its focus on the future

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Stars of Tomorrow? What's wrong with today?

Indeed, Saturday would be a very good day for a 2-year-old to take a huge step forward at Churchill Downs, where the first "Stars of Tomorrow" program is being held. The high point of the 11-race card - which consists entirely of 2-year-old races - is the $100,000 Iroquois Stakes, a Grade 3 race that drew an exceptionally deep field of 13.