VANCOUVER, British Columbia - At least one and possibly two divisional championships in the province were wrapped up last weekend.
Langara Lass solidified her spot as the top 3-year-old filly in the province with a comfortable 4 1/4-length win over Miss Me Not in the Fantasy Stakes Saturday. Regal Request staked his claim to the 2-year-old colts and geldings title with a front-running win in the Ascot Graduation Stakes Sunday.
Calder Race Course was to open for simulcasting only on Saturday, Breeders' Cup Day, and for a limited live racing card both Sunday and Monday, track President Ken Dunn announced Friday. Calder has been closed since suffering extensive damage during Hurricane Wilma on Monday.
Calder will run five races, all on the turf, on Sunday and Monday. According to Calder officials, the Sunday races will comprise Nos. 3, 6, 7, 9, and 12 from the canceled Saturday program. The regular live racing schedule is expected to resume next Thursday.
The president of Calder Race Course, Ken Dunn, said Thursday he was still hopeful live and simulcasting racing could resume at Calder on Saturday. Calder has been closed since suffering extensive damage from Hurricane Wilma on Monday.
"Everything is contingent on getting power restored," Dunn said Thursday. "But we have an assurance from Florida Power and Light that they have located the problem, that it should be a six- to eight-hour job to repair, and that they will have a crew out here sometime today to do the work."
ELMONT, N.Y. - As appetizers go, the Discovery Handicap looks delicious. The Breeders' Cup menu begins with the race immediately following the Discovery, but on any other day, this would be a whopper of a feature. For 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles on dirt, and with a healthy purse of $250,000, the Discovery drew a field of 11.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Trainer Jeff Mullins had two options on Breeders' Cup Day for the 6-year-old Captain Squire. Either go for the gusto against Lost in the Fog in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Sprint or be the big fish in a smaller pond, the $250,000 Sport Page Handicap.
In the end, Mullins said the decision to enter Captain Squire in the seven-furlong Sport Page was easy.
"I didn't want him to be the sacrificial lamb in the Sprint," Mullins said. "I didn't want to throw him to the wolves, especially the young ones in the Sprint. They've got sharper teeth."
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Keeneland closes Saturday, and some people hate that. A semi-annual rite of seasonal change comes to an end, and, for some, life seems emptier with another Keeneland meet behind them.
For Neil Howard, however, the end of Keeneland is a good thing. Not that Howard has fared poorly at this latest 17-day stand; to the contrary. In fact, Howard won back-to-back races here Wednesday with Patriot Act and America Alive, two of the better horses in his prodigious stable.
ARCADIA, Calif. - The Grade 3 Morvich Handicap on Saturday at Santa Anita rarely attracts much attention. After all, the 6 1/2-furlong turf sprint runs annually on Breeders' Cup Day, when the attention of the racing world turns elsewhere.
But the Morvich sometimes carries more importance than a typical $100,000 stakes. And those paying attention to the race one year ago might have been impressed by a South American import returning from a six-month layoff - Leroidesanimaux, who won the Morvich by 1 1/4 lengths and paid $8 as the third betting choice.
The 5-year-old Saay Mi Name, who earned his fifth victory of the season as the 8-5 favorite in the Maryland Million Sprint, faces a tough group of older sprinters in the $75,000 Dave's Friend at 5 1/2 furlongs.
, a 4-year-old filly who upset the Maryland Million Ladies in wire-to-wire fashion at 16-1, seeks to prove that victory was no fluke against seven other Maryland-bred fillies and mares in the $50,000 All Brandy at 1 1/8 miles on grass.
Also on the card is the $50,000 Find Handicap at 1 1/8 miles on turf.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Florida-based trainer Tim Hills could use some positive news after surveying the damage from Hurricane Wilma. He hopes Desirable Moment provides that lift Saturday night in the $50,000 Witches' Brew Stakes at The Meadowlands Racetrack.
"Calder is devastated," Hills said from Florida. "I have 11 horses here. The barn lost half the roof."
His home is intact but might not have electricity restored until Thanksgiving. Fortunately, Hills has a backup generator to provide power.
Cleanup, repair, and restoration will be a long process.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - J'ray and jockey Brice Blanc benefited from a bizarre trip from the front-running favorite, Beau Dare, when driving to victory Thursday in the $112,000 at Keeneland.
Beau Dare, ridden by John McKee, managed to finish second by just three-quarters of a length despite racing extremely wide on both turns of the 1 1/16-mile Jessamine. "I wish she would have settled a little more in hand," said McKee. "When the gate opens, she just wants to run."
