CHICAGO - There is a 400-yard Quarter Horse stakes race on Sunday at Arlington. Maybe Jaguar City would have a chance in that one, too.
Jaguar City has won 7 times in 16 starts. She has gone to the lead and come from off the pace in six-furlong sprints, and won with authority making all the pace in two-turn routes. And she will be tough to beat Sunday in a $40,000 overnight handicap, though Jaguar City must spot seven rivals as much as 10 pounds.
DEL MAR, Calif. - There are scores to settle Sunday in the Grade 2, $250,000 Del Mar Handicap at 1 3/8 miles on turf.
will try to avenge his three-quarter-length loss to Always First in the Grade 2 Sunset Handicap at Hollywood Park. That race was decided at the quarter pole, where Runaway Dancer rallied wide and Always First cut the corner.
finished one-two in the restricted Escondido Handicap last month at Del Mar, but that race was decided in the stewards' booth. Sarafan was disqualified and placed second after a minor bumping incident in deep stretch.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - Purge could emerge as a force within the handicap ranks when he faces nine rivals Sunday in the Grade 3, $250,000 Philip H. Iselin Handicap at Monmouth Park.
Purge, trained by Todd Pletcher, has shown flashes of talent. The 4-year-old colt won a pair of Grade 2 stakes last year: the Peter Pan at Belmont Park and the Jim Dandy at Saratoga.
At times, Purge, a high-strung son of Pulpit, has been his own worst enemy. He washed out badly in Saratoga's security barns, prompting Pletcher to ship him to Monmouth.
EDMONTON, Alberta - Ice Girl, with jockey Desmond Bryan, broke the domination by Vancouver invaders in Alberta's filly and mare stakes this season by winning the 1 1/16-mile Madamoiselle in her latest start. Now Ice Girl will seek her fourth straight victory in Sunday's $75,000 Edmonton Distaff, a 1 1/16-mile race at Northlands that attracted a field of six.
Prior to the Madamoiselle, Ice Girl had scored consecutive front-running victories, with a $40,000 claiming tag and then in an optional claimer.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Following Roscoe Pito's powerful performance in the British Columbia Cup Classic, his trainer, John Snow, made plans to run Roscoe Pito in the Longacres Mile last weekend. Those plans changed when he saw blood trickling out of Roscoe Pito's nose following his final prep for the Mile on Aug. 13.
Instead, Snow opted to run Roscoe Pito in the $40,000 S.W. Randall Plate at Hastings Sunday. Six of the seven horses in the race are stakes winners.
Calder Race Course was forced to cancel live racing on Friday because of the effects of Hurricane Katrina, which had pounded the south Florida area the previous evening. The track did conduct simulcast wagering as scheduled on Friday. Live racing was expected to resume Saturday.
Friday's cancellation was the second resulting from a hurricane this meet. The July 10 Summit of Speed card was postponed one day because of Hurricane Dennis.
Storminbayoubabe is 2 for 2 on the turf, both races sprints, which is probably enough to make her the favorite in a five-furlong turf event for optional-claiming distaffers at Bay Meadows Sunday. Storminbayoubabe has four rivals, and every one of them has enough speed to give her trouble.
Instantly rallied strongly despite early traffic trouble to win the six-furlong Diamondback Handicap at Yavapai Aug. 13. On Sunday he moves to a route for the $15,000 Mile Hi Handicap at Yavapai, a race in which he finished third last year.
It isn't going to be easy. Not only is he winless in three starts at the 1 1/16-mile distance of the Mile Hi, he has an outside post and must deal with the Southern California shipper Gospodin and nine others.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - What a difference a day makes.
On Thursday, trainer Neil Howard watched his 4-5 favorite Reunited finish third in the Victory Ride Stakes. But Howard bounced back in a big way 24 hours later, sending out Shadow Cast to register a 2 3/4-length upset victory in the Grade 1 in a field that included division leader and reigning Breeders' Cup Distaff winner Ashado.
