MIAMI - There were stars aplenty on last Saturday's 14-race Juvenile Showcase card at Calder.
Forest Danz remained undefeated and untested after sprinting away to a 12-length victory in the $50,000 .
Bettarun Fast likewise kept his perfect record intact with yet another powerful performance over the turf, leading a one-two finish for trainer Kathleen O'Connell with an easy win in the Catcharisingstar Stakes.
With some Kentucky horsemen still not entering their horses at Turfway, the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority voted unanimously Tuesday in Lexington to issue warnings, rather than fines and suspensions, to trainers whose horses test positive for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents, or NSAIDs, over the next 60 days. The change came in response to trainer complaints about new raceday medication rules that were scheduled to go into effect on Wednesday.
Society Selection, the winner of the Grade 1 Test and Grade 1 Alabama stakes last year, will be ridden this Sunday in the Grade 1, $300,000 Ruffian Handicap at Belmont Park by Javier Castellano, trainer Allen Jerkens said Tuesday.
Castellano, who finished third in the jockey standings at the just-concluded Saratoga meet, will replace Eibar Coa, who has ridden Society Selection in her past three races, including a fourth-place finish in the Go for Wand Stakes at Belmont on July 30, her last start.
Tempus Fugit, a three-time stakes winner on dirt this season but 1-for-11 lifetime on turf, handled the grass well enough to upset the $75,000 Summer Finale for fillies and mares at Mountaineer Race Track.
Ridden by Chad Murphy for Kentucky-based trainer Bernie Flint, Tempus Fugit ($14.20) was racing on grass for the first time since finishing last of 11 in a stakes at Ellis Park in mid-July. She covered a mile in 1:35.27 while finishing two lengths ahead of Rue des Reves to earn her eighth win in 28 lifetime starts. Lady Grace, the 4-5 favorite, finished third.
Business was down sharply at the 41-day meet that ended Monday at Ellis Park, with all-sources handle dropping 24 percent from comparable figures posted two years ago at the Henderson, Ky., track.
For comparison purposes, track officials used figures from 2003, when 41 days also were run on a five-day-a-week schedule. In 2004, the track ran 54 days on a six-day schedule.
Ontrack daily handle this year averaged $195,434, down 18 percent from 2003, while ontrack attendance averaged 2,937, down 2 percent. The all-sources handle average was $2,707,421.
Teller Cartel, the second-longest shot in a field of 10, scored the first win of his career in Monday's $1.9 million at Ruidoso Downs, N.M. The upset gave perennial leading Quarter Horse trainer Paul Jones his first win in the 440-yard classic.
Ridden by Cody Jensen, Teller Cartel ($37.60) won by a neck over 7-1 Arealstraitheart, finishing in 21.504 seconds on a muddy track. Brindis Por Cayenne, a 9-1 shot, finished third, a neck behind Arealstraitheart.
The head of the Louisiana Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, the major Thoroughbred horsemen's group in the state, on Monday evening outlined an alternative plan to the one informally introduced by Churchill Downs Inc. concerning a replacement meet at Louisiana Downs for the upcoming Fair Grounds racing season.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Vladimir Cerin is a huge soccer fan, and on Monday, in the Grade 2, $400,000 , the trainer scored a hat trick with Willow O Wisp.
Just as in the La Jolla Handicap, and the Cinema Breeders' Cup Handicap before that, Willow O Wisp was able to control a moderate pace. And for the third straight time, no one could overtake him late.
AUBURN, Wash. - Alexandersrun caught Norm's Nephew near the wire and drew off to a 3-4 length victory in Monday's $100,000 at Emerald Downs.
Alexandersrun, a son of Sweetsouthernsaint who races for Thomas Bell, came from ninth position in a field of 12 under a well-judged ride by Ricky Frazier. He got the 1 1-8 miles in 1: 49 and paid $6.00 to win as the solid favorite. Norm's Nephew held second by 1 1-4 lengths over Timeless Passion.
The decision to go for the bigger paycheck paid off for Dontbotherknocking at Remington Park on Monday. A day earlier, the horse had been scratched out of the $50,000 Sport City at Louisiana Downs to race in Oklahoma City, where he surged to pull a mild upset in the $125,000 DeBartolo Memorial Breeders' Cup Handicap, the richest turf race at Remington.
