FORT ERIE, Ontario - Although Roman Romance finished second in the 1 1/16-mile Golden Horseshoe Cup here two weeks ago, it was a clunker of a race for her Beyer-wise.
A winner of eight races and more than $500,000, Roman Romance received a modest 59 Beyer when beaten 1 3/4 lengths in a weak and small field as the odds-on favorite. She has routinely posted Beyers in the 80's in sprints and in the upper 70's when going a route.
Due to Hurricane Katrina, Calder Race Course has canceled one race from its card for Saturday, Aug. 27, and renumbered the last eight races. The original fifth race, the Aspidistra Handicap, has been rescheduled to Labor Day, Sept. 5. In all published Saturday editions of Daily Racing Form, races that appear as Nos. 6 through 13 have now been moved up by one race each and will be run as Nos. 5 through 12. Past performances purchased on-line after 3 p.m on. Friday will reflect the new, correct race numbers.
Tall people can be successful jockeys, too. Mike McCarthy and Mark Johnston, both of whom are 5 feet 9 inches tall, were standouts for many years on the East Coast, and now an apprentice with a very similar build is making his mark on the Kentucky circuit.
Dane Kobiskie, a 26-year-old former Marine, has won 30 races at the Ellis Park meet in Henderson, Ky., placing him second behind Jesus Castanon in the jockey standings. Kobiskie, who is 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 109 pounds, said he is "ecstatic" with how he has progressed this summer.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Horsemen from coast to coast have heaped praise upon throughout his 3-year-old campaign. But trainer Nick Zito paid the undefeated Lost in the Fog the ultimate compliment earlier this week without ever saying a word. Zito opted to enter Bellamy Road in 1 1/4-mile Travers rather than face Lost in the Fog in the seven-furlong King's Bishop Stakes as he had originally intended.
The presence of Lost in the Fog makes the Grade 1, $250,000 King's Bishop the focal point of the undercard on Saturday's 12-race Travers day program at Saratoga.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - One year ago, was outgamed through the stretch and beaten a half-length by the Bobby Frankel-trained Nothing to Lose in the $200,000 Fourstardave Handicap. On Saturday, Silver Tree returns against an even more formidable Frankel foe, two-time Grade 1 winner Leroidesanimaux, in the 2005 edition of the Grade 2 Fourstardave.
Leroidesanimaux carries high weight of 122 pounds and will be heavily favored against only
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Precocious babies with speed have become the norm for trainer Patrick Biancone. But as the distances began to get longer, Biancone's juveniles - such as Mayakovsky, Zavata, and Whywhywhy - haven't been as effective.
In the 2002 Hopeful, Zavata was sent off as the 3-10 favorite only to finish third behind Sky Mesa. In the 2001 Hopeful, Mayakovsky, who had equaled a Saratoga track record in a maiden win earlier in the meet, finished second behind Came Home.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Bully Bones's reputation soared when she won the Grade 3 Sorrento Stakes on Aug. 6 after a layoff of more than three months. She fought for the lead throughout the 6 1/2-furlong race and beat eight rivals, showing no effects from the time off.
The victory has done little to make her next assignment any easier. In Saturday's Grade 1, $250,000 over seven furlongs, Bully Bones faces 10 rivals, including several recent maiden winners that have added depth to the 2-year-old filly division.
DEL MAR, Calif. - For the first five weeks of the Del Mar meeting, trainer Dan Hendricks's stable has been better known for making a claim than winning races. Hendricks had won only one race entering Friday's card, but on July 22, Hendricks claimed Smoocher on behalf of owners John and Allegra Ernst for a Del Mar record $125,000.
