SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Over the last two years, Ashado and Society Selection have dominated the important races for females at Saratoga. At 2, Ashado won the Schuylerville and Spinaway. At 3, Society Selection won the Test and Alabama.
Sunday, these two 4-year-old fillies will delve into another important race here when the two head a five-horse field in the Grade 1, $250,000 Go for Wand Handicap at nine furlongs.
Afleet Alex was resting comfortably at his Belmont Park base on Friday, the day after it was announced he would miss both the Haskell Invitational and Travers Stakes with a hairline condylar fracture to his left front cannon bone. His connections said a fall comeback has not been ruled out for the colt, who won this year's Preakness and Belmont Stakes.
The injury, near the bottom of the cannon bone, was detected Tuesday, and on Wednesday, Afleet Alex had a screw placed across the fracture in a 35-minute procedure at New Jersey Equine Clinic in Clarksburg, N.J.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - The field for the $1 million Haskell Invitational looked like a small gathering when Afleet Alex loomed a very solid favorite for Monmouth Park's premier event Aug. 7. But after a hairline fracture sidelined Afleet Alex this week, the Haskell has been put back in play for trainers who had declined invitations.
A field that figured to be four or five runners with Afleet Alex in the lineup could grow to eight or more without him. Before the Afleet Alex defection, Roman Ruler, Chekhov, and Park Avenue Ball were the only horses solidly committed to the race.
Todd Pletcher appears more than ready to make a run at another Saratoga record.
Two years ago, Pletcher won a record 35 races at the Spa and equaled that mark last summer. After winning with five consecutive starters over the last two days, Pletcher has six winners at the meet, two more than he had after three days last year.
Eleanor Casey, a prominent horse owner who enjoyed great success in the West Virginia Breeders Classics, died Thursday following an accident at the Charles Town Races during training hours.
According to one racetracker, Casey was on a ramp watching horses work out when a loose horse struck the rail, which came loose and hit Casey. She was taken to Jefferson Memorial Hospital in Charles Town for treatment of a broken hip and died there.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Quiet Cash, who almost equalled the track record for 6 1/2 furlongs at Hastings in his last start, heads a field of six older horses running in Sunday's $75,000 Great Canadian Stakes. He figures to face stiff competition from Royal Place and Tobe Suave in the 1 1/16-mile feature.
EDMONTON, Alberta - Visiting her fifth track in as many starts of her young career, Docalady drew post 4 in a field of nine two-year-old fillies in Sunday's $50,000 Princess Margaret at Northlands Park.
Docalady, one of two invaders for this six-furlong stake, has been the public choice in all of her appearances.
After finishing second at Hawthorne and Arlington in maiden special weight races, Docalady won her maiden in an $18,000 claimer at Churchill Downs. Docalady then ran fourth in the Timber Music Stakes at her new home at Hastings.
AUBURN, Wash. - Poker Brad will attempt to win a third straight renewal of the $100,000 Mt. Rainier Breeders' Cup on Sunday when he heads a select field of six at Emerald Downs.
The Mt. Rainier shares the spotlight with the $40,000 Governor's Handicap on Emerald's inaugural Mile Preview Day card. Nearly all of the Northwest hopefuls for the Grade 3, $250,000 Longacres Mile on Aug. 21 will run in either the 1 1/8-mile Mt. Rainier or the 6 1/2-furlong Governor's.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - As the New York Racing Association continued to make improvements to Saratoga's controversial race-day security barns, several horsemen voiced their support for the project Friday.
At a midafternoon news conference at the track, trainers David Donk and Gary Contessa and owner John Oxley said that aside from the 9-by-9-foot stalls - which most everyone agrees are too small - other safety issues have been remedied to their satisfaction.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Richard Dutrow won't need an alarm clock to get him out of bed Sunday morning.
After serving a 60-day suspension for medication violations, Dutrow will be eligible to return to work at Saratoga on Sunday morning.
"I'll be there at 5 a.m.," Dutrow said by phone Friday.
Dutrow can make entries in his name Sunday for Wednesday's card, but won't be listed in the program Sunday or Monday. Until then, horses from his barn will continue to run under the name of Juan Rodriguez, his New York assistant.
