ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Cool Conductor always was cut out to be a good grass horse, but he had kinks to smooth. Ralph Nicks was stamped as a horse trainer, and after a couple of bumps, he seems to have made it.
Nicks's big horse? Cool Conductor, who runs Saturday in a robust edition of the Arlington Handicap. Cool Conductor beat Grade 1 winners Artie Schiller and Good Reward in the May 21 Dixie Handicap just days after Nicks took over training from his longtime mentor, Bill Mott.
DEL MAR, Calif. - El Roblar remained unbeaten after three starts and Becrux revived his career with wins in divisions of the Oceanside Stakes on Wednesday's opening day at Del Mar.
Both handle and attendance on Wednesday increased from last year's opening day. Wednesday's ontrack crowd of 40,046 was an increase of 1.7 percent and the second-highest opening day in track history. The all-sources handle of $14,880,714 improved 1.9 percent over last year, while the ontrack handle of $4,673,891 jumped 7.3 percent. The all-sources handle was an opening-day record.
OMAHA, Neb. - A pair of stakes, topped by the $40,000 Queen's Handicap, will be held Saturday on day three of Horsemen's Park's four-day Festival of Racing.
The program's other stakes is the $27,500 Who Doctor Who Handicap, where a field of eight older Nebraska-breds will meet at a mile. Fittingly, the former voice of Ak-Sar-Ben, Terry Wallace, has returned to call the races here for another season. One of Wallace's best-remembered calls at Ak-Sar-Ben was his trademark "Who! Doctor! Who!" whenever the local hero raced.
Trainer Leroy Hellman's decision to enter his formidable 4-year-old filly Lady Riss against males in Saturday's one-mile Pete Condellone Memorial Handicap at Fairmount Park boiled down to two key factors.
Confident Lady Riss could run with the best of the locals, Hellman wanted to see whether there would be any lights-out Chicago shippers set to go in the $40,000 race.
The entry of Mingo Mohawk and Perfect Pose looks formidable in the $60,000-added Iowa Stallion Stakes for 3-year-olds at Prairie Meadows.
Mingo Mohawk looks like the stronger half of the entry in the mile and 70-yard Stallion Stakes. Both Mingo Mohawk and Perfect Pose are trained by Dick Clark, this track's all-time leading trainer.
Mingo Mohawk finished second, beaten a neck, against open allowance company here two weeks ago at Saturday's distance. In his previous start, Mingo Mohawk rallied to score a two-length victory over statebred allowance foes here June 23.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - The eighth race at Hastings, a $35,000 optional claimer, is easily the most intriguing race on the 10-race card. The 6 1/2-furlong race drew six horses, and there is an abundance of speed.
Celt, who is trained by Dino Condilenios, is the quickest of them all, though. He has held the lead at the first and second call in 20 straight sprints, and if anyone tries to keep up with the speedy 6-year-old gelding early, they're likely going to pay the price late.
EDMONTON, Alberta - All four stakes for older fillies and mares offered in Alberta this year have been won by visitors from Hastings, and Stole One will be looking to continue that trend in Saturday's $50,000 John Patrick Memorial. Among her seven opponents in the one-mile race are five Northlands Park-based mares.
AUBURN, Wash. - Strollin Slew is the one to beat in Saturday's best race at Emerald Downs, a six-furlong test for fillies and mares to be run under $25,000 optional claiming conditions.
Strollin Slew, a 5-year-old by Seattle Slew, has impressed in both of her Emerald Downs outings. In her local debut on May 14, she prevailed in a four-way speed duel before yielding late to a perfect-trip winner in a $40,000 optional claiming event at six furlongs. Among those she outdueled that day was Karis Makaw, who has since won two in a row, including the King County Handicap at a mile.
Philadelphia Park has saved its biggest field and perhaps its best betting race for last on a 10-race program Saturday that features six stakes for Pennsylvania-breds worth a collective $300,000.
The Mrs. Penny, a 1 1/16-mile turf race for older fillies and mares, drew 19 entries and will have 14 starters as the finale of Pennsylvania Day at the Races.
The card also includes two other turf stakes - one a sprint and the other a route - a pair of seven-furlong stakes, and a steeplechase event.