AUBURN, Wash. - The competition for top handicap horse at Emerald Downs and best local hope for the Grade 3 Longacres Mile extends beyond the powerhouse barn of trainer Jim Penney.
Mr. Makaw suggested as much when he upset Penney's heavily favored Sabertooth in the June 19 Budweiser Emerald Handicap at a mile, and Poker Brad underscored the point on Sunday when he beat Penney's richly talented Flamethrowintexan in a thrilling edition of the Independence Day Handicap at 1 1/16 miles.
Prairie Meadows ended its 47-day Thoroughbred meeting Monday with across-the-board declines in handle.
Total handle averaged $512,136 per day this year, compared with $711,528 at the corresponding 49-day meeting in 2004, a decrease of 28 percent. Ontrack handle averaged $77,768, down 2.5 percent from 2004.
A distance change for the Las Palmas Handicap and a later date for California Cup Day are two of the most significant changes to the schedule of 28 stakes to be run during the Oak Tree at Santa Anita meeting, from Sept. 28 to Nov. 6.
The $150,000 Las Palmas Handicap for fillies and mares will be run over a mile, a reduction of one furlong from past runnings. According to director of racing Mike Harlow, the move to a shorter Las Palmas is designed to make the race more of a prep to the Grade 1 Matriarch Stakes, run over a mile on turf in late November at Hollywood Park.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - American horses were expected to dominate last Sunday's $325,800 King Edward Breeders' Cup at Woodbine, following the lead of Wild Desert and King of Jazz here in the June 26 Queen's Plate.
Although the shippers took most of the public's support in the King Edward, they did not take home much of the purse, as the 5-2 Golden Commander ran fourth and the 4-5 Silver Tree ended last in the field of five.
That left Sam-Son Farm and trainer Mark Frostad as the big winners in the King Edward, a 1 1/8-mile turf race.
PLEASANTON, Calif. - In a race filled with speed, is it wise to bet a speed horse who may not get the lead? It may be Thursday when seven fillies and mares meet in a $25,000 optional claimer at the Alameda County Fair.
Sexy Helmsman is usually on or near the lead, and even if she doesn't make the front in Thursday's 5 1/2-furlong race, she may have the class to get the job done. She has run decently against better from off the pace and seems capable of showing improvement in her second start of the year.
Leading Spirit, a two-time Grade 1 futurity winner, takes the next step to a possible $4 million bonus in one of the 16 trials to the Grade 1, $700,000 (estimated) Rainbow Futurity on Thursday afternoon at Ruidoso Downs.
Leading Spirit dominated the Grade 1 Ruidoso Futurity, and if he can win the Rainbow Futurity and the $2 million All American Futurity, his connections will receive the $4 million bonus.
The juveniles with the 10 fastest times in the Rainbow trials qualify for the Rainbow Futurity finals on July 24.
High Dice can be forgiven for not winning the State Fair Board Handicap for five consecutive years. The race didn't fill in 2002 and High Dice was not in training in 2004.
On Monday, High Dice won the race for the third time, using a late surge to edge pacesetting What About David by a long nose in 1:43. High Dice, who also won the State Fair Board Handicap in 2001 and 2003, finished the mile and 70 yards in 1:43 and returned $6 for the win with Dennis Collins aboard.
Owned and trained by Herb Riecken, High Dice is 10-4-6 from 20 starts over Lincoln's five-furlong oval.
Keep This Cat rallied strongly through the stretch under Gerard Melancon at Evangeline Downs on Monday night to capture the Tellike Handicap by four lengths. Midnight Delight, a longshot, finished second, followed by Living Lavida Lisa. Miss Smart Strike, the even-money favorite and starting highweight, never fired and finished ninth in the field of 10 fillies and mares.
Defending champion Coach Jimi Lee ($3.40) wore down Premium Saltine in the final sixteenth of a mile to score a neck victory in Monday's six-furlong, $125,000 at Prairie Meadows.
Jockey Craig Perret had Coach Jimi Lee just off the pace set by El Dorato Shooter through a half-mile in 45.96. Premium Saltine took the lead inside rivals entering the stretch, and the five-horse Sprint field was separated by less than two lengths with a furlong to run, before the top pair kicked clear.
