FORT ERIE, Ontario - Owner-trainer Nick Nosowenko said he thinks he will be saddling the favorite in Sunday's $100,000 Ernie Samuel Stakes, a supporting feature to Fort Erie's signature race, the $500,000 Prince of Wales.
And rightfully so. His 5-year-old mare Tamara has earned Beyer Speed Figures of 91 and 94 in her last two outings, both on turf. None of the other five runners in the Ernie Samuel, a 1 1/16-mile turf stakes for Canadian-bred fillies and mares, has ever surpassed 91.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Woodbine will return to a 72-hour draw full-time, effective with the racing week beginning Aug. 10.
A Sunday-for-Wednesday draw had been reinstituted this spring, but all other cards were drawn on a 48-hour basis.
Chris Evans, Woodbine's vice president, Thoroughbred racing, said Friday that the Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association had lobbied for a return to a regular 72-hour draw and management had acquiesced.
WINNIPEG, Manitoba - Trainer Ardell Sayler sends out four of the seven 2-year-old fillies in the $40,000 Debutante Stakes at 5 1/2 furlongs Sunday at Assiniboia Downs. Sayler has two of the three winners in the field, Lyric Lake and Hey Hey Renee.
Lyric Lake posted a Beyer Speed Figure of 54 when she won at first asking over 4 1/2 furlongs here July 1. Hey Hey Renee, who also won at first asking over the same distance on July 5, posted a Beyer Speed Figure of 44.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - My Trusty Cat adds some Grade 1 luster to the $65,000 Red Cross Stakes Sunday at Monmouth Park.
The classy 5-year-old mare trained by David Vance was a $100 supplemental entry in the field of seven fillies and mares going six furlongs.
, a career winner of $880,253, is no stranger to Grade 1 competition. She won the seven-furlong Humana Distaff Handicap on Derby Day at Churchill Downs.
She also lost by only a head in last year's Ballerina Handicap at Saratoga.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - High Strike Zone has been unbeatable at one mile, and on Sunday he will be a clear favorite at the distance in the $75,000 Bob Johnson Memorial, the closing-day feature at Lone Star Park. Others in the six-horse field include Majestic Thief and Intelligent Male.
McDynamo, the Eclipse Award-winning steeplechase horse of 2003, races in something other than a Grade 1 stakes for the first time in nearly three years in Sunday's David L. "Zeke" Ferguson Memorial Hurdle Stakes at Colonial Downs.
The Grade 3 Ferguson, which will be contested at 2 1/4 miles, drew just five entrants, including the 2003 winner, Anofferucantrefuse.
The 8-year-old , trained by Sanna Hendriks, could be in need of a confidence booster after losing his last three starts, including two this spring.
MIAMI - Now that the Summit of Speed is in the record books, local attention will turn almost completely to the 2-year-old division and the upcoming Florida Stallion series, which begins Aug. 13 with the $75,000 Dr. Fager and Desert Vixen stakes. Both races will be decided at six furlongs.
The early favorite in the open division of the stallion series is the undefeated In Summation, who ran his record to a perfect 3 for 3 with his victory in Sunday's Birdonthewire Stakes.
Risen Empress, a winner of two straight against Louisiana-breds and stakes-placed against open company earlier in the Louisiana Downs meeting, will attempt to extend her win streak in Sunday's Hallowed Dreams Stakes. The six-furlong statebred headliner is named for the remarkable Louisiana-bred filly who strung together 16 wins in a row in her home state a few years ago.
Bettors who like playing stakes races, especially those with full, wide-open fields, will thoroughly enjoy the $40,000 Hoover Stakes at River Downs.
No fewer than 15 Ohio-bred 2-year-olds were entered for the 5 1/2-furlong Hoover, with 14 allowed to start. Among the 15 are three fillies, including Fight Girl, who might start as the favorite.
AUBURN, Wash. - Be a Halo registered his first official workout since arriving from Arlington Park on Tuesday, going five furlongs in a minute under exercise rider Bryson Cooper.
"He did just fine," said Kay Cooper, assistant to trainer Jim Penney. "We're trying to teach him to relax and rate so that he will stretch out. We've still got more work to do, but Bryson said he was more manageable than we thought he'd be. It was a good first step in the process."
