CALGARY, Alberta - Invaders from Vancouver captured both stakes at Stampede Park over the weekend in extremely wet conditions, as Gold Accent proved best by five lengths in Saturday's Duchess of York, and Five Point Star was a 2 1/2-length winner of Sunday's Herald Gold Plate.
The track was sloppy for both races.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Ashado appears to be regaining her championship form - and not a moment too soon.
Ashado, last year's champion 3-year-old filly, worked a strong five furlongs in 59.06 seconds Sunday morning over Belmont Park's main track in preparation for her next start in Saturday's Grade 1, $300,000 Ogden Phipps Handicap. The move, which was done by herself, was the second-fastest of 39 at the distance.
"I think she's training better as a 4-year-old than she has her whole life,'' trainer Todd Pletcher said. "She's bigger, stronger, and a little more willing.''
ELMONT, N.Y. - With the Belmont Stakes complete, the countdown to Saratoga begins. There are six weeks remaining in the Belmont spring/summer meet, 30 days of racing before the New York racing community heads upstate.
Several highlights remain in the final six weeks at Belmont, none on Wednesday's nine-race card, which drew only 72 horses. Entries figure to be light this week, coming off a strong Belmont week in which 49 flat races were carded. A limited number of runners Wednesday could bode well for pick-six players chasing a $44,899 carryover.
Tests on a horse from trainer Paul Pearson's barn at Prairie Meadows came back negative for the equine herpes virus Monday morning, allowing the state vets to lift the quarantine that had been in effect on that horse's barn since last Tuesday.
As a result of the negative test, all shipping restrictions to and from Prairie Meadows have also been lifted.
The suspect horse, an unraced 3-year-old from Pearson's barn, had been taken to Iowa State University and placed in isolation last Monday afternoon after displaying a temperature and signs of neurological distress.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - A runner-up finish by County in an allowance race on May 15 left trainer Neil Drysdale frustrated. County was favored, but a poor break contributed to the loss and a chance for a second consecutive victory.
Wednesday at Hollywood Park, will be again be favored to claim his second victory in a $51,000 optional claimer over 1 1/16 miles for 3-year-olds. This time, even a tough start may not be enough to stop him.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo may be switched to turf later this summer after a disappointing seventh in Saturday's Belmont Stakes.
Trainer John Shirreffs said on Sunday that Giacomo will be rested for "a week or 10 days" before resuming training. Giacomo was flown to Hollywood Park on Sunday. His next start will come in the $400,000 Swaps Stakes over 1 1/8 miles on dirt on July 9 at Hollywood Park or the $400,000 Del Mar Derby over 1 1/8 miles on turf at Del Mar on Sept. 5.
The $150,000 Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park will be run at night for the first time this year. The race has been moved to Friday, Oct. 21, for the upcoming meet, and will highlight a 25-race stakes schedule that is a little richer and a little larger than last year in anticipation of the gaming casino that is set to open at the track in October.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - The one-mile turf allowance feature Wednesday at Monmouth Park proved so popular that the race office split it into a pair of nine-horse divisions each worth $41,000.
Gadget Man tops the first division, the sixth race.
A 4-year-old gelding, he has a record of 1-2-1 in five Monmouth grass starts. He switches back to the turf today for trainer Joe Pierce after two dirt allowance races this meet.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Forrest G. wants more furlongs. Five were fine when he pulled a 33-1 upset in the $135,000 colts and geldings division of the Texas Thoroughbred Association Sales Futurity on Saturday. But he was really just getting started as the race ended, and will improve with more ground, said his co-owner and trainer, Marvin Hayes.
"He's a big old colt, and he was kind of just playing [at five furlongs]," Hayes said. "He's a long ways from reaching his potential."
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - More than three years ago, Perfect Drift was little more than a footnote in postrace analyses of the 2002 Belmont Stakes, the race in which War Emblem lost his bid for a Triple Crown and Sarava became the longest-priced winner in race history when scoring at 70-1.
