SASKATOON, Saskatchewan - She's Nifty looms the one to beat Friday in the first stakes event of the Marquis Downs meet, the $6,000 Matron Handicap for older fillies and mares.
A field of eight will contest the Matron, a six-furlong race, and there should be enough pace for She's Nifty to make her presence felt down the stretch.
WINNIPEG, Manitoba - Cherokee Dancer should be tough in Friday's featured fourth race, a first-level allowance for 3-year-olds at 7 1/2 furlongs.
After facing maiden special weight runners twice at Woodbine last year, Cherokee Dancer romped to victory for trainer Wendy Kruger in his seasonal debut here May 8.
A son of Cherokee Run, Cherokee Dancer followed that win with a third-place finish in the Golden Boy Stakes.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - There is no question that the Queen's Plate is the prize most coveted by owners, breeders, trainers, and jockeys in Canada. On occasion, however, the Plate prize has fallen to connections based south of the border, and this year three American-owned and -based horses will be among the expected field of nine Canadian-bred 3-year-olds in the 1 1/4-mile race on Sunday.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Afleet Alex has comfortably settled into summer quarters in Barn 18 at Belmont Park.
It's a somewhat secluded corner that fronts a nice patch of grazing grass, perfect for some peace and quiet following the Triple Crown madness.
Trainer Tim Ritchey was due to arrive from Delaware Park on Wednesday morning to check on Afleet Alex.
While Ritchey has been tending to his main string at Delaware, Afleet Alex is being pampered here by assistant trainer Roque Romero.
The two are largely inseparable.
ELMONT, N.Y. - A switch back to the main track and a return to New York-bred company could get Show Boot back to his usually consistent form.
The 4-year-old is one of five entered for the $50,000 Take Me Out Stakes, the six-furlong feature Thursday at Belmont Park.
Trainer Tim Hills experimented with Show Boot last out by running him in a seven-furlong grass race on the Belmont Stakes undercard. Show Boot flashed his customary speed but faded badly to finish ninth.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo is expected to make a full recovery and return to racing next year after undergoing surgery at Hollywood Park on Tuesday to have bone chips removed from his left front ankle and his right knee.
The two-hour procedure, conducted by Dr. Rick Arthur, will result in Giacomo being rested for about three months. He could return in the first few weeks of the Santa Anita winter meeting in 2006.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The career of Star Pupil has gone in a surprising direction since he arrived from England over the winter.
After racing primarily in sprints in 2004, Star Pupil has excelled at longer distances this year. Thursday, Star Pupil will attempt to win his second consecutive start, in a $55,000 allowance race over 1 1/4 miles on turf at Hollywood Park.
"He seems to be handling the added distance," trainer Tim Yakteen said. "There was some question, because he's out of a sprinting family."
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - If a trainer has just one client with a lot of horses, his business can be highly prosperous and relatively simple, assuming he and the client have a workable and long-lasting relationship.
This all-your-eggs-in-one-basket way of conducting business often represents a marked contrast to the dealings of a trainer with a public stable. A trainer with multiple clients finds himself doing the same kind of chores over and over, namely the communicating of everyday details to different clients.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - There is validity to the argument that if some tracks would card a higher percentage of their races on the grass, the races would fill better. Unfortunately, the reality is that practicality precludes overuse of the turf course, and racing officials find themselves struggling to fill dirt races almost on a daily basis.
OPELOUSAS, La. - All systems appear to be go for Evangeline Downs to reopen next Wednesday following an overhaul of the racing surface. Racing operations were suspended on May 12 after the jockeys refused to ride over a track they deemed unsafe. Because of the seven-week interruption, the meet has been extended to Sept. 24 and the stakes schedule has been modified.
On Monday, the Louisiana State Racing Commission approved plans to resume racing Wednesday, one day earlier than track officials had projected.
