The aptly named Hasta La Vista Handicap brings down the curtain on the long Turf Paradise season Sunday, but as with many other stakes during the meet, the $50,000 marathon's top prize may go back with Southern California invader.
Habaneros and Native Approval, two Southern California invaders, are among the horses to beat as 11 go in the traditional Turf Paradise closing-day feature at 1 7/8 miles on the turf. The Hasta La Vista is the final race of the meet, race 11 on Sunday's card.
FORT ERIE, Ontario - Owner-trainer Paul Mandalfino, who had only one win here in 2004, is on a hot streak with his runner Elora. The mare, who makes up half of Mandalfino's two-horse outfit, scored her third consecutive win on Monday.
Mandalfino purchased Elora last summer for $750. She was a 4-year-old maiden.
Two weeks later, Elora was in the winner's circle. In nine races for him she has not failed to produce a check.
Elora began her streak in her first start of 2005. It was a seven-length score at Mountaineer Park in a $5,000 claimer for non-winners of two.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Ever since the United States passed legislation allowing foreign racing fans to bet directly into U.S. parimutuel pools, fans at Hastings have been champing at the bit to bet into those significantly larger pools.
The way it works now is that Canadians bet on races in the States, but they are betting into a separate, much smaller Canada-wide pool. Also, when a track like Hollywood Park offers a guaranteed $1 million pool, Canadians can not take part.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - The well-traveled Portsea returns to Monmouth Park, the scene of her first victory, for the $60,000 Just Smashing Stakes on Sunday.
Since that maiden win last July, Portsea, a daughter of More Than Ready, has scored stakes wins in the Sandpiper Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs and the Meafara Breeders' Cup Stakes at Hawthorne.
She posted career-best Beyer Speed Figures of 88 in both stakes, and that number tops this field of 3-year-old fillies going six furlongs.
Trained by Todd Pletcher, Portsea will be ridden by Chris DeCarlo.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - The talented Lemon Maid will go 1 1/16 miles for the first time on Sunday, and she will do it against a quality group of 3-year-old fillies in the $271,500 Selene Stakes at Woodbine.
has had two career races, both at six furlongs. She won by 3 3/4 lengths both times, earning identical Beyer Speed Figures of 91. She won her debut at the Fair Grounds and then took the April 24 Star Shoot Stakes at Woodbine over a sloppy track here off a two-month layoff.
Trainer Malcolm Pierce said Lemon Maid really blossomed over the winter.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - It took a while but the Stronach Stable division trained by Bobby Frankel got off the duck at Woodbine on Thursday when Navajo Princess won the fourth race.
Frankel, who heeded Frank Stronach's request to add a division here this year, was assigned 25 stalls while Justin Nixon, the other ontrack Stronach trainer, got 15.
But, due to the demands of the Triple Crown and other business, Frankel has yet to actually visit Woodbine this year.
WINNIPEG, Manitoba - Around this time last year, trainer Bert Blake was unveiling Shanghied for owner Robert Mitchell to the Assiniboia Downs faithful. Shanghied won three stakes here last year and finished third in the Manitoba Derby, on his way to picking up local honors for horse of the year and 3-year-old colt.
This year the duo of Blake and Mitchell rest their Manitoba Derby hopes on Prime Time T.V., who should be heavily favored in the seventh race on Sunday, a first-level allowance race for 3-year-olds at 5 1/2 furlongs.
BALTIMORE - One year after winning his first career stakes race here, Artie Schiller returns to Pimlico on Saturday to continue his ascension to the top of the turf division.
will face five rivals, including defending Breeders' Cup Turf winner Better Talk Now, in the Grade 2, $200,000 Dixie Handicap. The Dixie is the richest of six stakes races on the Preakness undercard and is the first leg of a pick four wager that has a guaranteed pool of $1 million.
BALTIMORE - Leo Nechamkin experienced one of the greatest thrills of his life last Preakness Day when Gators N Bears stormed home a winner in the Maryland Breeders' Cup Handicap at Pimlico. So it's quite understandable that Nechamkin would like nothing more than another winning effort from his stable star when the Maryland BC is run again Saturday.
"You're almost numb when something like that happens," said Nechamkin, a 55-year-old Maryland native and resident who owns and trains Gators N Bears, a remarkably consistent 5-year-old who has earned $783,270. "It was a real thrill."
