SAN MATEO, Calif. - It was probably only a matter of time before the paths of Jewels of Bagdad and Lunachick intertwined.
The two 3-year-old fillies, both of whom are undefeated at Bay Meadows, meet Sunday in the $55,000-added Winners' Foundation Sprint at six furlongs.
They have five rivals, including recent maiden winners R Fast Lady and Iknowicaniknowican, and Sneaky Jack, who comes off an allowance win here. Kash Klip and Gottahavemilk round out the field.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - As the field turned into the stretch for the third and final time Friday at Keeneland, the stage was set for a dramatic duel between the last two Eclipse Award winners in the steeplechase category. But it wasn't to be. A relentless run by Hirapour, the 2004 Eclipse champion, proved too much, and he proceeded to a convincing victory in the Grade 1, $159,250 for the Sport of Kings over the 2003 champ, McDynamo.
Argent Mortgage has reached agreement with the New York Racing Association to be the presenting sponsor for the 137th Belmont Stakes, to be run on June 11 at Belmont Park.
The deal does not infringe on Visa's sponsorship of the Triple Crown series, said Bill Nader, senior vice president for the New York Racing Association.
"Visa is the umbrella sponsor of the Triple Crown series," Nader said. "The Derby and Preakness could also have a title or presenting sponsor."
STICKNEY, Ill. - During more than four decades training racehorses and dabbling in other peripheral pursuits, Richard Hazelton has seen plenty, much of it from horseback, most of the rest from a standing position. But over the winter, Hazelton was flat on his back, laid out by a serious spinal problem and wondering if and when he was coming back from this one.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The recent win by Cee's Irish in the Sunland Park Oaks will make her the favorite in Sunday's $200,000 Melair Stakes at Hollywood Park, but it has not scared off an interesting cast of rivals.
is one of 11 California-bred 3-year-old fillies in the Melair, run over 1 1/16 miles. Her main competition includes Lady Bertrando, a Turf Paradise stakes winner; Leave Me Alone, who was second in the Santa Paula Stakes at Santa Anita; and Dayglogreen, the runner-up in the Sunland Park Oaks.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Two weeks after recording the most prestigious victory of her career in the Grade 1 Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn Park, Dream of Summer will be a strong favorite when she starts in the $150,000 B. Thoughtful Stakes at Hollywood Park.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Less than a length separated Valentine Dancer and Scrofa at the finish of the Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 29. won the $500,000 race by a neck after staying close to the pace, while Scrofa rallied from 11th to miss by three-quarters of a length, finishing fourth.
The rematch occurs in Sunday's first race at Hollywood Park, the $150,000 Fran's Valentine Stakes for statebred fillies and mares over 1 1/16 miles on turf.
This time trainer Paul Aguirre feels Scrofa will be the California-bred in the winner's circle.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Wes Fitzpatrick has a lighthearted explanation for Continental Red's longevity. The gelding was foaled on a leap day, Feb. 29, 1996.
"He's only had two birthdays; he thinks he's a 3-year-old," said Fitzpatrick. He and his wife, Sharon, own and bred Continental Red, who will try to turn back time Sunday and become only the third horse in Hollywood Park history to win a stakes race at age 9.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - To conquer Sunday's pick six at Hollywood Park, which features a guaranteed pool of $1 million, bettors must sort through two tricky restricted stakes that have drawn large fields.
Six of the 10 races on Sunday's California Gold Rush program for statebreds are worth $150,000 or more, while the other four are for maidens or allowance-class horses. Those four races have drawn 12 to 14 entrants each.
