Jockey Calvin Borel won the 4,000th race of his career on Wednesday at Oaklawn Park when he captured the with first-time starter Jet Angel ($9.60), trained by Randy Morse. Borel's mount raced along the rail, fought a stretchlong duel with Thisisyourday, and won by a neck.
"Coming to the wire, I thought I had the other horse," said Borel, 38. "What was running through my mind was, 'This is it. This is it.' "
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - The undefeated Munificence will have a bit of history on his side Saturday when he steps up in class for the $100,000 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park. He will be coming into the race off a Delta Downs stakes win, much like Crowned King, who in 2003 shipped to Hot Springs following a Delta stakes placing and upset one of Oaklawn's major races for 3-year-olds, the Rebel.
Evangeline Downs has added six new stakes to its schedule for the 2005 season, which will be conducted for the first time at its new site in Opelousas, La., beginning April 7. In all, 17 stakes worth $965,000 will be decided, highlighted by the inaugural Louisiana Legends Night on July 2.
Louisiana Legends Night is a program of eight statebred stakes worth a cumulative $425,000. It is led by the $100,000 D.S. "Shine" Young Memorial Futurity. The five-furlong race for 2-year-olds bred in Louisiana will be run for the 40th time.
Leaving on My Mind, named Texas-bred of the year in 2004, will make his 3-year-old debut Saturday night in the colts and geldings division of the $125,000 Texas Stallion Stakes at Sam Houston Race Park. The other division of the $125,000 Texas Stallion Stakes, for fillies, is led by the Steve Asmussen-trained pair of Timber Jones and Tuned In.
The same connections that brought us Smarty Jones last season may have another blossoming 3-year-old, this one a filly.
Last Toots ($10.40), stretching out to a mile and 70 yards off two sprints to begin her career, won a maiden race by 13 1/2 lengths last Saturday at Philadelphia Park.
A daughter of Concern out of Toots La Mae, Last Toots is owned by the Someday Farm of Roy and Patricia Chapman and trained by John Servis. Ridden by Harry Vega, Last Toots earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 81.
Jockey Jorge Tipa came into last Friday's program at Penn National mired in a 1-for-27 slump to start the year. Tipa broke out in a big way, winning with his last three mounts on a nine-race card - all at juicy mutuels.
Tipa cruised to a five-length victory in a 5 1/2-furlong sprint with Key to the Bomb ($37.80), was aboard Eastover ($14) when the 10-year-old gelding, trained by Bruce Kravets, ended a 14-race losing streak going a mile and 70 yards, and rode the 10-year-old mare P.C. Bad Girl ($43) to a win for trainer Dona Albright in a one-mile $3,500 claiming race.
Dale Baird, racing's all-time leader with more than 9,000 victories, was 1 for 36 at Mountaineer's current meet until he saddled two winners on last Saturday's program.
One of Baird's winners, Amherst Wildcat ($19.40), had been idle since last April.
* Winner's Quest ($4.20), beaten 20 1/4 lengths in his last start as the even-money favorite on Dec. 28, returned in a $5,000 maiden claiming race for new trainer Franklin Brinkley last Saturday and won by 18 3/4 lengths going a mile and 70 yards. Winner's Quest improved his Beyer Speed Figure from a 19 to a 62.
Led by three victories by Angel Quinones and two by Gerald Almodovar, apprentice riders combined to win seven of the 10 races on Sunday's program at Charles Town. Almodovar, the track's fifth-leading rider in 2004, avoided serious injury when he was involved in a three-horse spill on Feb. 6. Unaffected by the incident, Almodovar won 12 races during the five-day racing week, including four last Friday night. With 36 victories heading into Wednesday night's program, Almodovar has twice as many as runner-up Kendrick Carmouche.
Saturday's 38th edition of the Grasmick Handicap at Fonner Park will somehow seem different.
As usual, there is a defending champion expected to run: Tonight Rainbow from the barn of Boyd Caster. But the "old man" of the race, Leaping Plum, will be absent from the list of starters for the first time in 11 years.
Now a spry 14-year-old living out his retirement days on a farm near Brookings, S.D., Leaping Plum began his run in 1995 with the first of seven straight Grasmick victories.
