MIAMI - Anybody trying to determine whether Crown Point's fourth-place finish in the Grand Canyon Handicap at Churchill Downs can be disregarded when handicapping Saturday's $100,000 at Calder need not wonder any longer.
"The turf course was a bog, and he just wasn't as sharp as he was in his previous two victories," said trainer David Donk when asked to assess Crown Point's performance in the Grand Canyon. "I think it's a throw out."
MIAMI - It's early in the year. Way early. Trainer Tom Proctor knows that some of the fillies who will face Rich in Spirit in the Tropical Park Oaks might eventually surpass her in scope and deed, but until that happens, Proctor will stand pat with what he's got.
"Right now, my filly's a little more proven than the others," said Proctor. "Right now. That's the way you've got to look at it, I think."
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Little has gone right for Belong to Sea since she began her career with three straight wins in the winter and spring of 2003. Now that Belong to Sea is nearly done racing, things seemingly could not be going any better for the filly.
At least that's what trainer Lisa Lewis believes as she prepares to saddle Belong to Sea against six rivals in Saturday's $75,000 Interborough Handicap, the New Year's Day feature at Aqueduct.
NEW ORLEANS - Trainer Steve Asmussen has entered a pair of stakes-winning fillies, Coronado Rose and More Moonlight, in Saturday's $50,000 Letellier Memorial Stakes on New Year's Day at Fair Grounds.
For 3-year-old fillies at six furlongs, the Letellier, formerly the Thelma Stakes, drew only three challengers to Asmussen's pair, including two fillies trained by Dallas Stewart: Hot Storm and Steal the Show.
The weight assignments have Asmussen concerned.
ALBANY, Calif. - Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer hopes to start 2005 with a repeat of one of his feats of 2004.
Horses trained by Hollendorfer ran one-two in seven northern California stakes in 2004, including the Forty-Niner Handicap here on Nov. 26, when the uncoupled Yougottawanna beat Adreamisborn by a neck.
Hollendorfer will send out co-highweights Adreamisborn and Yougottawanna against three rivals on Saturday in the $75,000-added Lafayette Handicap. The one-mile race, originally carded for the turf, will be run on the main track.
Three impressive out-of-towners will try to thwart Seeyoubychance in his bid to win three in a row in Saturday's $50,000 Dancing Count for 3-year-old sprinters at Pimlico.
Seeyoubychance, winner of the H.S. Mitchell on Dec. 4 and an optional claiming sprint two starts ago, figures to have his hands full in the six-furlong Dancing Count against graded stakes winner Primal Storm, Florida shipper Hesa Big Star, and Penn National-based speedster More Smoke.
CHICAGO - The broodmare Scarlet Gal, standing on some rural patch of ground, could have pumped up her chest with pride. Not one but two of her offspring won races at Hawthorne on Wednesday afternoon.
Scarlet Splash, a 3-year-old daughter of Scarlet Gal, paid $54 after she rallied from ninth to win the third race, a $10,000 maiden-claiming sprint. Less than two hours later, Scarlet Splash's 2-year-old sister, Discreet Gal, led all the way to win her maiden in an Illinois-bred route race.
A brother in the family, Scarlet Lad, won a lower-level claiming race here last week.
NEW ORLEANS - G P Fleet manhandled a good field last week in an optional claiming race that was washed off the turf, beating the resurgent Candid Glen going away. He has now won three in a row, including the Grade 3 River City Handicap at Churchill Downs.
"G P Fleet is probably the best horse I brought down here," said Kentucky-based trainer Steve Flint, who shipped in 26 horses for the Fair Grounds meet. "I had some other good ones up there but I didn't want to take up space here if I don't run."
