CHICAGO - By name, Iceplosion seems ideally suited to Sunday's featured seventh race at chilly Hawthorne, and on form, Iceplosion looks at least as strong.
late run has left him just short of victory in his last two starts, but come Sunday he could break through in this third-level sprint allowance with a $35,000 claiming option.
Hunch players searching for some holiday cheer ought to take a look at Sunday's entries for the Christmas Stakes, a $75,000 six-furlong sprint at Mountaineer Race Track. The name Peace and Joy practically jumps off the page.
In addition to being aptly named for a race in honor of Christmas, the 5-year-old Peace and Joy has decent credentials. He has won his last two starts and owns a 4-for-6 lifetime record at Mountaineer.
For traditional handicappers, however, it's hard to get past Danieltown.
Experts Only, a winner against open company the last two times she has raced at Pimlico, appears likely to offer good value in a field of 10 Maryland-bred fillies and mares in the $50,000 Squan Song at six furlongs.
A 4-year-old filly trained by Francis Campitelli, Experts Only posted identical Beyers of 83 in victories over high-priced optional claimers in August and November. Her best finish in three stakes appearances this season was a third at Charles Town. She is 6-1 on the track's morning line.
Seeyoubychance, Snack, and Wild Remarks - each a stakes winner in his most recent start - are prime contenders in the $50,000 St. Nick, a seven-furlong stakes for 2-year-olds at Charles Town.
Seeyoubychance comes off a neck win in the H.S. Mitchell at Pimlico, earning a Beyer of 75. In his only previous start at Charles Town, he won his maiden going 4 1/2 furlongs.
Cash for Kas, winner of the Champion of Champions, will make a final week bid for the 2004 Quarter Horse world champion's title when she starts in the Grade 1, $400,000 The Championship at Sunland Park on Sunday afternoon. Also on the card is the $161,254 Riley Allison Futurity for 2-year-old Thoroughbreds.
The undefeated Cajun Pepper will face the biggest test of his career Sunday, when he attempts to win his fifth consecutive race in the $161,254 at Sunland Park near El Paso.
A 6 1/2-furlong sprint, the Riley Allison is one of two stakes on the 11-race card, the other being the $400,000 The Championship for Quarter Horses. The winner of the Riley Allison gets a berth into the richest race of the meet, the $500,000 WinStar Derby on April 2.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Rene Douglas earned his first riding title at a Southern California track during the Hollywood Park fall meeting that ended last Monday, leaving him eager for the start of the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting on Sunday.
Douglas, 37, was winless on the final program, but finished with 37 wins, two more than Tyler Baze.
"I didn't want to think about it until today because Tyler was getting close to me," Douglas said on Monday. "It's a thrill. It's a big deal."
With winter storm conditions continuing and travel restricted, Turfway Park has cancelled live racing for Thursday, December 23. This is the second consecutive day the track has cancelled. The track's simulcast facility is also closed.
The track will remain closed Friday and Saturday, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, as scheduled.
Racing will resume Sunday, December 26.
MIAMI - Adobe Gold was the undisputed leader of the 3-year-old filly division at Calder this season, but even trainer Marty Wolfson is not sure what to expect when Adobe Gold concludes her campaign when she faces older horses in Friday's $40,000 Silver Bells Stakes.
"She hasn't run in two months, and I really can't say whether she might need a race or not," said Wolfson. "This race is at seven furlongs, and she's obviously better around two turns than one, but she's not the type of filly who needs a lot of work to get fit."
NEW ORLEANS - Tom Amoss was on a very important cell phone call Tuesday morning at his barn on the Fair Grounds backstretch. "Happy anniversary, Mom," he said before addressing the group sitting in his office. "It's my parents' 50th anniversary," he explained.
