Sonic West qualifies as the ultimate road warrior this season.
Based in Kentucky with trainer Tom Van Berg, the 5-year-old Sonic West has raced at eight different tracks and six states since March. Sonic West will add Mountaineer Race Track and West Virginia to his already lengthy travel log on Saturday night when he seeks to win the $100,000 Mountaineer Mile for the second straight year.
After facing older fillies and mares in her last three starts, Spirited Game is back in against 3-year-olds in the $75,000 Politely at Pimlico.
The 122-pound highweight in a field of seven fillies racing six furlongs, Spirited Game rallied to finish second in last month's Maryland Million Distaff, but regressed Oct. 28 in her most recent outing when she bore out at the start and faded as the heavy favorite against optional claimers.
Despite losing at odds of 6-5 or less in each of his last two starts, Wild Remarks figures to be a short price again in the second division of the West Virginia Futurity at Charles Town. Each part of the split stakes is worth $37,500.
A win in a similar restricted stakes in September, plus two other in-the-money finishes in stakes, stamp Wild Remarks as a standout in a group that includes two males who are maidens and four fillies.
In the first division, the filly Bravura could be favored off her 6 3/4-length romp over maidens last time out.
ALBANY, Calif. - Rainy weather and uncertainty about the availability of the Lakeside Turf Course caused Golden Gate Fields to postpone Saturday's scheduled $50,000-added Moment to Buy Handicap for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles.
Racing secretary Sean Greely said five were entered for the Moment to Buy but only three would have run had the race been taken off the turf.
Trainer Jedd Josephson said Midwife, the likely favorite, would not run if the race were taken off the turf course.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - It has been 28 years since the legendary Seattle Slew was voted the Eclipse Award as champion 2-year-old for owners Karen and Mickey Taylor.
Saturday at Woodbine, Slew's Saga, a son of Seattle Slew owned by the Taylors, will try to lock up the Sovereign Award for champion 2-year-old in the $250,000 Coronation Futurity.
PORTLAND, Ore. - Eighty Eighty will shoot for a second straight stakes win Saturday, when he heads a field of nine Oregon-bred 2-year-olds in the $19,280 Bill Wineberg Stakes at six furlongs.
A son of Baquero from the Northern Jove matron Northern Defender, Eighty Eighty is coming off a 9 3/4-length win over Cascadiansasquatch in the six furlong OTBA Sales Stakes two weeks ago, when he got the distance in 1:12.80. Before that outing, Eighty Eighty ran sixth in a $20,000 maiden claiming test at Emerald Downs and third in a maiden special weight outing over this track.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Notis Otis puts his undefeated record on the line when he faces five other 2-year-olds in the $75,000 Ascot Graduation on Saturday at Hastings. The 1 1/16-mile feature also drew One Special Hoss, who could go favored off his powerful 6 3/4-length win in a three-turn allowance race Oct. 24.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - It is very possible that the two favorites, Notis Otis and One Special Hoss, will hook up early and set it up for a late-runner in the $75,000 Ascot Graduation at Hastings on Saturday. If workouts are any indication, Western Writer could be that horse.
Western Writer followed up his strong win over maidens Oct. 17 with a spectacular five-furlong work in 58.80 seconds Nov. 5. A Florida-bred gelding, Western Writer has improved with each start, and he could be coming up to a peak performance.
PORTLAND, Ore. - Trainer Ben Root has been on a roll in the restricted stakes for 2-year-olds at this meeting.
Root sent out Eighty Eighty for a 9 3/4-length win in the OTBA Sales Stakes at Portland Meadows two weeks ago, then last week he scored an upset in the Janet Wineberg Stakes for 2-year-old Oregon-bred fillies with first-time starter One Fast Cowgirl, who raced as part of a three-horse entry.
EAST BOSTON, Mass. - There haven't been many races for 2-year-olds in New England this year, and the $40,000 Amelia Peabody Stakes for Massachusetts-breds will probably decide the state's juvenile championship.
Only three of the seven fillies in the Peabody have won a race and one is a first-time starter. The likely favorite is Papa Dancer, who overcame some skittishness at the starting gate to run away to a wire-to-wire debut score last month. She has since turned in a five-furlong bullet workout from the gate.