ARCADIA, Calif. - No stranger to brash statements, jockey Corey Nakatani has a firm goal for Saturday's Breeders' Cup program at Lone Star Park.
"I'm looking forward to winning them all," he said, smiling.
Nakatani was only half-kidding. He is one of only three jockeys, along with Edgar Prado and John Velazquez, in a position to accomplish a nearly impossible feat. All three have mounts in all eight Breeders' Cup races.
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Apprentice rider Katie Repp is still looking for her first victory at Bay Meadows, but the 22-year-old rider has opened some eyes with the first three rides of her career.
On Friday, she takes another step forward when she is listed on three mounts, the first time she has been named on three mounts. She was listed to ride two Thursday.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Brass Hat won the Rushaway at 38-1 in March, the Grade 2 Ohio Derby at 21-1 in June, and the Grade 2 Indiana Derby at 10-1 in his last start Oct. 2. But don't expect as generous a price on the gelding on Friday, when he starts in the Grade 3, $250,000 Lone Star Derby.
For the first time in his career, Brass Hat should go favored in a race. He is one of 13 in the 1 1/16-mile Lone Star Derby, and among his rivals are graded stakes winners Pollard's Vision, Pies Prospect, Skipaslew, and Flamethrowintexan.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Yearly Report will be racing back in 13 days in the $150,000 Stonerside Stakes at Lone Star Park on Friday, but she is shortening up in distance and facing much softer rivals than she has eyeballed most of the year. As a result, Yearly Report looks like a standout in the seven-furlong race for 3-year-old fillies. The Stonerside is one of three stakes on the card designed as a build-up to the Breeders' Cup on Saturday.
Lone Star will also host the Grade 3, $250,000 Lone Star Derby and the $150,000 Refrigerator Handicap for Quarter Horses on Friday.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - The waters will get deeper for the undefeated Galloping Grocer when he makes his next start in the $200,000 Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct on Nov. 27, and his trainer, Dominic Schettino, believes the New York-bred gelding is ready for the challenge.
After romping to a 7 1/2-length win in last Saturday's $100,000 Sleepy Hollow Stakes at Belmont Park - his third win in restricted company in as many starts - Galloping Grocer will stretch out to two turns in the 1 1/8-mile Remsen.
As a 4-year-old in May 2002, Revved Up returned from a 90-day layoff to win a 1 1/8-mile turf allowance at Monmouth Park with a 100 Beyer Speed Figure.
In June 2003, Revved Up proved he could run big in his first start in 10 months when he just missed in a 1 1/4-mile allowance race at Belmont, earning a 104 Beyer.
Handicappers must ask themselves whether Revved Up can fire first time off the bench following 11 months of idleness when he makes his first start as a 6-year-old in Friday night's $60,000 John Henry at The Meadowlands.
Azoom will be a strong favorite to win his sixth straight race and his third Grade 1 futurity in the $1 million Texas Classic Futurity at Sam Houston Race Park on Friday evening.
The Texas Classic Futurity tops a big weekend at Sam Houston that includes the Grade 1, $100,000-added Texas Classic Derby on Saturday night. Both the Futurity and derby are usually run at Lone Star Park but this year were moved because the track is the site of this weekend's Breeders' Cup.
Breeders' Cup weekend at Lone Star Park starts with a Grade 1 Quarter Horse stakes when Silent Overdrive goes for his third straight victory in the $150,000 Refrigerator Handicap for older runners on Friday afternoon.
The 440-yard Refrigerator Handicap is the sole Quarter Horse race at Lone Star this fall. Lone Star's usual autumn Quarter Horse dates were moved to Sam Houston Race Park so Lone Star could accommodate Saturday's Breeders' Cup program.
The 3-year-old Brookstone Bay takes on older rivals for the first time when he starts in the Grade 3, $38,750 First Down Dash Handicap at 400 yards on Friday night at Los Alamitos.
Brookstone Bay, one of five starters trained by Paul Jones, set the fastest qualifying time to the Grade 1 All American Derby in a superb 21.16 seconds for the 440 yards and then ran fifth in the derby on Sept. 5.
In his latest start, he finished in second place in the Sgt Pepper Feature Handicap as the 7-5 favorite.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Sky Hunter will try to end a long drought in Friday's Woodbine feature, a $62,500 optional claimer for 3-year-olds and up on the grass.
Sky Hunter, a three-time winner in 28 starts, hasn't won since June 1, 2002, when he upset Numerous Times in the allowance prep for the Nearctic Handicap. This year, he has run six times on dirt or turf, while recording four top-three finishes.
