VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Trainer Frank Barroby had a choice: run La Belle Fleur for an $11,000 claiming tag or take a shot in the $40,000 Delta Colleen Stakes.
Barroby opted for the Delta Colleen Stakes on Sept. 26 at Hastings, and while he thought that she would run a good race, he never really thought she would win. Not many others did either and that's why La Belle Fleur paid a whopping $65.50 for her 1 1/2-length win over Stormented.
SAN MATEO, Calif. - California Cup Day has become one of the most popular days on the racing calendar, and fans at Bay Meadows will have plenty of local rooting interests Saturday.
Perhaps their best hope is defending Cal Cup Sprint champion Green Team, who ran the fastest Sprint in history last year.
"He seems to be getting good," trainer Jeff Bonde said. "I hope he's Reggie Jackson for us, Mr. October."
Wimplestiltskin and Move to Strike will both try to turn back the calendar to early spring when they run in the $50,000 Sonny Hine, a six-furlong stakes for 3-year-olds at Pimlico.
After unsuccessfully chasing such top-caliber 3-year-olds as Pollard's Vision, Lion Heart, and Love of Money in graded stakes contested around two turns, Wimplestiltskin will cut back to a sprint for the first time since May. In his best races, which came in Southern California, Wimplestiltskin was up close or in front at the six-furlong call in both the Grade 2 Laz Barrera and the San Pedro.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Uphill Skier, having recovered from a foot injury, swings back into action Saturday night in the $60,000 Queen Lib Handicap for New Jersey-bred fillies and mares at The Meadowlands Racetrack.
The 4-year-old Uphill Skier, trained by Ben Perkins Jr., produced dominant victories in her last two statebred handicaps at Monmouth Park: the off-the-turf Spruce Fir and the Jersey Girl.
Those two wins make Uphill Skier the one to beat in the feature, at one mile and 70 yards. She is rested and healed as she makes her first start since Aug. 29.
CHICAGO - At the 11th hour, Saturday's Hawthorne Derby might have found its favorite. He is , a horse who wants to run through a wall every time he lines up in the starting gate. He raced just last Sunday in the Storm Cat at Keeneland, finishing fourth after running off with jockey Pat Day, and perhaps the quick turnaround will take the edge off Cool Conductor, whose quarter-length loss in the Grade 2 American Derby is the best race among any of the 10 horses entered in the Grade 3, $250,000 derby.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - My Vintage Port, Canada's champion 2-year-old filly last year, has gone to the farm of her trainer and part-owner, Ken Parsley.
In her last start, My Vintage Port finished an even fourth in the Carotene Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf here last Saturday.
"She's 100 percent," said Parsley. "She kind of ran a mediocre race, for her, last time. She never picked it up at any point. We're looking at several possibilities for her."
Those possibilities include a return to the races next season, a sale, or retirement, according to Parsley.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Because of an iffy weather forecast, the connections of Funny Cide decided to move the gelding's first work since winning the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup up one day.
Funny Cide, who will run next in the $4 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Lone Star Park on Oct. 30, worked over Belmont Park's main track on Wednesday, one day earlier than planned, because rain was forecast for the early morning hours on Thursday.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - They've got some big horseshoes to fill Friday at Keeneland.
In its five-year history, the Raven Run Stakes already has been won by several top-class fillies, most notably the recently retired Sightseek, who raced to victory two years ago - no doubt helping the race to attain its Grade 2 ranking. On Friday, 10 3-year-old fillies will strive to maintain that lofty level when the $200,000 Raven Run highlights a 10-race card.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Owner Billy Hays and trainer Joe Woodard had a horse finish last in the fifth race Wednesday at Keeneland. Still, they were elated with the results of the race.
That's because Woodard met the runaway winner of the race, Sterling Gold, back at his barn afterward. Hays, a Louisville automobile dealer, successfully submitted a claim for Sterling Gold for $100,000, a price for which claiming horses rarely compete in Kentucky.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Special Rate has had a limited campaign in the last year, but when he does start it is often a performance worth noting.
Last fall, Special Rate won the Bien Bien Stakes at Hollywood Park. In August at Del Mar, he returned from a seven-month layoff to win an optional claimer over a mile on turf.
Friday at Santa Anita, will start as the favorite against a strong field in a $53,000 optional claimer over a mile on turf.
