EDMONTON, Alberta - You don't see many horses ship from Woodbine to Northlands Park, but that's just what Kathern's Cat has done for the $40,000 Freedom of the City on Saturday.
Considering the winner's share of the Freedom of the City is just over $25,000, a payday smaller than for winning an allowance race in Toronto, the presence of Kathern's Cat in the one-mile race for 2-year-old fillies took local officials by surprise.
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Nine 3-year-old fillies create an interesting wagering proposition for bettors in Saturday's $55,000-added Palo Alto Handicap at Bay Meadows.
The 1 1/16-mile turf test includes the fillies who finished second (Dawn's Angel), third (Go Ask Daisy), fourth (Secret Corsage), and fifth (Crozet) in the Carmel Handicap at one mile over the turf on Sept. 12.
Stakes winners Coke's Melody and Swingn' Notes as well as stakes-placed Secret Corsage will also compete. Awesome Lady and Midwife round out the field.
CHICAGO - The rising middle-distance turf horse Herculated probably is the best horse in the Robert F. Carey Handicap, Saturday's feature at Hawthorne Race Course. But sheer talent does not always win a horse race, and the shape of the Carey should play to the strengths of the fast turf miler Gin and Sin.
An 8-year-old gelding who hasn't raced at Charles Town since setting a track record five years ago and a 4-year-old filly who has gone off the favorite in her last nine starts while rarely disappointing her supporters headline Saturday night's 18th annual West Virginia Breeders Classics program.
A Huevo, a highly talented but often injured runner trained by Michael Dickinson, brings a substantial class edge into the $300,000 Classic at 1 1/8 miles, the premier event on the eight-race program for West Virginia-bred, -sired, or -raised horses.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - My Vintage Port and Touchnow will be looking to enhance their credentials for divisional honors here in Saturday's Carotene Stakes.
The $165,600 Carotene, a 1 1/8-mile turf race for 3-year-old fillies, attracted a field of nine and is the highlight of a card that also includes the Bull Page Stakes.
While Touchnow holds a 3-1 edge in head-to-head meetings with My Vintage Port, that My Vintage Port's victory came on the turf commands attention in handicapping the Carotene.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - The once-beaten Wholelottabourbon will try to win his third stakes Saturday at Woodbine in the $131,625 Bull Page, a six-furlong event for Ontario-sired male 2-year-olds.
Wholelottabourbon, a $5,500 yearling purchase by trainer Nick Gonzalez, has banked $207,255 in four starts. After capturing his debut in June, he finished second to New York invader Flamenco in the five-furlong Victoria Stakes.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - When Avenging Kat ($6.70) upset favored Backseat Becka in the $100,000 Sadie Diamond Futurity last Saturday, perhaps the most surprised person was her jockey, Pedro Alvarado. In fact, Alvarado initially preferred to ride a different horse, but his younger brother Felimon, who trains Avenging Kat, convinced him otherwise.
Ben Huffman will return to Fair Grounds after all.
Huffman, who said in August that he would not return for a second year as racing secretary at the New Orleans track, said Thursday that officials with the track's soon-to-be owner, Churchill Downs Inc., have persuaded him to return.
"We were able to resolve some of the travel and family issues that initially led me to say I was giving up the job," said Huffman, 35.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Racing as it was meant to be, my fedora. When Keeneland opens Friday for its fall meet, the overriding theme will be far more relevant to horsemen and horseplayers living in the 21st century than to nostalgia buffs.
Reduced takeout on multiple-race wagers, jackpot guarantees, a high-tech system of tracking races, and a futuristic surface on its training track are just some of the upgrades in place for a 17-day meet that, as always, will showcase some of the most important racing in North America this fall.
Three months ago, by a nose in the $500,000 Smile Sprint Handicap at Calder. Friday, the two sprinters meet again in the Grade 3, $250,000 Phoenix Breeders' Cup at Keeneland and, again, little separates them.
Although less money is up for grabs, the stakes are no less high. Their performances Friday - and those of the other nine starters in the field - could determine whether they warrant running in the Breeders' Cup Sprint at Lone Star Park Oct. 30.
The test for Champali earning a Breeders' Cup start is clear. "He is going to have to win," trainer Greg Foley said.
