ELMONT, N.Y. - With a strong effort against older horses in the Grade 1 Beverly D., Necklace appears to have a leg up on her competition in Sunday's Garden City Breeders' Cup for 3-year-old fillies at Belmont Park.
Necklace, who returned to Ireland after finishing third in the Beverly D. at Arlington Park on Aug. 14, could be the favorite among nine fillies entered in the Grade 1, $300,000 Garden City.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Chapel Royal, third in last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile, will make his first start since March in Sunday's $60,000-added Fly So Free at Belmont Park. The Fly So Free, named for the 1990 Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner, is for 3-year-old males and will be run at six furlongs.
Chapel Royal, the likely favorite, looked like he would have an exciting 3-year-old season after winning 3 of 6 starts as a 2-year-old. Last year, he won the Grade 2 Sanford and Grade 3 Flash. He also finished second in two Grade 1 races, the Hopeful and Champagne.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - Format makes her debut for trainer Kelly Breen in a challenging spot.
A recent purchase, jumps right into the Grade 3, $150,000 Boiling Springs Stakes for 3-year-old fillies Sunday at Monmouth Park.
The Boiling Springs, at 1 1/16 miles on the turf, is a former fixture at The Meadowlands and is the final graded stakes of the meet that concludes on Sept. 26.
The race suffers from inopportune scheduling, as Belmont Park runs the Garden City Breeders' Cup Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on turf on the same afternoon. is cross-entered in both stakes.
POMONA, Calif. - Victory Encounter ran so poorly in her last two starts that an objective handicapper might conclude the Grade 1 winner was finished. "She's not," trainer John Sadler assured. "There's nothing wrong with her. She's ready to go."
Trainer Morris Nicks has won more races this meet than he has horses in training at Louisiana Downs, a significant accomplishment. Sunday, he can continue his exceptional run in the featured ninth race with Onlycook Half Ofit.
Onlycook Half Ofit will be making his second start back from close to a one-year layoff in the one-mile optional claimer on turf. The purse is $27,000, and the horse to beat is Ba Ba Boom, who won his only previous start on turf at Louisiana Downs.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Little Hussy, a shockingly easy winner of both her races, will be strongly backed in Sunday's $177,300 Natalma Stakes at Woodbine.
The Grade 3 race for 2-year-old fillies has drawn a diverse field of 14 who will go a mile on the grass.
Trainer Mark Casse entered four runners, including Little Hussy, who won her maiden going six furlongs on the main track at Calder in July.
EDMONTON, Alberta - Duracat and Laskeek Bay, both coming off a victory, meet in a field of seven for Sunday's second running of the $50,000 Sales Stake for 3-year-old colts and geldings at a mile.
Both horses are emerging from the claiming ranks and will compete with 3-year-olds who have been racing in allowances and optional claimers.
Duracat defeated $20,000 claimers in his most recent start, and trainer Rob Chabot has awarded the return mount to Richard Hamel.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Shacane, who finished fourth in the Hastings Speed Handicap Aug. 21, figures to be favored over six others in the feature race at Hastings Sunday, a 6 1/2-furlong allowance race for 3-year-olds and up. Included in the field are last year's local sprint champ, Bold 'n Keen, and the speedy Celt, who is coming off of a win in a $35,000 optional race.
Opening day of the Belmont Park fall meet was particularly nice for trainer Bruce Levine, who won three races on Friday's card, including the $105,100 with Clever Electrician.
Clever Electrician, under Ramon Dominguez, won the seven-furlong MacArthur for New York-breds by 1 1/2 lengths over favored Top Shoter, the pacesetter. It was another 5 1/4 lengths back to Mr. Determined in third. Spite the Devil and Beyond Chance completed the order of finish. Beyond Chance was vanned off the track with what appeared to be a leg injury.
