MIAMI - Wire Bound and Cervelo figure to command most of the attention in a field of 10 3-year-olds set to go 1 1/16 miles on the turf in Saturday's $75,000 Needles Stakes at Calder. Nobody knows the two favorites better than jockey Paul Toscano, who has ridden both horses to stakes victories during the current meet.
Toscano, who is gradually working his way up the jockey standings in his first full season at Calder, agonized over the decision before opting to ride Wire Bound in the Needles.
Graham Motion is clearly a patient man.
Motion has needed more than 18 months to get Change Course back to where the colt was before he sustained a foot injury as a 2-year-old.
Saturday, Motion will find out just how far Change Course has come when the colt makes his stakes debut in the $50,000 Leader of the Band, a 1 1/16-mile turf race at Delaware Park.
In late fall of 2002, Change Course stepped on a piece of wood and developed an abscess. The injury sidelined Change Course for close to 11 months and limited him to only two starts as a 3-year-old.
Trainer George Yetsook will saddle the potent entry of Earth Power and Tienneman Square for the $75,000 Frank Gall Memorial Handicap, a seven-furlong race restricted to West Virginia-breds at Charles Town.
Earth Power has easily won the last two statebred stakes in which he has competed, including this spring's Potomac Handicap.
Our Tune, a wire-to-wire winner in her last two starts, drew a favorable inside post in the $50,000 Jack Betta Be Rite Stakes at Finger Lakes. The race for New York-bred fillies and mares will be contested at 1 1/16 miles.
A 4-year-old trained by Chris Englehart, Our Tune was given an extended vacation after holding on by a nose in the 1 1/8-mile Numbered Account at Aqueduct in March. She returned with an easy win against allowance runners two weeks ago and will break from post 2 on Saturday.
Racing returns to the Timonium Fairgrounds on Saturday for an eight-day meet during the 123rd Maryland State Fair.
The five-eighths-mile oval, which opened in 1887, will be the site of a 10-race live card opening day, next Saturday, and Labor Day. Nine live races will be held on the next two Sundays and next Wednesday through Friday. There is no racing Monday and Tuesday, Aug. 30-31.
First post time is 1 p.m. Eastern.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Having a talented turf horse, particularly an American-bred 3-year-old, can be an exercise in patience at Woodbine.
That's why Bachelor Blues, a Kentucky-bred colt, will take on older rivals here in Saturday's Grade 3, $173,400 Play the King Handicap at seven furlongs on turf.
Bachelor Blues has been entered for several turf races this meet that were transferred to the main track, said Josie Carroll, who trains Bachelor Blues for his owner and breeder, Bill Schettine.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Last week was memorable for trainer Lance Giesbrecht. Not only did he win last Sunday's New Westminster Stakes at Hastings with Alabama Rain ($17.30), he also married his longtime partner, Kim Peacock.
"It was a wonderful week," said Giesbrecht. "It was like winning two stakes."
EDMONTON, Alberta - Hanselina, trained by Steve Bryant, invades from the West Coast for Saturday's $75,000 City of Edmonton Distaff at Northlands Park. The 1 1/16-mile Distaff is the second race of the Canadian Derby card.
Honors in two other major races have already gone to invaders here this summer, with Overact winning the $100,000 Sonoma for 3-year-old fillies and Illusive Force capturing the Westerner.
DEL MAR, Calif. - An upset win by Run Thruthe Sun ($57.60) in Wednesday's last race has led to a carryover of $143,683 for Thursday's pick six at Del Mar. Thursday's pick six covers the third through eighth races.
Here is a look at the pick six races. The first race of the day begins at 2 p.m.
The third race is a sprint for 3-year-olds entered for claiming prices ranging from $22,500 to $25,000. In a field of seven, Brand Name, Ended, and Watch Me Smoke are top contenders.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Azeri flashed her championship form when she broke a three-race losing streak with a stakes-record performance winning the Go for Wand Handicap earlier this month. Trainer D. Wayne Lukas believes that was a launching pad for bigger and better things.
"I think I'm getting more on the same page with her," Lukas said.
"I think she's getting good. I think she's thrived on the cool weather up here. She's just doing damn good."
