SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - In terms of age and experience, Sugar Punch is at a disadvantage in Thursday's Union Avenue, but her obvious talent as a racehorse should help her overcome her lack of seasoning.
Sugar Punch will make her fifth career start, her first in a stakes, in the Union Avenue, a six-furlong race for New York-breds.
EDMONTON, Alberta - Monday's annual yearling sale of the Alberta division of the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society marginally continued its upward trend of recent years.
The average price for the sale's 196 yearlings was $8,368, up slightly over the 2003 average of $8,114, according to Rennie Gellner, CTHS general manager.
"The 2003 sale jumped 10 percent over 2002," Gellner said. "In recent years, we have regained some ground that we lost in the late 1980's."
They say Thursday is the slowest day in a five-day race week. Horseplayers typically are eager for action on Wednesdays after fasting since the previous Sunday, and payday Fridays kick off weekends of action-packed, classy racing.
Alas, that frequently leaves Thursdays as an island - and a barren one at that. As an example, the nine-race Thursday program at Arlington Park is bereft of even a single allowance race, a reminder of what can happen on a slow day here, especially in the wake of the Arlington Million and its outstanding supporting races.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Trainer Red Smith will be making a trip here from Alberta to be on hand Thursday evening for his induction into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.
Smith, currently based at Edmonton's Northlands Park, will be among four Thoroughbed inductees at the ceremony at the Toronto Congress Centre, which is located not far from the Hall of Fame site at Woodbine.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Breeders' Stakes runner-up Burst of Fire will meet older opponents at 1 1/2 miles on the grass in Thursday's second race at Woodbine, a second-level allowance worth $70,000.
Burst of Fire, trained by Mark Frostad for Sam-Son Farm, was aimed toward the Queen's Plate after winning his maiden in his first start, going a mile and 40 yards at Fair Grounds in March. He reappeared in a tough allowance at Keeneland in April, and was a well-beaten third behind Minister Eric and Go Now.
Pat Day, who ranks third among jockeys in career wins, will ride in a Quarter Horse match race at Sam Houston Race Park on Sept. 10 as part of his national tour benefiting the Racetrack Chaplaincy of America. Day will take on the track's leading Quarter Horse jockey in a 400-yard race.
Day, who has won 8,717 Thoroughbred races, shows a record of one second-place finish from 13 mounts in Quarter Horse races, all in 1973.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - The unbeaten Park Avenue Ball should be one of the favorites in Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Sapling Stakes, the premier 2-year-old event at Monmouth Park.
On Sunday, Park Avenue Ball had his last major tune-up, a five-furlong drill in 1:00 in the mud with jockey Dale Beckner aboard. The workout pleased trainer Jim Ryerson.
"He worked good," said Ryerson. "Everything is a go."
Ryerson has worked wonders with his 2-year-olds this meet, earning a record of 5-4-1 from 13 juvenile starters.
After Yessirgeneralsir set a rapid pace and finished eighth against top-class rivals in the Grade 1, $750,000 Whitney Aug. 7, some thought he should sprint in his next start. That will happen next month, said his trainer, Dallas Keen.
Yessirgeneralsir will shorten up from 1 1/8 miles to seven furlongs for the Grade 1, $250,000 Forego Handicap on Sept. 4.
Keen said Yessirgeneralsir was to fly from Lone Star Park to Saratoga on Wednesday.
Keen was at Louisiana Downs on Tuesday watching Xirius work for Saturday's $60,000 Prelude Stakes. The 1 1/16-mile race is the local prep for the Grade 2, $500,000 Super Derby on Sept. 25.
Xirius won the $125,000 Clasico Presidente de la Republica in Panama in May and was sent to Keen's stable at Lone Star in July by owner Celestino Carbonell. His goals are the Super Derby and the Breeders' Cup Classic.
"They sent him to me with the Breeders' Cup races in mind, so if he keeps doing well, that's the plan," said Keen.
