Tee's Pearl heads a field of 10 Indiana-bred 3-year-old fillies in the $40,000 First Lady Stakes. The First Lady will be the first stakes run over Indiana Downs's new turf course.
In the First Lady, a 7 1/2-furlong race, only Tee's Pearl has ever started on grass and most of the starters have little or no grass pedigree to speak of.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Blonde Executive, who defeated older opponents in her season opener, will be favored against Ontario-sired 3-year-old fillies in Saturday's $133,250 Lady Angela Stakes.
Cut and Shoot heads Saturday's supporting feature at Woodbine, the $106,000 Afleet Stakes, a six-furlong dash for Canadian-bred 3-year-olds.
CALGARY, Alberta - Discretion became the better part of valor as several promising 3-year-olds were entered in a conditioned allowance Saturday rather than in the $40,000 Hoofprint on My Heart on Sunday.
A good performance in Saturday's one-mile allowance - as well as in the Hoofprint on My Heart - would earn a ticket to the $100,000 Alberta Derby June 19.
AUBURN, Wash. - When Matlock launched his 6-year-old campaign with a second against Thunzarr in a six-furlong test for $8,000 claimers on May 1, it looked like a good effort.
Now that six of the eight horses in that race have run back, it looks even better.
Thunzarr, fifth-place finisher Bob Stories, and seventh-place finisher Table Me N Saros have all returned to win, while third-place finisher Murdock and eighth-place finisher Allrightea have come back to run second.
Peeping Tom and Highway Prospector, a pair of 7-year-old geldings who have regularly competed against graded stakes company, are the most accomplished horses in a field of nine older sprinters for Saturday's $100,000 Donald Levine Memorial. The Grade 3, six-furlong sprint is the first stakes of the season at Philadelphia Park.
French Jeanette and Awesome Charm, who have been battling each other in optional claiming sprints in Maryland and Delaware, meet again with more money on the line in the $50,000 Skipat Stakes, a six-furlong race at Pimlico.
French Jeanette, a 4-year-old filly trained by Jerry Robb, beat Awesome Charm in each of her last two starts, earning Beyer Speed Figures of 88 and 86. French Jeanette moves up to stakes company for the first time since finishing fourth in a statebred race at Penn National last June.
Racing's version of "Catch-22" had Ricardo Valdes in its grasp for a long time. But it looks like he has finally escaped.
After riding with modest success for 10 years at tracks such as Penn National, Philadelphia Park, and Detroit Race Course, Valdes was reduced to the role of exercising horses in 1998.
EAST BOSTON, Mass. - With the stakes raised in the battle to prove which horse is the best Massachusetts-bred, Jini's Jet takes on fellow statebred champion Stylish Sultan in the $40,000 Rise Jim Stakes at six furlongs.
Jini's Jet has won 10 of 19 races at Suffolk Downs, including several stakes, and has earned $246,820. Stylish Sultan has won nine of 13 Suffolk races, including five stakes last year, and earned $244,440.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Tic Tac Man may have taken the long way to Woodbine, but it took only a short time for him to make his mark.
A 4-year-colt owned by Bill Schettine and trained here by Josie Carroll, Tic Tac Man was bred in Australia, began his career in Southern California, and was a romping winner in his local debut on Wednesday night.
Tic Tac Man's 8 1/4-length victory, which earned him a Beyer Speed Figure of 88, came in a seven-furlong maiden optional claiming race for a purse of $35,900.