VINTON, La. - Trainer Doug O'Neill and jockey Jon Court come from different worlds. O'Neill is having a breakout year in Southern California, while Court is a successful rider in the Midwest.
But their worlds came together last weekend, when they teamed to win the richest race of both their careers with Fleetstreet Dancer in the $2.3 million Japan World Cup Dirt. And on Friday night, their paths cross again, at Delta Downs in Vinton.
VINTON, La. - Trainer Patrick Biancone thinks so highly of recent maiden winner Salty Romance that he wanted to run her against male rivals in the $1 million Delta Jackpot at Delta Downs on Friday night. But she was excluded from the race based on earnings, and instead will run against her own sex in $250,000 Delta Princess, one of three undercard stakes on the card.
A one-mile race for 2-year-old fillies, the Princess drew a full field of 10, and a case can be made for most of the starters in the field.
MIAMI - Funny Cide settled into his winter headquarters at the Palm Meadows training center over the weekend to begin preparations for the upcoming Gulfstream Park meeting. Just when and where he will run this winter remains up in the air, though.
Funny Cide shipped to south Florida shortly after returning to New York from the Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita. He spent three weeks at Gulfstream Park before moving up to Palm Meadows when the facility opened last Saturday.
NEW ORLEANS - Trainer Mike Stidham does awfully well winning entry-level allowance races. Especially on turf and especially at Fair Grounds. Thursday, he takes two swings under those conditions.
The Stidham barn, which won an entry-level sprint allowance opening weekend with Cabo Sunrise, has a Gary Bisantz-owned horse for both divisions of a first-level grass allowance. American Son is no worse than second choice in the seventh race; Salvino is an unknown quantity in the ninth. Both races, at about 1 1/8 miles, are scheduled to go with eight starters.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Richard Migliore has been the go-to rider for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin all year. So it is noteworthy that when McLaughlin brings Arctic Drift back to the races in Friday's featured entry-level allowance race at Aqueduct, Migliore is riding for someone else.
Migliore will pilot the New York-bred Blink Twice in her seventh career race but first against open company. Meanwhile, Aaron Gryder will be aboard Arctic Drift, who makes her first start since July 18 in this six-furlong race for fillies and mares.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - A surprisingly strong optional-claiming race featuring the crack sprinter Thunder Bullet and the well-regarded South American import Recordado tops Friday's eight-race card at Hollywood Park.
Thirteen were entered in the one-mile grass race, but only 12 can run. Handicappers trying to stay alive in the pick six may have to use several runners, as this field is deep in both quantity and quality.
ARCADIA, Calif. - The height of the 2003 race season has passed, but there is still plenty of important racing to be done. There are four Grade 1 stakes races in December, all in California, all within the span of one week at the end of the month.
ALBANY, Calif. - Just call Golden Gate Fields racing secretary Tom Doutrich a gambler.
After losing to scratches 11 of 26 entered horses when three scheduled turf races were shifted to the dirt Wednesday, Doutrich has scheduled Friday's feature race for 4 1/2 furlongs on the turf. Eight were entered, and Chapilkim, a 4-year-old filly meeting seven males, figures tough on either turf or dirt.