Prince Slew became a leading candidate for the $200,000 Louisiana Premier Night Championship when he drew out to an 8 3/4-length win in the $50,000 Cypress at Delta Downs on Friday.
The 6 1/2-furlong race for Louisiana-breds is expected to produce starters for the Championship, one of 10 stakes for Louisiana-breds that will be run at Delta on Feb. 7.
Prince Slew ($9.40) settled in behind the early leaders in the Cypress, advanced on the far turn, and covered the distance in 1:19.21.
ARCADIA, Calif. - A string of upsets on a wet-fast track at Santa Anita on Friday has led to a carryover of $536,394 for Saturday's program.
Saturday's pick six covers the fourth through ninth race, a span that includes two turf races, two sprints for maidens, the San Pasqual Handicap and a one-mile claimer for 4-year-olds.
The fourth race is for 3-year-old maidens over seven furlongs. Teton Forest, a first-time starter trained by Bob Baffert, is the 2-1 morning line favorite.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Now who exactly is Halfbridled, again? An unbeaten filly, she is expected to dominate the 3-year-old filly division this winter at Santa Anita. But if the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel Stakes unfolds as expected Sunday, Halfbridled will face a serious challenge when she returns to action next month.
A field of six entered the $100,000, 1 1/16-mile Santa Ysabel, and none of the six is more imposing than . A daughter of A.P. Indy, A.P. Adventure won her maiden by 5 1/4 lengths Oct. 30; the only knock on her is she has not raced since.
ARCADIA, Calif. - , the winner of a Group 1 race in France in 2002, makes his U.S. debut in a $52,000 allowance over six furlongs in Sunday's seventh race at Santa Anita.
Owned by The Thoroughbred Corp., Elusive City raced primarily on turf in Europe, but trainer Richard Mandella is convinced that the 4-year-old can be effective on the main track.
"He's trained well on it. He looks like a speed horse, an American type," Mandella said. "He's a stout type of horse."
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day will miss the first three weeks of the Gulfstream Park meet after undergoing minor surgery for a calcified rotator cuff in early December.
Day's agent, Doc Danner, said on Friday that Day hopes to return to action on or before Jan. 24, when the rich Sunshine Millions program will be held at Gulfstream and Santa Anita. In the meantime, Day, who lives in Louisville, Ky., has been spending time in Colorado with his mother, who has been ill with heart problems.
NEW ORLEANS - It has been on-again, off-again for , who has mixed brilliance with disappointment in a nine-start career. Except at Fair Grounds. Racing on the main track here, Ifyouprefersilver has gone 3 for 3, including a blowout win last year in the $150,000 Chou Croute Handicap, and on Sunday, she appears perfectly spotted in the $60,000 Truly Bound Handicap.
ALBANY, Calif. - Jim Hilling wasn't at all unhappy about pulling down the 2003 calendar from his stable office wall at Golden Gate Fields and putting up one for 2004.
He started 42 horses last year and didn't make a single trip to the winner's circle.
He can't explain why.
"I don't think I'd do a darn thing different, but I'd like to win a few more races," he said. "I had good help all year. I have the best blacksmith on the grounds and arguably the best vet."
It was late Friday afternoon at Fair Grounds, and at the half-mile pole of the Louisiana Handicap, jockey Eddie Martin had a decision: Be patient and attack Tenpins in the stretch of the race, or go for a small hole between Tenpins and a tiring Fitzroyal.
Turfway Park in Florence, Ky., reported a 5 percent decrease in ontrack handle and a slight decrease in total handle for the holiday meet that ended Wednesday.
Average ontrack handle fell from just over $333,000 to $315,000, despite uncharacteristically warm weather in the final days of 2003. Offtrack handle rose, pushing average all-sources handle to $3.57 million, down slightly from $3.59 million in 2002. The track does not keep attendance figures.
