Sat, 11/08/2003 - 00:00

No Comprende wins at Woodbine

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - No Comprende ($10.20) defeated an accomplished field to score his first stakes victory Saturday in the Grade 3 Woodbine Slots Cup Handicap.

No Comprende raced four lengths off the pace in the 1 1/16-mile race, as Wake at Noon, Canada's reigning Horse of the Year, set fractions of 23.61 seconds, 47.37, and 1:11.35 while being stalked by Mobil. No Comprende made a four-wide bid on the far turn, hit the front at the head of the stretch, and then drew off for a 1 1/4-length score.

Mobil held off favored Parose to end up second in the seven-horse field.

Sat, 11/08/2003 - 00:00

Wacky Patty prevails by a nose

Coady Photography
Wacky Patty (inside) holds off Miss Cortina to take the $75,000 Chargedupsycamore by a nose at Delta Downs on Friday night.

Wacky Patty held off a stretch bid from Miss Cortina to win the $75,000 Chargedupsycamore by a nose at Delta Downs in Vinton, La., Friday night. It was another 2 1/2 lengths back to Crypto's Best in third.

The race served as a prep for the $250,000 Delta Princess on Dec. 5.

Wacky Patty ($3.60) surged to the lead on the backstretrch of the seven-furlong race for 2-year-old fillies, and went on to cover the distance in 1:26.81 over the six-furlong Delta oval. The race was her first start around two turns, and with the win she improved her record to

Sat, 11/08/2003 - 00:00

Caught in the Rain does her thing

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Caught in the Rain on Saturday continued her knack of winning stakes by narrow margins at long prices as she rallied to win a three-horse photo in the Grade 3, $113,000 Athenia Handicap at Aqueduct.

Rallying five wide in the stretch under Richard Migliore, Caught in the Rain got up in the final stride to nip Lojo by a nose. It was another nose back to Coney Kitty. Something Ventured, the 2-1 favorite, finished fourth, a half-length farther back.

Sat, 11/08/2003 - 00:00

Dakota Light takes over on top

Jean Raftery
Dakota Light ($7.80) is tops of the local fillies with her six-length win in Saturday's $40,325 Snazzle Dazzle Stakes at Calder.

MIAMI - What a difference a year makes.

At this time last season Ivanavinalot was the undisputed leader of her division, dominating the locally based 2-year-old fillies throughout the summer and fall. Among her victims during that period was Dakota Light, who valiantly but futilely chased Ivanavinalot across the wire on several occasions.

Sat, 11/08/2003 - 00:00

Kenneally stars likely won't collide

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Perhaps the two best horses that Eddie Kenneally has trained since he took out his trainer's license eight years ago are Belle of Perintown and Vicki Vallencourt. Both fillies have been entered in the Tuesday feature at Churchill Downs, although Kenneally said he probably will rescind that enticing matchup by scratching one of them.

Sat, 11/08/2003 - 00:00

Docent gets his chance in Stuyvesant

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Though he has won 15 of 27 starts, including 11 stakes, Docent has never won a graded event. His best opportunity to do that is Tuesday when he heads an eight-horse field in the Grade 3, $100,000 Stuyvesant at Aqueduct.

Docent, a 5-year-old gelded son of Waquoit, finished third in the Stuyvesant last year and second in the Grade 3 Queens County over Aqueduct's inner track. This year, Docent has won 6 of 8 starts and is coming off a nose victory in the Maryland Million Classic, a race he has won three consecutive years.

Sat, 11/08/2003 - 00:00

Equine athletes come to aid of human breathren

ALBANY, Calif. - Sonoma State University, a Division II school known by sports fans as the alma mater of Dallas Cowboys all-pro offensive lineman Larry Allen, is turning to horse racing to save its athletic program.

After being informed by the NCAA that the school needs to generate $250,000 for athletic scholarships or face being demoted to Division III, which would mean the school could not award scholarships, Sonoma State assistant athletic director Russ Gardiner came up with a unique idea to raise money.

Sat, 11/08/2003 - 00:00

Clement ready with both barrels

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Sixty Seconds and Mariensky give trainer Christophe Clement a powerful one-two punch in Saturday's Grade 2, $150,000 Long Island Handicap, New York's final turf stakes of the year for fillies and mares.

Sixty Seconds, a Group 1 winner in Australia, is 2 for 2 in this country, including a head victory in the Grade 3 Glens Falls Handicap at Saratoga on Aug. 25. The Long Island will be the first start for Sixty Seconds in nearly three months.

Fri, 11/07/2003 - 00:00

Haggs Castle faces softer rivals

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - In Sunday's $100,000 Cormorant Stakes at Aqueduct, Haggs Castle meets one of the weakest fields he has faced since winning last year's Cormorant by 2 3/4 lengths.

Haggs Castle, who has lost eight consecutive starts since last year's Cormorant, and Quantum Merit are the standouts among eight males entered in the main body of the mile turf race, which is for the progeny of New York stallions. Trial Prep, Beau Tie, Levendis, and Thanasi are entered main-track only.

Fri, 11/07/2003 - 00:00

These turf specialists have no advantage

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - The forecast through Sunday in New York was for clear skies, which may disappoint many of the trainers who entered horses for Sunday's $100,000 Perfect Arc, one of four stakes races for New York-sired horses on the program.

Among the eight fillies or mares entered in the one-mile turf race, only two can be considered true grass specialists. The rest, including two horses entered only if the race comes off the turf, have tried the grass intermittently if at all, and with less than spectacular results.