ALBANY, Calif. - Ema Bovary, who hasn't raced since winning the Washington State Legislators Handicap at Emerald Downs on May 25, will return in the $60,000-added Camilla Urso Handicap against eight rivals.
Northern California's top sprinter, Lacie Girl, will pass because the Camilla Urso comes too quickly after her narrow loss in the $107,000 Very Subtle Handicap on the Breeders' Cup card. Lacie Girl's 3-year-old stablemates, Christmas Time and Just Bill Me, will run, however.
Trainer Terry Brennan had a slight heart attack during training hours Thursday at Louisiana Downs, and was recuperating at a Bossier City, La., hospital on Friday. He may be released as early as Saturday, said his wife, Loretta Brennan.
"He's doing well," she said. "He's in good spirits."
Brennan, 53, was watching his stable train on Thursday when he began having some chest pains and drove himself to a nearby hospital, according to Loretta Brennan. He was to undergo an angioplasty on Friday.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Sky Jack, the winner of the 2000 California Cup Classic and 2002 Hollywood Gold Cup, will likely be retired after filling was detected in his right knee on Friday morning, a day before he was scheduled to start in the California Cup Classic at Santa Anita.
Trainer Doug O'Neill spoke to owners Rene and Margie Lambert on Friday and said it was unlikely that the 7-year-old Sky Jack, a gelding, will return to racing.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - After four good races at Belmont Park, Almuhathir will try to carry his form to Aqueduct in Tuesday's $100,000 Stuyvesant Handicap.
Almuhathir, a 5-year-old owned by Shadwell Stable, is scheduled to make his stakes debut in the Grade 3 Stuyvesant at 1 1/8 miles on the main track.
The majority of Almuhathir's races have been on the turf, but he is better on the dirt. Three of his five career victories have come on dirt and he has twice earned a 104 Beyer Speed Figure this year on dirt.
CHICAGO - A few strides into Clark County Handicap on Oct. 16 at Keeneland, jockey E.T. Baird sensed Nicole's Dream was out of her comfort zone. Nicole's Dream stayed in contention, just behind a blistering pace, for three furlongs, but Baird was right. She quickly faded in the stretch run and wound up eighth, her worst performance in an excellent season.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Owner-trainer Tom Longstaff hasn't had much to be disappointed about this year. He won seven stakes with Dancewithavixen and when the Hastings meet ends, he will be the leading owner in money won.
Currently, Longstaff sits on top of the list with $441,212 in the bank, and he is hoping to add to that total when he sends out Louie Downtown in an allowance race for 2-year-olds Sunday.
MIAMI - Trainer Bobby Frankel's decision to run Breeders' Cup Classic runner-up Medaglia d'Oro in the $500,000 Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs on Nov. 28 has led trainer Marty Wolfson to reconsider the itinerary for his locally based handicap star Aeneas.
The connections of Distinctive Code will be hoping for a better start Sunday at Louisiana Downs than the filly had last time at Keeneland.
Distinctive Code stumbled at the start of the Grade 3 Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes, a six-furlong race, and as a front-runner gave up precious ground to her rivals. As a result, she ended up racing behind the leaders throughout and finished eighth.
Apparently there are a lot of female sprinters in the Mid-South region. Remington Park, like Louisiana Downs, is running a seven-furlong stakes for fillies and mares on Sunday. The race at Remington is the $35,000 Lady's Secret, and among the 13 entered is Princess Jen, who won both the Majorette and the Lady's Secret last year, when the Majorette was run Oct. 5 and the Lady's Secret Nov. 17.
GROVE CITY, Ohio - Scioto Bootski, an upset winner over males in the Best of Ohio Sprint Championship two starts ago, heads a full field of 14 Ohio-bred fillies and mares in the $40,000 Scarlet and Gray Handicap.
In the Best of Ohio Sprint, Scioto Bootski dueled outside of heavily favored Ben's Reflection throughout. She wore that rival down late to score a head victory at 32-1 in the six-furlong event. She returned on Oct. 19 and once again dueled throughout, but this time the 5-year-old mare dropped a nose decision in a conditioned allowance event.