ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Blonde Executive, one of Woodbine's fastest 2-year-olds, will make her much-anticipated stakes debut Wednesday in the $130,750 Victorian Queen, a six-furlong race for Ontario-sired fillies.
Blonde Executive, an easy winner of her last two starts, showed promise as soon as she went into training last winter, according to trainer Radlie Loney.
EDMONTON, Alberta - After a spectacular 2-year-old season in which he won 4 of 5 starts, Taiaslew arrived in Calgary for the 2003 spring Thoroughbred meet as the unquestioned favorite to win the $150,000 Canadian Derby at Northlands Park in August.
The first major target on trainer Greg Tracy's agenda was the $100,000 Alberta Derby at Stampede Park in June. Taiaslew destroyed that field by 7 1/2 lengths.
Tracy then shipped the Washington-bred Taiaslew to Assiniboia Downs to prepare for the $100,000 Manitoba Derby in early August.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Whatever questions lingered over Yankee Gentleman after an aborted workout last week were lifted on Monday, when the colt regarded by many as the West's best sprinter turned in a sensational workout for Sunday's Grade 1, $200,000 Ancient Title Breeders' Cup Handicap at Santa Anita's Oak Tree meeting.
Yankee Gentleman, working in company, finished powerfully without being asked by jockey Julie Krone to cover five furlongs in 58 seconds, equaling the fastest time of the morning at the distance.
ARCADIA, Calif. - A rule allowing trainers to have up to three starters in maiden special weight races was implemented in California on Sunday but drew sharp criticism from some horsemen who were unaware of the change until entries were announced.
In the first race on Sunday's opening day of the Oak Tree meeting at Santa Anita, trainer Bob Baffert had three of the seven starters in a $45,000 race over 1 1/16 miles.
Baffert said he was made aware of the rule change last Friday, when entries were taken.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Attendance and handle figures on Sunday's opening day of the Oak Tree at Santa Anita meeting and closing day of the Los Angeles County Fair meeting at Fairplex Park in Pomona were near expectations, but an Oak Tree official stressed that a similar overlap for the two tracks is unlikely in the future.
CHICAGO - Arlington Park had hoped hosting the Breeders' Cup in 2002 would bring a burst of momentum to its 2003 meet, but business this year was even, though the track did post a gain in attendance and made minor forward progress in average daily handle.
Arlington's 104-day meet concluded Saturday, when a sparse crowd witnessed a pair of stakes races with Breeders' Cup implications for 2-year-olds. Ontrack crowds, however, were the bright spot in the meet, as attendance rose 12.7 percent over last season, not including Breeders' Cup Day.
BOSSIER CITY, La. - Vino Tinto ($26.80) rallied from off the pace to pull off a 6 1/2-length upset in the $40,000 Delta Miss Stakes at Louisiana Downs. Goodies Galore finished second, with Yoursmineours coming home third. Wacky Patty, who along with entrymate Amaras drew more than $171,000 of the $178,000 bet to show on the race, faded to finish fourth. The top three finishers paid $75.80, $40.60, and $126.40 to show respectively.
POMONA, Calif. - Chinkapin, claimed two starts back for $50,000 by trainer Mike Mitchell, scored a mild upset at Fairplex Park, where he won the $99,000 Ralph M. Hinds Pomona Invitational Handicap by 1 1/4 lengths over even-money favorite Denied. It was nine lengths farther back to Legendary Weave. Chinkapin ($12.40), ridden by Omar Berrio, pressed the pace set by Denied and edged clear in the stretch to win in 1:48.67.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Capeside Lady and Flagship Enterprise posted authoritative, front-running victories at Belmont Park in a pair of stakes for New York-bred 2-year-olds.
In the $108,900 Joseph A. Gimma Stakes for fillies, Capeside Lady ($6.10) took command soon after the start under John Velazquez and galloped to a nine-length victory over Fait Accompli. It was 6 1/2 lengths back to Clarksburg Queen in third. Wild Berry, the even-money favorite, finished fifth. Capeside Lady, trained by Todd Pletcher, covered seven furlongs in 1:23.90 over a muddy track.
POMONA, Calif. - Excess Summer ($2.60) affirmed his status as the top-ranked California-bred 3-year-old at Fairplex Park, where he trounced seven rivals by five lengths in the $100,000 Pomona Derby and carried Julie Krone to a win in her first mount at the Los Angeles County Fair.
The win was the fifth in eight starts for Excess Summer, who has earned $234,921 in seven starts since trainer Jeff Mullins claimed him from Mike Machowsky for $40,000.
