POMONA, Calif. - A county fair is not a typical launching pad for one of the country's top 2-year-old fillies, but an exception will be made Saturday at Fairplex Park.
Dixie High, whose brilliant maiden victory placed her among the division elite, towers over nine rivals in the $100,000 Barretts Debutante. Assuming she reproduces her Sept. 1 victory - a six-length Del Mar frolic that earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 96 - Dixie High could turn the 6 1/2-furlong Barretts into a virtual walkover.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - World traveler America America will make her third Woodbine start in three weeks Saturday in the $268,250 Mazarine Breeders' Cup Stakes, a 1 1/16-mile race for 2-year-old fillies.
America America has run 11 times in four different countries under the guidance of trainer Frank Mourier. Her lone victory came in her debut in a three-furlong maiden dash April 6 at Gulfstream, where she also finished a close second in the April 24 Mockingbird Stakes.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Dancewithavixen shoots for her sixth straight win in the $150,000 British Columbia Breeders' Cup Oaks at Hastings on Saturday. Dancewithavixen will face her sternest test yet in the 1 1/8-mile Oaks, for 3-year-old fillies. Also in the field are Canadian Derby winner Raylene and Brave Miss, who is coming off a third-place finish in the Washington Breeders' Cup Oaks Aug. 23.
While Raylene comes into the Oaks with impeccable credentials, Tom Longstaff, who is the owner and trainer of Dancewithavixen, is pretty confident about the chances of his filly.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Brave Miss, who figures to be third choice in the British Columbia Breeders' Cup Oaks on Saturday, is a nice filly. Unfortunately for her connections, owner Leif Nordhal and trainer Barbara Heads, two of the best 3-year-old fillies seen in the Pacific Northwest for some time also came along this year. Youcan'ttakeme has dominated her opposition at Emerald Downs, and Dancewithavixen has been nothing less than spectacular at Hastings, winning six of the seven stake races for 3-year-old fillies there.
EDMONTON, Alberta - Regal Ability, a 4-year-old who led wire to wire to win the Speed to Spare at 26-1, will have an opportunity to prove that he is for real in Saturday's $50,000 Alberta Breeders' Handicap.
Regal Abililty is the co-highweight at 121 pounds with They Call Me Cody in the 1 1/16-mile race for older horses, part of the seventh annual Alberta Fall Classics. The Breeders', with a field of seven, is one of the more interesting races on a program that features seven $50,000 stakes for Alberta-breds.
It was a year ago this weekend that Dennis Richard and Norman Miller III reached racing utopia. Bonapaw, the speedy gelding that Richard owns and Miller trains, thoroughly dominated one of the most prestigious sprints in racing, the Grade 1 Vosburgh at Belmont, providing the men with a thrill beyond description.
Even though Quest Star was beaten a half-length in the Bowling Green Handicap at Belmont Park two starts back, trainer Elliott Walden liked what he saw. Quest Star demonstrated a willingness to relax off the front-runners before launching a determined run, proving the colt had yet another dimension.
"He's probably one of the most versatile horses I've ever trained," said Walden. "He's run a mile in under 1:34 before, and he's won going 1 1/2 miles. Heck, I'd even love to run him on the dirt but haven't really gotten a chance yet."
Billy Tucker and Joe Cain want to get through Saturday before any major decisions are made. Tucker and Cain will leave their hometown of Russell Springs, Ky., early Saturday to make a three-hour drive to Turfway Park in Florence, Ky., where their horse Private Horde will attempt to earn a rightful spot in the Breeders' Cup Sprint.
MIAMI - Tap Dancer will be the public's choice, but Hopefortheroses is the sentimental favorite to win Saturday's $100,000 Foolish Pleasure Stakes for 2-year-olds at Calder. The mile and 70-yard Foolish Pleasure shares top billing on the 13-race program with its filly counterpart, the $100,000 Brave Raj Stakes.
Both the Foolish Pleasure and Brave Raj serve as the final major local preps for the $400,000 In Reality and $400,000 My Dear Girl divisions of the Florida Stallion Stakes to be run on Oct. 11.