LEXINGTON, Ky. - Anyone who has watched Bauhauser in any of her three races in the United States probably couldn't help but notice the way the gray mare appears to dig down and give every ounce of possible effort.
"That's the one thing that was very evident about her when I first got her," said Steve Asmussen, who began training Bauhauser for Bill Heiligbrodt and Johnny Jones in April. "She's a professional racehorse. She absolutely knows how to run."
ELMONT, N.Y. - Feline Story lost as the favorite when she was stretched out to a mile in the Grade 1 Matron. She is back doing what she does best - sprinting - in Sunday's $150,0000 Astarita at Belmont Park.
The Grade 2 Astarita, a 6 1/2-furlong race, drew nine 2-year-old fillies.
The last three winners of the Astarita - Xtra Heat, Bella Bellucci, and Humorous Lady - ran back in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. Bella Bellucci had the best Breeders' Cup effort of the three, with a third-place finish in 2001.
ELMONT, N.Y. - The Cowdin Stakes, run on Sunday at Belmont Park, lost its grade for this year's running and its purse was dropped from $100,000 to $75,000. Its decreased status was reflected in the embarrassingly small number of 2-year-olds entered in the race on Friday.
Only three of the 18 nominees, Lissau, Boston Brahmin, and Smokume, passed the entry box for the 6 1/2-furlong stakes. Because of the size of the field, the Cowdin will be run as the third race, with win betting only. The racing office also added another race to what was originally intended to be a 10-race card.
Yell, competing outside of Grade 1 company for the first time since February, asserted her class Friday at Keeneland when she surged to victory in the Grade 3, $174,450 Raven Run Stakes.
Trained by Shug McGaughey and ridden by Pat Day, Yell drew clear in deep stretch of the seven-furlong Raven Run to win by 2 1/2 lengths over Ebony Breeze. Tina Bull, who led most of the way, finished another three-quarters of a length back in third in the field of 12 3-year-old fillies.
ARCADIA, Calif. - The disappointment of Ruler's Court's withdrawal from the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita on Oct. 25 did not linger for jockey Alex Solis.
Thursday, owner Sheikh Mohammed pulled Ruler's Court from the Juvenile even though Ruler's Court would have been a top contender following a 14-length win of the Norfolk Stakes at Santa Anita on Oct. 5.
SAN MATEO, Calif. - With the presence of Lacie Girl, Northern California's top female sprinter, Sunday's $60,000 Charles H. Russell Handicap at Bay Meadows is likely a contest for second.
Lacie Girl has been virtually unbeatable at the Russell distance of six furlongs, with seven victories in eight Northern California starts. Her lone loss was by a nose to Ema Bovary in the Soviet Problem Handicap.
"When I get a horse that likes a certain distance, I try to keep the horse there," said trainer Jerry Hollendorfer.
STICKNEY, Ill. - About the only thing that would bring clarity to the $40,000 Crafty Drone Stakes at Hawthorne on Sunday is rain.
The Crafty Drone, scheduled for a mile on turf, drew 11 entrants when the race was drawn Friday, and it'll take hair-splitting to separate the top contenders if the race stays on grass.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Trainer Mike Machowsky and jockey Jose Valdivia Jr. are likely to have a brief strategy session before Fencelineneighbor starts in Sunday's $100,000 Harold Ramser Handicap at Santa Anita.
Machowsky learned his lesson after giving elaborate instructions to Valdivia before Fencelineneighbor finished fifth in the San Clemente Handicap on Aug. 2. He shortened his presentation for the Barona Cup Handicap on Aug. 23.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Dream About will stake her claim to the Sovereign Award as Canada's champion 2-year-old filly Sunday at Woodbine in the $250,000 Princess Elizabeth Stakes. The race could be a stepping-stone to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.
Six other Canadian-breds were entered in the 58th running of the 1 1/16-mile Princess Elizabeth, which has been won by numerous champions, including La Prevoyante and Dancethruthedawn.
