ARCADIA, Calif. - Affluent, a winner of six graded stakes and a millionaire for owner-breeder Jan Whitham, has been retired, trainer Ron McAnally said Thursday.
Affluent made her final start in the Grade 2 A Gleam Handicap at Hollywood Park on July 13, finishing third. Her final stakes win was the Grade 1 Santa Monica Handicap at Santa Anita in January, which marked the third consecutive year in which she won a Grade 1 race.
There have been a lot of firsts in the last year at Louisiana Downs. Harrah's Entertainment bought the track in December. The company installed 905 slot machines in May, and on Saturday, it will present a made-over Louisiana Breeders' Festival.
Held over two days in the past, the Festival, made up of 12 statebred stakes worth $620,000, will be run on a single program this year. The change makes the program the second-richest of the meet behind Super Derby Day.
Trainer Glenn Delahoussaye is quick to deflect all credit for Cabildo Bag's perfect record. Cabildo Bag, who will shoot for her third straight stakes win in the $50,000 Laurel Lane at Louisiana Downs on Saturday, is one of the top 2-year-olds at Louisiana Downs.
Cabildo Bag won her maiden against statebreds on opening weekend, then stepped up and beat open company in the $50,000 Rebel five weeks later. Cabildo Bag then defeated male rivals in the $50,000 Lafayette at her home track of Evangeline Downs.
PHOENIX - What counts more, current form or past class?
That's the question Saturday's Caballas del Sol Handicap, the six-furlong feature at Turf Paradise, poses for handicappers.
The razor-sharp Dan's Groovy takes on several runners with back class, including Top Hit, Bristolville, Komax, and NoCal Bread, in a field of nine. Toss in Kolinor, who had a smart prep race; Duddly Doo Run, runner-up in the Bienvenidos here opening week; and sharp Canterbury shipper Montana Rush, and you have the makings of one tough race.
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Last month's 1 1/16-mile Carmel Handicap on grass could be a key indicator of what to expect in Saturday's $60,000-added Palo Alto Handicap on the main track at Bay Meadows.
Three of the eight 3-year-old fillies running in Saturday's one-mile stakes ran in the Carmel. Frisco Belle finished second, Calldara seventh, and Watch Out World eighth. Calldara and Watch Out World will appreciate the return to the main track, while Frisco Belle scored her only main-track victories here.
Handicappers who enjoy playing races with full fields will get a smorgasbord of opportunities with the undercard of the $200,000 Maryland Million Classic Stakes at Laurel Park on Saturday.
Along with the Classic, Laurel will card 10 other stakes Saturday that drew a total of 105 horses. Seven of the races have purses of $100,000, and the conditions range from 2-year-olds going seven furlongs to two 1 1/8-mile turf races.
"Back to the Future" could well be an appropriate theme for Saturday night's 17th annual West Virginia Breeders Classics at Charles Town.
An eight-race all-stakes card of races for horses bred, sired, or raised in West Virginia is highlighted by the $250,000 Classic, a 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-olds and up.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Mark Hennig has two wishes for Consort Music heading into Saturday night's $50,000 Long Look Stakes at The Meadowlands.
"She could use a little pace and a little mud," the trainer said.
Consort Music might get both in the 1 1/16-mile race for fillies and mares. The presence of Pocus Hocus should insure an honest pace, and the weather forecast calls for weekend showers.
August 30, 2003, is a date Lynnett Hershbell will never forget. Within the span of several hours, Hershbell saddled her first stakes winner in a Thoroughbred race worth $200,000, and then got married.
"How can you top winning a $200,000 stakes on your wedding day?" Hershbell said, jokingly. "The only way I can top it is to win the Kentucky Derby."
That may sound like an impossible dream for a small-time trainer best known for working with Arabians, especially since Hershbell's leading Thoroughbred prospect is a 2-year-old gelding she describes as a "midget."