After consistently trouncing the competition in the Ohio-bred ranks for two seasons, Hackendiffy is poised to try something completely different at Mountaineer Park.
The 3-year-old Hackendiffy, a five-time stakes winner racing at Thistledown and River Downs, is scheduled to make his turf debut and face older horses for the first time in the $75,000 Labor Day Handicap, one of two one-mile turf stakes on a 10-race holiday card.
Both of two rich races for New York-bred 2-year-olds at Finger Lakes on Monday are likely to be won by fillies.
Hot Golden Jet, the winner of a statebred fillies nonwinners-of-two-other than at Belmont Park on June 25, stands out in the
1 1/16-mile $60,000 New York Oaks, which is restricted to fillies.
She comes into the Oaks with the highest earnings, a record of three wins and two seconds in seven starts, and the right connections - the Saratoga-based trainer Jimmy Jerkens and Saratoga-based rider Aaron Gryder.
Trainer Merrill Scherer probably doesn't want the Ellis Park meet to end, but time marches on. The last of 41 programs will be run Monday at the Henderson, Ky., track, and Scherer has an opportunity to put an exclamation point on what has been for him a memorable summer.
Scherer will saddle Classic Par, a major contender in the $75,000 Tri-State Handicap, a 1 1/8-mile grass race for older horses. Scherer entered the final three days of the meet with 11 wins from 26 starters, and in a second-place tie behind Kim Hammond in the trainer standings.
Sanibel Sunset, who recently moved to this region after being purchased privately, is the chief threat to razor-sharp Tiva's Little Sis in the $50,000 Lyrique Handicap at Louisiana Downs.
The 1 1/16-mile turf race for 3-year-old fillies is the final prep for the $75,000 Marie P. DeBartolo Oaks on the Super Derby card Sept. 20.
Tiva's Little Sis, a half-sister to recent Grade 1 Sword Dancer winner Whitmore's Conn, established herself as the top local filly in her division last out, rallying for a one-length win in the $50,000 Chapel Belle on turf on Aug. 2.
LAFAYETTE, La. - Streak of Smoke, second in the "Shine" Young Futurity and the winner of the Evangeline Downs Sales Futurity earlier in the year, will attempt to solidify his position as the top 2-year-old of the meeting by winning the $50,000 Lafayette Stakes. The six-furlong closing day feature drew a field of 11.
NORTH RANDALL, Ohio - Devil Time looks to complete a stakes-winning hat-trick, matching strides over 1 1/4 miles with eight other Ohio-breds in the 27th running of the $75,000 Governor's Buckeye Cup.
The race will be run at Thistledown for the first time. It had been run at River Downs, and prior to the Best of Ohio Day program, the Ohio-bred champion was usually crowned by winning this race.
Dash of Perry may be peaking at the most lucrative time for a Quarter Horse.
On Aug. 14, the 2-year-old filly won her maiden in the sixth division of the All American Futurity trials at Ruidoso Downs.
Her winning time over 440 yards - 21.409 seconds - was fast enough to earn a berth in to Monday's $1,896,250 final and give owners Bill and Mary Eiland and Russell and Brook Harris a solid chance at the $1 million first-place purse.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - The six-furlong Kenora often has been one of the highly competitive events on the yearling sales stakes program.
And Monday's renewal of the Kenora will be no exception, with Mulligan the Great, the defending champion, riding the crest of back-to-back stakes wins but facing stiff competition from Rare Friends, Wild Whiskey, and Forever Grand.
FORT ERIE, Ontario - Owner-trainer Gina Powell, who hasn't had a winner in eight starts this meet, is confident Get Down Wolfie will defend his title in the Puss N Boots Stakes on Monday.
The Puss N Boots is the second of a pair of $60,000 stakes on the card for 3-year-olds and up, with both scheduled to be run at 1 1/16 miles on turf. The first, the Miss Moneypenny, is for fillies and mares.
WINNIPEG, Manitoba - The 5-year-old mare Cayenne Pepper takes on the best of the Manitoba-bred fillies and mares in the $35,000 Manitoba Distaff on Monday, part of a card at Assiniboia Downs that also features both divisions of the CTHS Sales Stakes for 2-year-olds.
The Distaff will be run at one mile, which is not Cayenne Pepper's best distance, but she can be extremely courageous when she gets her own way up front and she does look like the lone speed.
Trained by Keith Corbel, Cayenne Pepper will likely be third choice in the Distaff, which will make her an overlay.