FLORENCE, Ky. - It doesn't take a lot to get trainer Murray Johnson started. Ask him why he doesn't intend to run his stable star, Perfect Drift, in the Breeders' Cup Classic again this year, and he is off and winging.
"You've got a horse who's going to win the Classic this year who doesn't even belong there," said Johnson, referring to Argentine-bred Candy Ride. "Doesn't that tell everyone not to breed horses in North America? Personally, I think it's ridiculous."
EDMONTON, Alberta - An allowance race for 3-year-olds at 6 1/2 furlongs on Saturday attracted a field of six, and two of the top contenders are trained by Dale Greenwood.
Diablo Contento finished third to Rindanica in the Western Canada Handicap just before being claimed by Greenwood from Bar None Ranches for $32,000. For Greenwood, he has not finished worse than third in four starts. His best effort was a second to Oceans Seven, beaten a head, in an optional claiming race.
For his previous interests, he won for $32,000 and had a second and a pair of thirds.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Boiling Point looks like the hot horse in a $50,000 optional race at Hastings on Saturday. He is coming off of a strong effort in the Richmond Derby Trial and figures be favored over Magcargo in the 1 1/16-mile race, which drew eight horses.
Boiling Point, trained by Ed Thompson, does his best running late, and with Orchids Spirit and Baron's Rank in the field, the pace should be lively enough to set him up. He came on strong to finish third in the Richmond Derby Trial and on Saturday he will be ridden by leading jockey Pedro Alvarado.
AUBURN, Wash. - Emerald Downs will present the sparsest weekend card in its eight-year history on Saturday, when just 51 horses will contest only eight races.
The feature contributes to the disappointing totals, as only five older runners were entered to contest a one-mile race for $16,000 to $14,000 claimers.
DEL MAR, Calif. - In recent years at Del Mar, the juvenile stakes have been dominated by trainer Bob Baffert. But Baffert's streak was halted this summer by Richard Mandella, who made a clean sweep of the major stakes for 2-year-olds when Siphonizer captured the Grade 2, $250,000 Del Mar Futurity on Wednesday's closing-day card.
"I'm a 2-year-old trainer," the Hall of Fame trainer said, partly in jest.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Patrick Valenzuela confirmed his status as top jockey in Southern California this summer at Del Mar, overcoming a stiff challenge from Julie Krone to defend his riding title there and earn his third consecutive title on the circuit.
Valenzuela finished the meet, which concluded Wednesday, with 52 wins, three more than Krone. Valenzuela led by one entering Sunday's program but won five races in the final three racing days.
FLORENCE, Ky. - This year hasn't exactly worked out the way Elliott Walden had planned for Awesome Humor - but that doesn't necessarily mean it has been a bad year. In fact, if she can win Saturday at Turfway Park, Awesome Humor will have made up for quite a bit of lost time.
After winning all four of her starts last year at 2, Awesome Humor was supposed to return as a major force in her division - a more mature and versatile filly, albeit one who retained an eye-catching turn of foot. It just hasn't happened that way.
The transition from summer to fall marks something of a welcome tradition for intrepid fans of Kentucky racing. Road trips on southbound Interstate 65 from Louisville, Lexington, and other primary training bases have become commonplace at this time of year, as horses and horsemen converge on Kentucky Downs for a brief September meet at the turf-only track.
Saturday night at Retama, the Texas Stallion Stakes will be open to 3-year-olds and up for the first time since being introduced a few years ago. In the male division of the seven-furlong race, Most Feared will be making his first start since May, when he finished second to Dynever in the Grade 3, $500,000 Lone Star Park Derby.
Most Feared cuts back to one turn, which should suit him since his biggest win came under those conditions in the Grade 3 Arlington-Washington Futurity. Kerwin Clark has the mount for trainer Jack Bruner.
Before parimutuel racing was reinstated in Texas in the late 1980's, breeders in the state turned to neighboring Louisiana Downs to host their Friendship Stakes. That was 30 years ago, and the Texas-bred race, which is the oldest continuously run stakes race at Louisiana Downs, has since grown into two divisions, both of which will be renewed Saturday.
Texas racing itself has expanded so much the past decade that Louisiana Downs will not be the only track running stakes races for Texas-breds Saturday.