DEL MAR, Calif. - John McKee, a finalist for the 2002 Eclipse Award for top apprentice jockey, will ride Sister Girl Blues in Sunday's $300,000 Clement Hirsch Handicap at Del Mar.
McKee, who is currently riding at Ellis Park, was given the mount by owner Jeff Nielsen because he can make the filly's 109-pound assignment. The field for the Grade 2 Hirsch is led by Azeri, the 2002 Horse of the Year, who carries top weight of 127 pounds.
Saturday's $600,000 West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer didn't attract the stars of the 3-year-old division, but the 11-horse field might contain some late bloomers who will be players during the second half of the year.
Among the runners in the Grade 3 West Virginia Derby are two lightly raced colts, Dynever and Soto, who have both shown promise in their brief careers.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Wando, a commanding winner of both the Queen's Plate and Prince of Wales Stakes, will attempt to become the first Canadian Triple Crown winner in a decade, and just the seventh since the series was created in 1959, when he starts as the favorite in Saturday's $500,000 Breeders' Stakes at Woodbine.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Sentiment, not to mention mutuel support, will be overwhelmingly in favor of Wando when he looks to complete a sweep of the Canadian Triple Crown here in Saturday's Breeders' Stakes.
But there is also an allure to the role of spoiler, and Strizzi would appear to be the horse best equipped to play that part for Stronach Stable and trainer Malcolm Pierce in this year's renewal of the $500,000, 1 1/2-mile turf race.
MIAMI - The opening divisions of Calder's Florida Stallion Stakes rarely draw the attention of trainers outside the confines of the Sunshine State. That will not be the case on Saturday when trainer George Handy ships down from his summer base at Suffolk Downs with a pair of juveniles who could provide the locals with formidable opposition in both the $75,000 Dr. Fager and $75,000 Desert Vixen stakes.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Saturday's Singapore Plate Stakes takes its name from Arlington Park's far-flung international ties. The race itself is quintessentially American.
Here is a melting pot of three former claimers, two Illinois-breds, and a horse based at tiny Fairmount Park. Not included in that hodgepodge is Sue's Good News, quite probably the best filly in the race, but a horse carrying baggage right now.
HENDERSON, Ky. - When Jon Court's reign at Ellis Park began in 1998, the man who would one day threaten to halt Court's record string of riding titles was merely trying to get enough to eat.
Rafael Bejarano, who held the lead over Court atop the jockey standings as the Ellis meet passed its midway point Wednesday, grew up in the impoverished village of Arequipa, Peru, where his entire family lived in a small room of a small house.
"My dad, mom, two sisters, and me," Bejarano, 21, said Thursday through interpreter Ramiro Torres. "Very, very poor."
FORT ERIE, Ontario - Until this year, Cindy Mustoe has largely gone unnoticed here as a trainer. Last year, she scored just one win from her 24 starters.
This year, however, she has been in the spotlight due to the exploits of her stable star, Sea Way Lady, a winner of her last four races.
Sea Way Lady, a 5-year-old mare, has lost just once this year, when she broke poorly in her season opener and finished out of the money.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - The decision to send Charming Jim to the $100,000 Sapling Stakes came easily to Calder-based trainer Ed Plesa Jr.
"I've always been partial to Monmouth Park," Plesa said. "It's one of my favorite racetracks."
The colt arrived Tuesday for Monmouth's premier 2-year-old stakes on Saturday, while Plesa touched down Thursday morning.
Charming Jim had a win and a second in two starts at Calder.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - Tabacchi, the 2-year-old colt who made an impressive debut Saturday at Monmouth Park, is being pointed to the $300,000 Delaware Park NATC Stakes on Aug. 30 at six furlongs. But that target could become moot should the colt change hands in the near future.
According to trainer Terri Pompay, offers to purchase Tabacchi trickled in after his debut.
"At first, the owners weren't inclined to sell," said Pompay, who handles the negotiations on behalf of Sterling Stables. "It is a decision they have to weight carefully."
