EAST BOSTON, Mass. - Just two weeks after running on James Moseley Handicap Day two weeks ago, several horses are eager to get back to work in Saturday's $35,000 Topsider Stakes.
Dhaffir, Goodbar, and Run Kush Run all raced against the tough out-of-town competition on Suffolk's biggest day, and all should be glad to be back against local rivals in the six-furlong Topsider.
All That Glitters, still going strong at age 9, is the one to beat in the $50,000 Buckland Stakes.
A full field of 14 fillies and mares entered the 5 1/2-furlong turf race.
All That Glitters, who drew post 1, is undefeated in two starts this year. On June 21 at Colonial Downs, the mare won the Somethingroyal Stakes by four lengths at the Buckland distance. All that Glitters has strong connections on her side in trainer Michael Trombetta, who has won with four of his seven starters at the meet, and leading rider Mario Pino.
A pair of New York-based fillies bring a distinct class edge into the $100,000 Dr. James Penny Memorial Handicap.
Delta Princess, winner of the Grade 3 Beaugay Handicap at Aqueduct, and Affirmed Dancer, who was a neck shy of winning the Grade 3 Gallorette Handicap at Pimlico, are clearly the top contenders in the 1 1/16-mile turf race for fillies and mares.
MIAMI - Want to know how tough it is to figure out Saturday's $100,000 Criterium Stakes at Calder? Even trainer Tim Ritvo, who will saddle two 2-year-olds in the 10-horse field, doesn't have any idea what to expect.
"I'm looking for both my horses to run well and be very competitive, but this race is extremely unpredictable," said Ritvo, who will send out Wind Glider and Moment of Song in the 5 1/2-furlong dash. "You've got a lot of horses with speed and a few who, on paper, have already run very fast breaking their maidens. But let's see how they do if they get pushed."
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Strait From Texas rarely seems to get the respect she deserves.
But as long as Strait From Texas gets the money, like she did at odds of 20-1 in the $296,700 Nassau here June 1, trainer Paul Buttigieg won't be complaining.
"I think she was a big overlay," said Buttigieg, who trains the 4-year-old for James Michael. "She's a very underestimated filly, and she can run."
Strait From Texas could be overlooked at the windows again in Saturday's $171,750 Dance Smartly Handicap, a 1 1/8-mile turf race.
WINNIPEG, Manitoba - The speedy Air Driver will be favored in the $35,000 R.C. Anderson Stakes here Saturday, but she will likely have a few nipping at her heels early in the restricted one-mile race.
The lone stakes winner in the field of eight 3-year-old Manitoba-bred fillies, Air Driver may have enough speed to open up early and go all the way.
FORT ERIE, Ontario - Daniel David's on-again off-again riding career is once again flourishing, even though he can ride at no less than 118 pounds.
David, 39, scored with longshot Prospective Gal ($25.90) on Tuesday for his 16th win of the year, matching his output during an abbreviated 2002 campaign. The win put him in eighth place in the Fort Erie jockey standings.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Following Peeping Tom's victory in the James B. Moseley Handicap at Suffolk Downs on June 21 - the gelding's fifth race in nine weeks - trainer Pat Reynolds was inclined to give his millionaire a summer vacation.
Apparently, Peeping Tom had other ideas. So, instead of frolicking around in some paddock on a farm, Peeping Tom will be back in the starting gate Friday in the Grade 2, $150,000 Tom Fool Handicap at Belmont Park.
ELMONT, N.Y. - When trainer Ben Perkins Jr. decided to stop on Wild Snitch last fall, owner Ebby Novak had just one request.
"He said, 'I just want to have her ready for the Prioress,' " Perkins said.
Though Wild Snitch has made only one start in nine months, Perkins believes she is ready to run in Friday's $200,000 Prioress Stakes at Belmont Park. As the only Grade 1 six-furlong race restricted to 3-year-old fillies in the country, the Prioress drew an eight-horse field including shippers from California, Chicago, Maryland, and New Jersey.
