SAN MATEO, Calif. - Patriot Noise, who recently earned a maiden victory on the turf, heads an interesting field of six 3-year-olds in Wednesday's Bay Meadows feature, a 1 1/16-mile allowance race on the turf.
Patriot Noise has never finished worse than fourth in a six-race career that includes a first and a second in three turf starts, and he is the only member of the field never to have run for a claiming tag. But that does not assure him of the role as favorite.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - The Keogh-Schickedanz express stayed on track for the $1 million Queen's Plate here on Saturday, with Wando running on the engine to win the 1 1/16 mile Marine Stakes.
The victory marked the stable's third straight score in a stakes prep for the June 22 Plate. Wando also captured the six-furlong Woodstock here April 19, while stablemate Mobil won the seven-furlong Queenston May 3.
Trainer Mike Keogh, who has stuck with his plan of keeping the two Gustav Schickedanz homebreds on separate paths, plans to go straight to the 1 1/4-mile Plate with Wando.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Ford Every Stream will make his anticipated grass debut in Wednesday's Woodbine feature, a second-level allowance race for 3-year-olds and up.
Ford Every Stream, a blue-blooded son of Seeking the Gold, has a turf pedigree. All three of his half-siblings to try the grass won on it - Comet Kris, Flow Freely, and Water Music. Comet Kris was the best of that trio, having finished third in the 1998 Breeders' Stakes, the third leg of the Canadian Triple Crown.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Too Late Now, an obscurely bred daughter of Raj Waki, easily defeated a talented field of 3-year-old fillies in the Grade 1 Selene Stakes at Woodbine Monday.
Too Late Now ($13.60) stalked a lively pace under Robert Landry in the mile and a sixteenth event, as Winter Garden, Handpainted and Cat's Cat dueled through splits of :22.98 and :46.75 and 1:12.12 seconds.
Too Late Now was angled three-wide for the drive at the head of the stretch, and overhauled Handpainted and Winter Garden inside the eighth pole en route to two and a half-length victory.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Alpenfest was tested throughout Sunday's $96,975 Willard Proctor Memorial Stakes at Hollywood Park, overcoming a wide trip to win his stakes debut.
Afterward, trainer Mike Harrington insisted that the performance by the unbeaten 2-year-old is only a harbinger of things to come.
"He'll be a much better 3-year-old. He is far from being mature," Harrington said.
LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. - Hawkish broke an 11-year-old track record with a narrow win in Saturday's $400,000 Kindergarten for 2-year-olds Quarter Horses at Los Alamitos.
Ridden by Alex Bautista, Hawkish ran 300 yards in 15.18 seconds, taking 3/100ths off the 1992 mark held by Ima Ladys Alibi. Hawkish finished three-quarters of a length in front of Metallic Lion with Shyann Cash third in the field of eight. Corona Clique, the 3-5 favorite, finished fourth.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Forever Grand overcame an awkward break to capture the $127,625 New Providence Stakes at Woodbine Sunday.
Forever Grand bobbled at the start of the six-furlong dash, and trailed the four-horse field of Ontario-sired runners early, as Krz Ruckus and favored Mulligan the Great dueled through fractions of :22.29 and :45.96 seconds.
BALTIMORE - Francis O'Toole, a Washington D.C. attorney who lives in McLean, Va., has a small breeding operation, but he hit the big time on Saturday.
O'Toole's homebred horse Dr. Brendler found the soggy turf conditions in Saturday's $200,000 just to his liking. He rallied under Ramon Dominguez to win the Grade 2 Dixie by a half-length over a stubborn Perfect Soul on the Preakness Stakes card at chilly Pimlico.
"I'm a small breeder," O'Toole said as he stood in the winner's circle following the race. "I have one mare here and one in Ireland."
BALTIMORE - Could Ken McPeek be gearing up for another Belmont Stakes shocker?
Last year, with Sarava, McPeek used the Sir Barton Stakes as a prelude to the biggest upset in Belmont Stakes history. Saturday, the McPeek-trained Best Minister may have earned a shot in the June 7 Belmont with an authoritative three-length victory in the $100,750 Sir Barton Stakes at Pimlico.
BALTIMORE - No one would have blamed jockey Pat Valenzuela had he opted not to come to Pimlico after being bounced off his Preakness mount, Ten Cents a Shine, on Wednesday morning by owner Ken Ramsey and trainer D. Wayne Lukas.
Valenzuela did make the cross-country trip from his California base and made the best of a bad situation Saturday by guiding Carib Lady to an upset victory in the Grade 3, $125,000 Gallorette Handicap for fillies and mares on turf.
