ALBANY, Calif. - Ema Bovary may not get a warm reception when she makes her United States racing debut against seven other older fillies and mares in Sunday's $60,000-added Richmond Handicap at Golden Gate Fields.
The 4-year-old Chilean-bred and -raced filly will have to face Lacie Girl, northern California's top female sprinter, and track specialist Onslaught, who has won five of her seven starts over the Golden Gate Fields track.
FLORENCE, Ky. - Jason Lumpkins is keenly aware that many people in the racing industry aren't putting much stock in what he has accomplished his winter at Turfway Park.
"They're all saying, 'Wait until Keeneland and Churchill Downs,'" Lumpkins said Thursday at Turfway. "That's when the big test will come."
No Its Not, who is undefeated at Delta Downs, will have to hold off the closing kick of new rival Seainsky to win Saturday night's $50,000 Delta Mile at the Vinton, La., track.
Seainsky rallied for second last out in the $100,000 Maxxam Gold Cup at Sam Houston on Jan. 18, beaten 1 1/2 lengths by Valhol. Before that race, Seainsky just missed in the $100,000 Woodchopper Handicap on turf at Fair Grounds.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - With Vindication out of the picture and both Sky Mesa and Toccet still weeks away from their 2003 debuts, the 3-year-old division can certainly use an infusion of fresh blood to stir up a little excitement on the road to this year's Kentucky Derby.
Saturday's $200,000 Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park is the proper setting for one or more potential Derby horses to step forward. A field of nine promising 3-year-olds will square off at 1 1/16 miles in the Grade 1 race, which serves as the prep for the $1 million Florida Derby on March 15.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - In addition to Whywhywhy, who will run in Saturday's Fountain of Youth Stakes, trainer Patrick Biancone brought three other runners to Florida from California, and he will have a fifth horse join them in the next two weeks. All are 3-year-olds.
Most prominent among Biancone's supporting cast will be Stellar, a filly who had a productive summer at Saratoga last year. She won her debut, was second in the Adirondack Stakes, and fourth in the Spinaway Stakes.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Mr. Pleasentfar, winless since taking the 2001 Red Smith Handicap, rallied seven wide down the center of the Gulfstream Park turf course to nail front-running Wertz by a neck in Thursday's featured $42,000 optional claiming race.
Mr. Pleasentfar, who was coming out of poor efforts in a pair of graded stakes at Calder and Gulfstream, was sent off at 28-1, the longest shot in the eight-horse field. He had been 0 for 6 since winning the Grade 2 Red Smith at Aqueduct in November 2001.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - As of 6:15 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, the mutuel field was the 4-5 favorite in early betting on Pool 1 of the 2003 Kentucky Derby Future Wager.
Having opened at noon, the win-only future wager had attracted $39,053 in handle during its first six-plus hours.
The four-day wager is scheduled to continue through Sunday at 6:30 p.m. Eastern. It is available in 34 states and through the Television Games Network online wagering service
