ARCADIA, Calif. - It is quite possible that without 93 seconds of brilliance at Aqueduct last November, Congaree would have had a different life this winter.
When he entered the gate for the Grade 1 Cigar Mile on Nov. 30, Congaree's career was in a rut. A loss would likely have led to retirement and a career at stud, a victory would justify leaving him in training.
Even his most dedicated backers could not have expected the performance that Congaree showed, a victory by 5 1/2 lengths.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Luvah Girl, a graded stakes winner in England last fall, will drop in class when she makes her American debut in Friday's $100,000 La Habra Stakes at Santa Anita.
Last October, Luvah Girl concluded her English campaign with a front-running victory in the Group 2 Rockfel Stakes over seven furlongs at Newmarket. Following that race, she was transferred to trainer Jenine Sahadi at Santa Anita by owner Gary Barber and the Team Valor Syndicate.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Trompolino, the winner of the Group 1 Chilean St. Leger in 2001, and Tough Game, who has never started in a stakes, are being considered for Saturday's $1 million Santa Anita Handicap, their trainers said on Wednesday.
The defection of Medgalia d'Oro, a co-topweight at 124 pounds with Congaree, has given the connections of a few longshots the chance to reconsider their plans. Medaglia d'Oro was withdrawn from the race on Tuesday after trainer Bobby Frankel expressed frustration at the weight assignments.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Trainer Vinnie Blengs was planning to give Gal O Gal a meaningful break after her victory in the Grade 3 Herecomesthebride Stakes earlier this month. Gal O Gal had other ideas.
Thus, Gal O Gal will seek her fifth consecutive victory Friday when she heads a full field of 3-year-old fillies set to run nine furlongs in the $65,000 Gaily Gaily Stakes at Gulfstream Park. Thirteen were entered, but only 12 will be permitted to run on Gulfstream's turf course.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Captain Red established an inner track record for six furlongs in Wednesday's eighth race at Aqueduct, defeating odds-on favorite Affirmed Success in the process.
Captain Red covered the distance in 1:07.93 over a fast track. The previous record of 1:08.40 was set by Whirling Blade on March 5, 1997.
Captain Red was a half-length winner over Gold I.D. It was another half-length back to Affirmed Success, the 3-5 favorite in the six-horse field, in third.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Gulfstream Park neared the halfway point of its 89-day meet Wednesday with a 6 percent gain in total handle and a gain of less than 1 percent in ontrack business, according to track president Scott Savin.
Attendance for the first 44 days of the meet is down 7 percent compared with corresponding days of 2002. The attendance deficit can be attributed to the lack of a turnstile-spinning concert crowd, such as the one - 29,889 strong - that saw Bryan Adams perform here early in the 2002 meet.
Oaklawn Park canceled its live racing cards for Wednesday and Thursday because of a slow-moving snow storm that pelted the Southeast and Midwest beginning on Tuesday.
Three other tracks, Beulah Park in Ohio, Charles Town in West Virginia, and Laurel Park in Maryland, also canceled their Wednesday cards because of the storm.
Counting Wednesday's and Thursday's card, Oaklawn has canceled six cards since opening in February, tying the record for most cancellations during one meet. Oaklawn is not scheduled to close until April 12.
ALBANY, Calif. - Rough R.N., whose only loss in a four-race career came by a neck, heads a field of seven older fillies and mares in Friday's feature at Golden Gate Fields, a six-furlong allowance race.
Rough R.N. was a 7 1/2-length winner in her debut on Nov. 28, winning a $25,000 claiming race at six furlongs in 1:08.99.
She also was claimed by trainer John F. Martin for the Fat Man Stables of Richard Robey.
Sterling Sport and Classy Shot Glass, who each won three 870-yard stakes last year, head the two trials to the Grade 3, $35,000 New Mexico Distance Challenge at Sunland Park on Friday afternoon.
Owned by Muller Racing and trained by Denny Ekins, Sterling Sport was one of the top distance runners at Los Alamitos last year when he won the Pat Hyland Memorial Handicap, the Bull Rastus Handicap, and the MCI California Challenge.
In his most recent start he was second in the Moonshiner Handicap.
PORTLAND, Ore. - At a mere nine furlongs, last Sunday's split divisions of the first of four legs in the Marathon Series were really just preps for the true marathons to come. They were, however, preps that promised some rollicking good racing.
Full fields of 10 contested both divisions of the first leg, with Produckson edging G and L Special by a half-length in the first division, which was run in 1:53.60. Mr. Fix ran third as the favorite after being denied the lead, which he clearly needs for his best effort.