Term Sheet, a three-length winner over open company last out in the $50,000 Sprint Handicap, will try to master two turns Saturday night when he moves back into the statebred ranks for the $35,000 Jersey Village at Sam Houston Race Park.
The 1 1/16-mile race drew eight older horses, including Agrivating General, runner-up in the Sprint Handicap, and Faxamillion, third at the distance in the $100,000 Star of Texas for statebreds in November.
GRAND ISLAND, Neb. - A pair of stakes races highlight Saturday's 10-race card at Fonner Park - the Bachman Stakes and the Grasmick Handicap, which was rescheduled after being canceled last weekend due to a winter storm.
Both races offer $10,000 purses and are run at four furlongs. The Bachman is for 3-year-olds, the Grasmick for 3-year-olds and up.
The Grasmick Handicap brings out Leaping Plum for his 12-year-old debut. He is older than all his rivals by 7 to 8 years, and also spots them weight.
Trainer Paul Jones will saddle seven of the 10 horses, including the six fastest qualifiers, in the Grade 1, $206,000 Los Alamitos Winter Derby on Saturday night at Los Alamitos.
Qualifying seven horses for a Grade 1 stakes is believed to be a Quarter Horse record.
PHOENIX - Deputy Doc tried the big time in December. Following three easy wins, he took on Siberland in the Arizona Juvenile. He finished third.
But Deputy Doc bounced back to win the John Baker Memorial, and he enters Saturday's $35,000 Palo Verde Handicap at Turf Paradise - where he will face some of the same horses he beat in the Baker - as the heavy favorite. The Palo Verde, at 6 1/2 furlongs, attracted a field of six, with Deputy Doc the 124-pound highweight.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Trainer Todd Pletcher went into the post position draw for Saturday's $500,000 Donn Handicap knowing Harlan's Holiday would have to overcome his 120-pound weight assignment to win the Grade 1 stakes race. Pletcher came out of Wednesday's draw with a second and potentially more difficult obstacle to overcome: the extreme outside post, which Harlan's Holiday drew for the 45th running of the Donn, Gulfstream Park's marquee race for older handicap horses.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - In Badge of Silver, owners Ken and Sarah Ramsey have one of the most exciting 3-year-old dirt horses in the country. In Nothing to Lose, they may have one of the top 3-year-old turf horses as well.
Badge of Silver remained unbeaten with his victory in last weekend's Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds. Nothing to Lose will try to remain undefeated on turf in Friday's Grade 3, $100,000 Palm Beach Stakes at Gulfstream Park, which drew 13 entries.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - In years past, horses based at Calder Race Course always won more than their fair share of races when they traveled across town to compete at Gulfstream Park.
The majority of that success, though, traditionally came in claiming and low- to middle-class allowance races.
But this winter, when the big money has been on the line, Calder horses have risen to the occasion.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Trainer Mark Shuman has not had to sweat out many photos at this year's Gulfstream Park meeting, but the picture from Wednesday's seventh race will certainly be suitable for framing for the 32-year-old trainer.
When Charge and Send outlasted Zona's Zipper by a nose to win the seventh race, it was Shuman's 40th win of the meet, eclipsing the previous Gulfstream meet record of 39 set by Bill Mott at the 1996 meet. Shuman did it in the 38th day of the meet. Mott accomplished his record during a 64-day meet.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Ellie's Moment wore down pacesetter and favorite Pocus Hocus in the stretch to win Wednesday's $77,075 Rare Treat Handicap at Aqueduct by 6 1/2 lengths for the first stakes victory of her career.
Only four ran after the scratch of the 119-pound highweight Martha's Music. The stewards said Martha's Music was scratched by trainer John Servis because it was too difficult to van her to Aqueduct from Philadelphia Park in the aftermath of Monday's blizzard.
The ungraded Rare Treat was originally carded for Monday, but racing was canceled because of the storm.
ARCADIA, Calif. - The best race Friday at Santa Anita is a worst-case scenario for a speed horse such as Rocky Bar. "One way or another, he's going to be on the lead," said trainer Kory Owens.
This presents an immediate dilemma. Although Rocky Bar is the fastest horse in the $75,000 Reb's Policy Handicap, Owens admits Rocky Bar's chance to win the 6 1/2-furlong turf race depends largely on "how much pressure they put on him." Unfortunately for Rocky Bar, the pace pressure figures to be severe.
