Despite losing three programs to bad weather in the last week of the season, Delaware Park posted a gain of 6 percent for the 139-day meet, which ended Saturday, over last year's meet of the same length. Delaware handled $282,655,168 from all sources on its races, for an average of $2,033,706 a day.
Jockey Mike McCarthy, who retired at the end of the meet after 21 seasons, won his sixth Delaware riding title in the past seven years with 157 victories.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - It's beginning to look a lot like winter when a second-level allowance race restricted to New York-breds serves as the feature at Aqueduct. Such is the case Wednesday.
The seven-furlong race, which drew a full field of 11, is the final leg of the pick six, which begins the day with a $40,946 carryover.
In a fairly wide-open race, Philadelphia Park shipper Rock Queen, who returns from a layoff, may offer decent value. Rock Queen hasn't raced since May 17 when she finished a well-beaten fourth in her first attempt at this level.
LAUREL, Md. - Although Thunderello did not, as initially feared, re-tear the suspensory ligament in his left foreleg while being pulled up in Saturday's Grade 1 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash over a sloppy Laurel Park main track, the injuries he did suffer could force him to retire.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - The 2002 Woodbine meeting, which will wind up Dec. 1, suddenly got even shorter after last Saturday and Sunday's cards were canceled because of unsafe track conditions.
While the majority of the 20 races will be lost forever, Woodbine will be looking to make up some of the shortfall by adding single races to each of the two remaining Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday programs. Ten-race Friday cards will be unchanged.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- Make room for another top 2-year-old in Bobby Frankel's barn.
Empire Maker, a maiden winner at Belmont Park, has gotten so much attention he even made the cover of a recent Daily Racing Form Simulcast Weekly. Might the same be accorded Ghostzapper?
ALBANY, Calif. - Jockey Frank Alvarado could make quite a splash when he makes his return to the Golden Gate Fields jockey colony on Wednesday.
Alvarado has one mount, aboard morning-line favorite Dream Machine in the feature, a 1 1/16-mile allowance race on the turf.
HOUSTON - Leo's Last Hurrahy proved he can handle two turns with a powerful 1 1/2-length win over Worker Man and Zydeco Affair in the $150,000 Sam Houston Texan Juvenile on Saturday night at Sam Houston Race Park.
The Juvenile was the lone open-company race on the Texas Champions Day program, which featured nine stakes - eight for Texas-breds - worth a combined $625,000.
Leo's Last Hurrahy, the 4-5 favorite and a Texas-bred, raced well off the pace early, began to pick up steam on the final turn, and closed fast to win the 1 1/16-mile race over a fast track in 1:45.90.
LAUREL, Md. - A year's worth of frustration for owner David Shimmon and trainer Bob Hess Jr. evaporated in the raw, rainy conditions at Laurel Park on Saturday when D'wildcat rallied up the rail to win the Grade 1, $300,000 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash by 1 3/4 lengths.
Longshot Deer Run rallied down the center of the track to nose out Sassy Hound for second. Completing the order of finish were Outstander, Rusty Spur, Boston Common, Avanzado, and Thunderello.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Dr. Kashnikow, whose most recent victory came in this race last year, used a fortunate head-bob to defeat 53-1 shot Foster's Landing by a nose Sunday in the at Churchill Downs.
With Robby Albarado riding again, Dr. Kashnikow, a 5-year-old Canadian-bred gelding, rallied from 10th in a field of 11 before gaining a slight advantage in deep stretch. But then Foster's Landing, who always had been near the pace, rallied back, and it was a timely bob of the head that preserved the repeat triumph for Dr. Kashnikow.
"I knew it was real close," said Albarado.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Since arriving in this country from France, Rolly Polly has sprinted on the turf and dirt, and run long on turf. But she does one thing best, and that is sprint on turf. In Sunday's $75,000 Safely Kept Handicap at Hollywood Park, she won for the fifth time without a loss in the United States at her specialty, with a late rally that got her up just in time.
