EDMONTON, Alberta - Horse Racing Alberta, the provincial regulatory body, offered Northlands Park a 10-year license extension that would run from Jan. 1, 2004, through Dec. 31, 2013.
Dr. Pat Brennan, HRA racetrack license committee chair, explained that the deal would solidify the long-term health of Thoroughbred racing in Alberta.
But the announcement has left as many questions as answers.
MIAMI - Bill Mott has won more than his share of training titles in south Florida, where he's dominated the standings at Gulfstream Park for much of the last decade. But Mott has never won a championship at Calder, where the titles are usually decided long before the Hall of Fame horseman hits town with the majority of his stable during the late fall.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Horse racing is a serious business, but for Ray and Columbine Crawford, who bred and own Colondelivery, it's more of a hobby than anything. Not that they don't want to make a profit - and they have over the years with the few horses they have raised - it's the fun of the sport that keeps them in the game. Ray also trains their horses, and he has been very patient in his handling of Colondelivery, who should be one of the favorites in the Autumn Leaves allowance Sunday at Hastings.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Sheila's Prospect already has been a stirring success story for trainer Lorne Richards and owner K.K. Sangara.
Claimed for $50,000 here Aug. 10, 2001, Sheila's Prospect has gone on to win five races and $269,186 for her current outfit. And Sheila's Prospect could add a climactic chapter here Sunday, when she looks to give Richards and Sangara their first Ontario stakes score in the Bessarabian Handicap.
When Toccet drew post 14 for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, trainer John Scanlan walked out of the tent in which the draw was conducted.
"I should have taken my ball and gone home," Scanlan said.
Instead, Scanlan stayed and watched Toccet fade to ninth after making a premature middle move down the backside.
"He doesn't want to be rushed," Scanlan said. "It was either rush him or take back."
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - The lack of a standout, the unknown quality of two European shippers, and a changeable forecast make Saturday's $150,000 Long Island Handicap at Aqueduct a difficult puzzle to solve.
Scheduled to be New York's final turf stakes of the year for fillies and mares, the Grade 2 Long Island drew 15 entries. A forecast that now calls for rain to begin Saturday afternoon could force the race to the main track. If that occurs, the Long Island would be run at 1 3/8 miles rather than 1 1/2 miles.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - This city in mid-November is not exactly a popular destination for travelers - unless, of course, you are a 3-year-old Thoroughbred filly specializing in grass racing.
The event that proves so popular within that narrowly defined sector of racehorses is the $150,000 Mrs. Revere Stakes, a Churchill Downs fixture that represents a last-gasp opportunity within the division, since most races by this time of year already have been opened to 3-year-olds and upward.
Zydeco Affair and Leo's Last Hurrahy will deservedly vie for favoritism in Saturday night's $150,000 Sam Houston Texan Juvenile at Sam Houston Race Park, but if either colt is to win the 1 1/16-mile race, he will have to show an added dimension.
The Juvenile is the richest of nine stakes on Texas Champions Day. It also is the lone open race on the program, with the remaining eight stakes restricted to horses bred in Texas. Purses for the night total $650,000.
