SAN MATEO, Calif. - When only three rivals signed up to challenge in a stakes for 3-year-old fillies last weekend at the Bay Meadows Fair, A B Noodle's fate was sealed.
The Floral Fiesta Stakes was canceled, and A B Noodle must now take on older fillies and mares in Saturday's $40,000-added Lady Morvich Handicap.
A stakes-winning 3-year-old filly, A B Noodle will break from post 5 when she takes on seven older rivals in the 1 1/16-mile turf race.
With three stakes winners entered in the $100,000 James C. Ellis Juvenile, Ellis Park's biggest race for 2-year-olds isn't lacking quality. But the success of a few hasn't scared away the competition, and a full field of 12 was entered for the seven-furlong contest.
The horses in races like the Arlington Million might be divided into three groups: foreign invaders, ex-foreign-trained horses, and horses that have been trained exclusively in the United States.
In 19 runnings, the Million has been won by foreign invaders five times: Tolomeo, Teleprompter, Mill Native, Dear Doctor, and Silvano. Ex-foreigners have also won five Millions: Perrault, Estrapade, Steinlen, Golden Pheasant, and Chester House. American-bred and -trained horses have won it eight times: John Henry (twice), Manila, Tight Spot, Paradise Creek, Awad, Mecke, and Marlin.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - For the second year in a row, the best European horse in the Arlington Million comes from Germany, and if Paolini runs as well Saturday as Silvano did a year ago, he may give favored Beat Hollow a battle.
Ignore Paolini's morning line odds, 10-1, but use those numbers in a different way - Paolini has run in Group 1 races in his last 10 starts.
"He has the same class as Silvano," said Andreas Wohler, the trainer of both horses. "He's gotten stronger year by year, and he's doing very well right now."
DEL MAR, Calif. - Euchre, second in the San Diego Handicap on Aug. 4, will bypass the $1 million Pacific Classic on Aug. 25, leaving trainer Bobby Frankel with only one starter, Milwaukee Brew, for his attempt to win the richest race of the meeting for the seventh time.
Frankel said Thursday that Euchre is tentatively scheduled to start in the $250,000 Del Mar Breeders' Cup Handicap over a mile on Sept. 2. A 6-year-old gelding, Euchre is winless in six starts since the 2001 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap.
MIAMI - The last time Tour of the Cat, Sweeping Smoke, and Built Up ran, their opposition included such nationally renown sprinters as Orientate, Crafty C.T., and Echo Eddie. The competition will be decidedly easier Saturday when they renew acquaintances and face six other locally based speedsters in Calder's $75,000 Groomstick Handicap.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Zone Judge has shown flashes of brilliance in his two campaigns at Woodbine for trainer Dave Dwyer.
And although Zone Judge also has disappointed on more than one occasion, Dwyer believes those days are behind him and is looking for the colt to come up aces in Saturday's Play the King.
"He's going to have to run a good race to beat these horses," said Dwyer. "I expect him to run huge; he's been training great.
"His biggest problem used to be his feet, but we seem to have it solved."
FORT ERIE, Ontario - Pierre Mailhot, who has been riding since 1984 and has been based at Fort Erie since 1985, won his first stakes race on Tuesday when he guided Branksome Hall to an upset victory here in the $60,000 Golden Horseshoe Stakes.
And even though the race is at Woodbine, Mailhot wouldn't be surprised if his second stakes score came on Saturday. He will be aboard the Fort Erie-based Frank's Selection for the $173,250 Play the King, a Grade 3 event on the turf.
No trainer has had more success in the Claiming Crown Championships than Scott Lake.
After finishing second with the only horse he entered in the inaugural Claiming Crown in 1999, Lake won three out of the six championship races in 2000 and two more last year. No other trainer has won more than one race in the three years the event was held at Canterbury Park.
Now that the Claiming Crown is coming to Lake's home base at Philadelphia Park on Aug. 31, will his stable be even more dominant this year? Lake doesn't think so.