GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Race on Green, who has rapidly gone through his conditions, will get tested for class Sunday when he takes on Grade 3 Texas Mile winner Unrullah Bull in the $75,000 Bob Johnson Memorial at Lone Star Park.
The one-mile race for older horses drew a field of eight, and is one of two closing day features on a 14-race card. The $100,000 Silver Spur Breeders' Cup for 2-year-old fillies will go as the 12th, and it drew 12-length maiden winner Parting.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - For jockey Jim McKnight, the time has come to place family ahead of profession.
That's why McKnight will be heading home from Woodbine this week, to Louisville, Ky., where he will take a break from riding and consider his future.
He plans to get reacquainted with his two children. "My daughter will be 13 in September, and my son will be 12 in November," said McKnight.
"I've been gone for most of their upbringing. I feel like I'm at a point in my life when I need to be there, spend more time with them."
WINNIPEG, Manitoba - Three of the six 3-year-olds entered in Sunday's $30,000 Derby Trial Stakes at 1 1/16 miles at Assiniboia are coming off victories.
Ekati, the most impressive of the winners, won a seven-furlong maiden special weight race June 23 by
16 1/4 lengths in 1:25.80.
Trained by Jim Smith, Ekati probably will show speed, breaking from post 3 under Rohan Singh.
Winaferd, the winner of the restricted North Dakota Derby over one mile in his last start here July 7, is likely to challenge Ekati for the early lead.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Heavy rains and severe lightning forced the cancellation of races six through nine Thursday night at Lone Star Park.
The cancellation was the second of the meet. Thunderstorms forced the track to cancel the final two races on the program May 8.
Lone Star was hit with heavy rain and lightning about 8:45 p.m. Central on Thursday night. Officials made the decision to call off the remainder of the card around 9:30 p.m.
Horses were in the paddock for the sixth race when the storm began.
MIAMI - Xtra Heat, the undisputed queen of female sprinters, will bring her blazing speed and incomparable style to Calder Race Course on Saturday to face rival Gold Mover and four other older fillies and mares in the Grade 2, $400,000 Princess Rooney Handicap.
Orchard Park has the most wins on turf and is a two-time graded stakes winner. Flying Dash owns the best Beyer Figure and has not been beaten to the wire in two starts since coming to North America. And Kris's Prayer appears to be the best-bred horse for 10 furlongs.
Those conflicting pieces of evidence make for a difficult puzzle for handicappers in Saturday's $500,000 Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs.
Happily Unbridled was no match for the likes of Raging Fever and other top-class fillies and mares when trainer Elliott Walden ran her last month in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps Handicap at Belmont Park.
But a move to a considerably easier spot Saturday should give Happily Unbridled every opportunity to notch her first victory in more than 10 months. Happily Unbridled is the likely favorite in the $100,000 HBPA Handicap, the first of 11 stakes to be run this summer at Ellis Park in Henderson, Ky.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - A week after missing stakes because of minor injury and illness, Full Moon Madness and Fair Apache return in Saturday's $75,000 Answer Do Stakes at Hollywood Park, a turf sprint that both can win.
Full Moon Madness missed the $300,000 Triple Bend Breeders' Cup Handicap on July 6 because of a tender foot. Fair Apache missed the $75,000 Great Lady M Handicap last Sunday after she developed a temperature.
EDMONTON, Alberta - With a convincing wire-to-wire victory in the Alberta Derby already on his resume, Vancouver-based Lord Shogun sets out on the Canadian Derby trail when he heads a capacity field of 12 in the $40,000 Ky Alta at Northlands Park on Saturday.
Lord Shogun, who surprised at 6-1 in his first try at a route, has not raced since winning the June 15 Alberta Derby at 1 1/16 miles, the same distance as the Ky Alta. He drew the outside post, just as he did in the 11-horse Alberta Derby.
