Dinkers Millennium, third in the Cleveland Gold Cup in his most recent start, could be a slight favorite in the $50,000 Horizon Stakes at River Downs. The Horizon, for 3-year-old Ohio-breds, will be run at 1 1/16 miles on turf.
Finding who has the class and best current form may be the best way to finding the Horizon winner as none of the entrants have turf experience, and few have turf pedigrees.
Omaha, Neb. - A competitive field has come from Chicago, Kentucky, and Iowa for Sunday's $100,000 Omaha Handicap at Horsemen's Park with any of the runners having a legitimate shot at pulling off a win.
The seven-horse field is headed by Bosselman/Gus Fonner Handicap winner Miner's Prize and Vito Corleone, a promising 3-year-old from the barn of Ray Tracy.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Most of the fillies entered in the $350,000 Coaching Club American Oaks probably won't have to run 1 1/2 miles again in their careers.
But on Saturday at Belmont Park, that's precisely what the seven horses in the Grade 1 CCA Oaks, which lacks the stars of the 3-year-old filly division, must do.
The likely favorite is Chamrousse, the Mother Goose runner-up. Chamrousse's trainer, Niall O'Callaghan, has been pointing the daughter of Peaks and Valleys to the CCA Oaks since she won the Black-Eyed Susan by 2 1/4 lengths in May.
ELMONT, N.Y. - After working six furlongs over Belmont Park's main track on Thursday, it appears , the Belmont Stakes runner-up, is headed to the $500,000 Jim Dandy at Saratoga on Aug. 4.
Medaglia d'Oro's trainer, Bobby Frankel, said he is leaning toward the Jim Dandy, rather than the $1 million Haskell Invitational, run the same day at Monmouth Park.
"The main objective is the Travers," Frankel said at his barn after the work. "I'd rather not ship him to New Jersey and then back up [to Saratoga]."
Bubbi Trap has been disqualified from all purse money after she was found to have carried an incorrect weight in her first-place finish in Tuesday's Rainbow Connection Stakes at Fort Erie.
Jim Day, who trains Bubbi Trap for the Come by Chance Stable of his mother, Edna Arrow, has appealed the ruling by the Fort Erie stewards.
Day had entered Bubbi Trap in the Rainbow Connection with a listed weight of "118?" The question mark indicated a common scenario in which the race office is expected to double-check the weight allowance.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - You're not walking on firm ground with any of the major players in the Hanshin Cup.
Slider may or may not be a stakes horse. Bonapaw may or may not be more than a sprinter. Binthebest may or may not be able to extend his closing kick another furlong. And Discreet Hero's love of Arlington may or may not be enough to carry him to another win here.
But what Hero's Tribute may or may not be is a very, very good horse, and the dazzling talent he has tossed out at times makes him the horse to beat Saturday at Arlington.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - The top two finishers in the Iowa Oaks are in training at Arlington and could be headed for a rematch on Aug. 10.
See How She Runs, who suffered the first loss of her career when she was beaten a head in the Iowa Oaks, definitely is pointing for the Grade 3 Singapore Plate Handicap, while Lost at Sea, her vanquisher, also could show up in the Singapore.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The California Horse Racing Board is conducting an investigation into whether trainer Doug O'Neill started three horses in a turf sprint on May 10 at Hollywood Park, exceeding a custom that limits trainers to two runners in overnight races.
O'Neill won the second race on May 10 with Rainman's Request and finished fifth with Half Wild. He has been accused of being the actual trainer of Affirm Cat as well. Affirm Cat was listed as being trained by Armando Lage; he finished fourth.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - One of the problems facing winners of early season 2-year-old stakes is the presence of recent maiden winners in the next major race.
Crowned Dancer and Oberwald have already scored stakes wins at the current Hollywood Park meeting, but they could be overshadowed in Saturday's $100,000 Hollywood Juvenile Championship by Kafwain, a fast maiden winner trained by Bob Baffert.
"I think that's the one they have to beat," said Mike Harrington, who trains Oberwald. "My jockey jumped ship. That should say something."
STANTON, Del. - Chances are, the Delaware Oaks will get an A. Adoration, Alternate, and Allamerican Bertie are foremost among the 3-year-old fillies who will clash Saturday in the 51st running of the $250,000 Delaware Oaks, a Grade 3 race that helps begin the signature weekend of the Delaware Park meet.
Adoration, a California-based filly who won the Hollywood Oaks in her last start, is a deserving favorite in a field of eight, although a win in the 1 1/16-mile race by Alternate or Allamerican Bertie would hardly be considered a major upset.
