MIAMI - The results of the July 4 Tom Fool Handicap at Belmont and last Saturday's Triple Bend Handicap at Hollywood Park point out Crafty C.T. as the horse to beat in Saturday's $400,000 Smile Sprint Handicap at Calder. The six-furlong Smile Sprint is the co-feature, along with the Princess Rooney Handicap, on Saturday's $1.4 million Summit of Speed program.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - The expectations have been high for Stephentown his whole career, dating back to his purchase as a yearling and heading through the Triple Crown intentions his connections had for him when he started in the Grade 1 Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park last winter.
VALLEJO, Calif. - As a 3-year-old last year, Channing Way lost only twice in seven starts. One defeat came at the Solano County Fair when she ran third as the favorite in the Fairfield Stakes.
On Saturday, she's in a good spot to make amends as the highweight and probable favorite in the $50,000 Vacaville Handicap at six furlongs for fillies and mares.
Channing Way's loss in the Fairfield last July snapped a five-race winning streak. She was sidelined for 10 months after that race and has run twice this year.
Little Angel should benefit from a return to the main track in Saturday's $40,000 Suthern Accent Stakes at Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, La.
The six-furlong race for fillies and mares drew seven, including Princess Jen, a strong closer looking for her first stakes win; Outofnowhere, upset winner of the $25,000 Majorette Handicap last year at Louisiana Downs; Idadidit, who has won three of her last four starts for trainer Ron Moquett; and Raymond's Dream, second as the favorite last out in the $30,000 Tellike Handicap at Evangeline Downs.
SHAKOPEE, Minn. - The $50,000 Canterbury Juvenile Stakes doesn't feature any standout entrants, but several runners in the field of 12 appear ready to step up into stakes company.
Chief among these is the likely favorite, Bold America, who ships in from Arlington Park.
Bold America is an Illinois-bred son of American Chance who dominated a field of open-company maidens at Arlington when he made his second start in June.
While 24 of trainer Steve Asmussen's best horses are scheduled to head from Churchill Downs to Saratoga early next week, some of the horses who had been stabled this spring at Churchill won't be making the trip.
Instead, some will join Asmussen's string at Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Ill. Among the horses who are helping to swell Asmussen's numbers to about 45 at Arlington is Golden Gus, who was good enough to win an entry-level allowance race at Churchill in his last start.
There's some truth to the rumor trainer H. Graham Motion's barn is a bottomless pit of talented horses.
Motion, who expects to have five horses entered in next weekend's Delaware Handicap Festival of Racing, has developed yet another budding star at Delaware Park.
Deep Meadows won his last two races at Delaware by a combined 14 lengths, earning back-to-back Beyer Speed Figures of 95 and 91. Not bad for a horse whose 3-year-old debut this spring produced a 58 Beyer in a maiden sprint.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - While the majority of the Queen's Plate field is waiting for Fort Erie's July 21 Prince of Wales Stakes, Mountain Beacon will earn the distinction of being the first Plate returnee when he runs in Saturday's 10th race at Woodbine.
Mountain Beacon, owned by Sam-Son Farm and trained by Mark Frostad, had burst into the Plate picture with a handy win over 1 1/8 miles at Keeneland in his second career start April 19.
FORT ERIE, Ontario - Fort Erie-based Paul Nielsen is sitting on the fence about competing in the Prince of Wales Stakes July 21.
Nielsen trains Le Cinquieme Essai, who would be making his fifth lifetime start in the $500,000 Prince of Wales, the 1 3/16-mile race which is the second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown.
Le Cinquieme Essai, owned by Bill Scott, crushed 12 opponents in an allowance race on Woodbine's turf course last Sunday. Despite breaking from post 12 and racing wide throughout, Le Cinquieme Essai drew out to win by 5 1/4 lengths.