MIAMI - The old men showed the youngsters a thing or two at Calder when the 7-year-old Dancing Guy and 9-year-old Sir Bear finished one-two in the $100,000 Americana Handicap. The Americana was originally scheduled for the turf but was moved to 1 1/8 miles over the main track.
ALTOONA, Iowa - Lost at Sea parlayed a perfect stalking trip under this meet's leading rider Terry Thompson into an upset victory over previously undefeated See How She Runs in the Wednesday evening's $150,000 Iowa Oaks at Prairie Meadows.
Thompson settled Lost at Sea ($46) in third along the rail just behind See How She Runs and pacesetting Never Out through a half-mile run in 46.44 seconds. Thompson eased Lost at Sea off the fence approaching the second turn as jockey Don Pettinger moved See How She Runs up to challenge for the lead entering the far turn.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Premeditation rallied up the rail to win the $100,000 Alysheba Breeders' Cup before a crowd of 28,123 Wednesday night at Lone Star Park. It was three lengths back in second to 30-1 longshot Padlock, who finished a neck clear of De Real Deal.
Matanzas Creek, the 4-5 favorite, raced wide throughout and finished fourth.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Krz Ruckus gamely captured the $136,875 Overskate Stakes for the second year running, at Woodbine on Wednesday evening.
Dino Luciani rode Krz Ruckus, who fought off several challenges on the front-end in the seven-furlong dash for Ontario-sired runners. Classic Manner and Devil Valentine pressed Krz Ruckus on the backstretch through a quarter in 22.43 seconds, and Mighty Quinn joined drew alongside him on the turn through a half in 44.69.
PLEASANTON, Calif. - Rio's Chase ($10.20), making his stakes debut, scored a four-length victory in the Pleasanton Stakes in wire-to-wire style at the Alameda County Fair on Wednesday.
Rio's Chase discouraged favored Wild Celebration in the opening half mile and won the 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds in 1:14.97. Late-closing Bold Mango finished second.
Rio's Chase, trained by Bill Delia, earned $24,610 to increase his career earnings to $56,010 with three wins and two seconds in nine starts.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Forbidden Apple can't stand the heat, so trainer Christophe Clement kept him out of the Poker.
"I don't think he runs so well in the heat," said Clement, explaining why he didn't enter Forbidden Apple in Friday's $100,000 Poker Handicap. "I ran him in the Bowling Green last year, and it was very warm, and he ran the worst race of his career."
Without Forbidden Apple, Shibboleth figures to be a deserving odds-on favorite in the Grade 3 Poker, run at one mile on the Widener Turf course. First post is 1 p.m., a switch from the customary 3 p.m. Friday post.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Trainer Mark Hennig has been so dominant in stakes for fillies and mares the past two seasons that his colt and gelding division has been overshadowed.
That began to change last month when Seeking Daylight and Gygistar captured graded events at Belmont Park. Both horses will be back in Grade 2 races this weekend as Seeking Daylight gets tested for class in Saturday's $500,000 Suburban Handicap and Gygistar gets tested for stamina in Sunday's $150,000 Dwyer Sakes for 3-year-olds.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Riskaverse was preparing for her 3-year-old campaign last winter when Hollywood Park made an announcement that forced owner Peter Schiff and trainer Pat Kelly to change their plans for this year.
The creation of the $500,000 American Oaks, run for the first time on Saturday for 3-year-old fillies over 1 1/4 miles on turf, gave Kelly a summertime goal for Riskaverse.
"Our big target was the Queen Elizabeth in the fall," Kelly said of the Keeneland race. "Once this race was announced, we had to point for it."
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Saturday's Dance Smartly Handicap will be the first clash between Canadian champions Dancethruthedawn and Sweetest Thing.
Dancethruthedawn, the Sovereign Award-winning 3-year-old filly last year, will be making her first start on turf. She is owned by Sam-Son Farm and trained by Mark Frostad.
The race is named for Dancethruthedawn's illustrious dam.
Sweetest Thing, the Sovereign Award-winning turf filly last year at 3, had also been under consideration for the July 4 New York Handicap.
SASKATOON, Saskatchewan - Last year's top local 3-year-old filly, Ms. Lady Rose, should be favored over five evenly matched rivals in Friday's $5,000 Matron Handicap.
Ms. Lady Rose won 4 of 7 races in 2001 and has kept on winning this year as she took the season's first two filly-mare allowance races at a half-mile and six furlongs.
Last time out, also going six furlongs, Ms. Lady Rose was unable to collar the front-runner and had to settle for second, beaten 1 1/2 lengths. The about seven-furlong distance of the Matron may prove to be her undoing.
