AUBURN, Wash. - Maid in the Moon will shoot for a third consecutive win on Saturday when she takes on seven other older fillies and mares in the Emerald Downs feature, a six-furlong race for $25,000 to $22,500 claimers.
Trained by Bill Tollett for owners Dave and Elaine Parks, Maid in the Moon is coming off back-to-back wins at Turf Paradise, where she wired a field of $12,500 claimers on Feb. 11 and allowance company on March 19.
CALGARY, Alberta - Dance Me Free, unanimous choice as top juvenile colt on this circuit last year, makes his 2002 debut against five rivals Saturday in a six-furlong sprint at Stampede Park.
The conditioned allowance was the only spot in racing secretary Barry McGrath's condition book for Dance Me Free, a three-time stakes winner, and often such races fail to fill. Trainer Sid Gray was smiling at entry time Wednesday morning as the race will afford Dance Me Free a perfect prep for the $40,000 President's Handicap here May 11.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - After a couple of lackluster seasons in which he has failed to win a race, multiple stakes winner Digital Dan will run for a price for the first time in a $35,000 optional race at Hastings Park this Saturday afternoon. Nine older sprinters have entered the six-furlong dash but it looks like handicappers will have to decide whether to go with Digital Dan, who is the class of the field, or Spanish Banks, who wins claiming races in bunches.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Who wants to be a millionaire? A victory in Saturday's $165,000 Vigil Handicap at Woodbine by either Wake at Noon or Win City will push that horse's earnings past the $1 million mark.
Wake at Noon, the 123-pound highweight, should be favored in the seven-furlong dash, even though Win City is Canada's reigning Horse of the Year.
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Trainer Darrell Vienna couldn't believe his luck when he was able to purchase Suances for client Jed Cohen of Red Baron's Barn.
He can't believe his luck since then either; little has gone right for Suances.
Vienna hopes that will change Saturday, when Suances runs as one of four entrants in the $250,000 San Francisco Breeders' Cup Mile at Bay Meadows.
Joining him in the Grade 2 turf race are The Tin Man, Sarafan, and Decarchy.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Needing a change of luck, trainer Roger Attfield changed the running style of Sweetest Thing and was rewarded with a powerful victory in Thursday's $110,700, Grade 3 at Keeneland.
Sitting in eighth position, about eight lengths back, for the opening mile of the 12-furlong Bewitch, Sweetest Thing, with Mark Guidry riding, kicked in around the turn and into the stretch and drew off to a 3 1/2-length victory over Lapuma. It was three lengths back to Lady Upstage.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - In the last two months, trainer David Hofmans has used half the nation to keep the 4-year-old filly Ask Me No Secrets away from Azeri, the nation's top female on dirt.
When Azeri scored her first Grade 1 win in the Santa Margarita Handicap at Santa Anita in early March, Ask Me No Secrets was waiting for the Grade 3 Oaklawn Breeders' Cup Stakes on March 16 at Oaklawn Park, a race she won convincingly.
JAMAICA, N.Y. - Sharp Performance, who has shown an abundance of talent in only six career starts, makes his 4-year-old debut in Saturday's $100,000-added, Grade 3 Fort Marcy Handicap at Aqueduct.
The 1 1/16-mile Fort Marcy, which drew a competitive field of 10 male turf runners, is the first grass stakes of the year in New York. Country Be Gold and Reef Chief are entered main-track only.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Few people have been more eager to get the Churchill Downs spring meet started than Doug Bredar. It has been nearly two months since Bredar was hired to replace the late Jerry Botts as racing secretary, and although that period has been busy for Bredar, the fruits of his labors will not become reality until the first race is run Saturday.
"It's an awesome feeling, having a job like this," said Bredar. "I think we've got a real nice card for opening day. I couldn't be more happy."
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - It is something of a paradox, but one that Steve Asmussen welcomes.
Asked whether he believes he will be the leading trainer this spring at Churchill Downs - where last fall he topped the standings for the first time - Asmussen replies in the negative.
Why?
"Too many good horses," he said.
Hmmm . . . never heard that one. Actually, with so many stakes horses filling his 30 stalls in Barn 38 on the Churchill backstretch, there will be fewer opportunities for Asmussen to roll up victories in everyday races.