SAN MATEO, Calif. - Did trainer Dennis Hopkins steal a race last time? Or did Tempting, who will make the second start of her career in Friday's co-feature at Bay Meadows, surprise him?
"It's a combination of both," Hopkins said of Tempting's seven-length victory in her racing debut at age 4 in a 5 1/2-furlong sprint for $12,500 maidens on April 7.
"The filly had a few problems in the past, and we weren't sure exactly what she would do. It turned out she's as good as we thought."
What do you get when you cross a horse beaten nearly 42 lengths in his first two starts of the year with another improbable longshot ridden by a jockey with a 1-for-66 record?
In the case of Monday night's second race at Evangeline Downs, the answer is one humongous exacta payoff.
Home Stead, a 4-year-old gelding who hadn't been competitive since winning his maiden 13 months ago, won the 5 1/2-furlong race for $3,000 claimers and paid $93.60.
COLLINSVILLE, Ill. - Last July, when Fairmount was forced to cut back to three racing days per week, leading rider Tommy Pompell decided to pack his tack and look for better opportunities elsewhere.
First Pompell went to Ellis Park, where he struggled to gain business. But at the Hoosier Park meet, which opened in September, he finished sixth in the standings with 42 wins.
Horses returning for the first time after being claimed are doing well at Mountaineer Park.
Last Friday, Harold Gensler saddled Storm the Net ($17.40), taken for $15,000 when he finished fourth on March 24, to win for twice that price.
In the second part of Monday's early double, Forbetterorworse, claimed at the bottom by trainer Ludwig Lamm, fired when in for the same $4,000 claiming price as the 6-5 favorite.
There are no sure things in horse racing, but when trainer John McCaslin ships a horse from Philadelphia Park to Penn National, an across-the-board wager is almost as safe as money in a bank.
Over the past two months, McCaslin has compiled a sensational record with horses he has sent to the Grantville, Pa., oval from his home base at Philadelphia Park.
McCaslin, who was stabled at Penn National more than 20 years ago, has sent out five winners, five seconds, and three third-place finishers from the 16 starters he has run at Penn.
NORTH RANDALL, Ohio - Thistledown is going solo this meet for the first time in nine years. The 7&7 racing format, which had the track sharing a simulcast signal with either Beulah Park or River Downs, has been dropped.
Opening day this year was March 29, eight days earlier than 2001's opening. Through the first 11 days of racing, 84 races have been run this year versus 85 last season, and a total of $l,455,149 has been bet ontrack on the live races, an increase of approximately $50,000.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Mark Casse plans to increase his focus on the Woodbine meeting this year.
And that could be bad news for any other local trainer who has designs on the title, particularly after Casse struck for back-to-back triples last Friday and Saturday to open up a five-win leading heading into this week's action.
"Last year, we had horses training in Delaware, New Jersey, and New York," said Casse. "Now, we're just going to concentrate on Canada.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Tuesday morning, Steve Flint didn't even know whether he would enter De Bertie, let alone run her. But when word got out that the field was short for the Doubledogdare Stakes, the Thursday feature at Keeneland, there was De Bertie, comfortably drawn on the rail in a field of just five fillies and mares.