ALBANY, Calif. - Trainer Bob Hess has a chance to prove himself right in the $55,000-added Emeryville Stakes at Golden Gate Fields on Sunday.
Hess has entered Yourfinalanswer in the six-furlong race for 3-year-old fillies.
He hopes she lives up to his long-held expectations.
"I thought before she even ran last year that she was the best filly in northern California," he said. "I liked the way she moves and her attitude. She's a tough filly."
ARCADIA, Calif. - In recent years, the path to Triple Crown success has gone through the Santa Anita Derby.
Point Given, the winner of the 2001 Santa Anita Derby, later won the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes and was named Horse of the Year. In the late 1990's, three consecutive Kentucky Derby winners - Silver Charm (1997), Real Quiet (1998), and Charismatic (1999) - started in the Santa Anita Derby even though none of them won.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - In most years, dreaming of the Queen's Plate would be enough for trainer John Ross and owners Bud and Jackie Reynolds, of Jam Jar Racing Stable.
But this year, Ross and his longtime clients hope not only to make the Plate, with Ontario-bred Shaws Creek their most likely candidate, but also to have a shot at getting to the Kentucky Derby with the Kentucky-bred Tails of the Crypt.
SUNLAND PARK, N.M. - Steve Asmussen, America's leading trainer by number of wins, rarely loses when he sends one of his runners to Sunland. He has his sights set on Sunday's $75,000-added, 1 1/16-mile with Forty Nine Deeds.
Owned by Asmussen's father, Keith, Forty Nine Deeds is an improving colt who spent the winter running at the Fair Grounds, and the Allison looks like a perfect step up for him.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - As a wagering proposition, Saturday's $300,000 Gulfstream Park Handicap may offer minimum appeal with just five horses entered, only four of whom can be considered legitimate win candidates. But from a quality standpoint the 1 1/4-mile, Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Handicap is certainly worthy of maximum attention with four of the five starters already Grade 1 winners, including Sir Bear, who captured this race a year ago.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Saturday will be a big day for trainer Joe Orseno, who not only sends out as the likely favorite in the Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Handicap but in the following race will saddle Thunder Blitz for his much anticipated 2002 debut.
"The two best kept secrets of the meet were Thunder Blitz and Macho Uno," Orseno said jokingly after entries were drawn for Saturday, referring to the fact he was able to get allowance races to fill for both his handicap stars. Macho Uno won his 4-year-old debut under allowance conditions here last weekend.
ARCADIA, Calif. - The timing is ideal for Kalookan Queen to face males in Saturday's $200,000 Potrero Grande Breeders' Cup Handicap at Santa Anita.
With top California sprinters Caller One, Echo Eddie, and Men's Exclusive recovering from a Dubai race last week, Snow Ridge and Crafty C.T. waiting for stakes later in the spring, and Kona Gold returning from a rest, the Grade 2 Potrero Grande has drawn a weaker field than in recent years.
With no major Kentucky Derby preps this weekend, and most of the nation's racetracks closed for Easter on Sunday, the scheduling of Saturday's Illinois Champions Day couldn't have worked out better for Sportsman's Park, in Cicero, Ill.
Illinois Champions Day comprises six stakes for Illinois-breds. The purse for each race is $100,000, including $25,000 per race for the owners of runners who were both conceived and foaled in Illinois.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Classic Mike will launch his 3-year-old campaign in Saturday's eighth race at Woodbine, a 6 1/2-furlong preliminary allowance worth $59,100.
The eight-horse field of 3-year-olds also includes Thats the Problem, an impressive recent winner at the Fair Grounds.
Classic Mike raised eyebrows when he graduated by 13 lengths in his first and only start against $50,000 maidens here Nov. 17. His seven-furlong clocking of 1:22.40 was good for a Beyer Speed Figure of 89.
JAMAICA, N.Y. - Round 3 in the Cat Cay vs. Raging Fever rivalry takes place Saturday in the $150,000 Distaff Breeders' Cup at Aqueduct.
Cat Cay and Raging Fever, who have traded victories in two Gulfstream Park stakes this year, head a solid field of six older fillies and mares in the Grade 2 Distaff, a field that also includes Two Item Limit, third in the Breeders' Cup Distaff last year, and the much-improved La Galerie.
