HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - The Grade 1, $500,000 Oaklawn Handicap on Saturday may not have a true star, but the race has drawn a well-matched field of eight horses, several of whom have the potential to improve their standing in the handicap division.
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LEXINGTON, Ky. - Carl Nafzger concedes that Take Charge Lady probably has the edge on Belterra in the Ashland Stakes on Saturday.
But, he cautions, things could get a lot more interesting after that.
Take Charge Lady "definitely has a better chance this time than she will the next," said Nafzger, who has said for months that the May 3 Kentucky Oaks is the long-term goal for his latest stable star, .
CHICAGO - Someone once said one definition of stupidity is doing the same thing over and over again and continually expecting to get different results. David LaCroix did not become a successful horseman by doing stupid things.
Fonz's twice has signaled to LaCroix that he doesn't relish running over the track surface at Santa Anita, and that's reason enough for LaCroix to redirect his Kentucky Derby hopeful from Saturday's Santa Anita Derby to the Illinois Derby, where he'll probably be the second choice behind Repent.
JAMAICA, N.Y. - After pleasing his connections with a strong work between races at Aqueduct on Thursday, Say Florida Sandy likely will make his 8-year-old debut in the $350,000 Carter on April 13.
, under jockey Aaron Gryder, worked six furlongs in 1:12.49 and galloped out seven furlongs in 1:25.30.
On hand for the work, which took place in between the fourth and fifth races, were Say Florida's Sandy trainer, Juan Serey, and his owner, John Rotella.
JAMAICA, N.Y. - Evening Attire and Ground Storm, stakes winners who dominated the New York handicap ranks this winter, are the horses to beat in Saturday's $200,000 Excelsior Breeders' Cup at Aqueduct.
Not much separates Evening Attire, who carries 119 pounds as the Excelsior highweight, and Ground Storm, who totes 118 pounds in the Grade 3, which drew a field of six.
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Sunday's $100,000 Miss America Handicap at Bay Meadows could prove to be the perfect stepping-stone for a pair of talented mares based in Southern California.
Crazy Ensign, a graded winner in South America, and Impeachable are seeking their first American stakes victories in the one-mile race over the Longden Turf Course.
Crazy Ensign, a 6-year-old mare with three Grade 1 wins in her native Argentina, has had health problems since arriving in Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella's barn.
SUNLAND PARK, N.M. - The top locally based horses will take on some tough out-of-towners here Saturday in both the $75,000 Sunland Park Handicap and the $60,000 Harry Henson Handicap.
Brew will have to step up a notch to defend his title in the Sunland Park Handicap, as he will face the Steve Asmussen-trained invader Big Numbers.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Saturday's inaugural running of the $250,000 Aventura Stakes at Gulfstream Park is being billed as a Kentucky Derby prep, even though only one of the nine prospective starters, Tampa Bay Derby winner Equality, has any realistic chance of being at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May.
For 3-year-olds, the Aventura will be decided at 1 1/16 miles and highlights a 13-race program that also includes the $100,000 Artax Handicap and simulcast wagering on the Illinois Derby.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - More so than in most races, handicapping Saturday's $100,000 Grand Prairie Turf Challenge at Lone Star Park revolves around class and pedigree.
Five of the 12 entrants in the one-mile grass race have never raced on turf, giving reason to explore sire data and pedigree information in search of a horse with a grass future.
One such runner could be Paloma Parilla, winner of a division of the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park last month. He is a 3-year-old son of Dove Hunt, who won five graded stakes on grass.