ALBANY, Calif. - Those who moan about small field sizes in northern California may look at Sunday's Golden Gate Fields card with a knowing nod of the head.
The featured race, a one-mile allowance for fillies and mares, drew a field of eight - the biggest field on the nine-race card. Three other races also drew eight, but the total for the nine-race card was only 64, an average of 7.1
But cards with small fields have been the exception at Golden Gate this year.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - On the turf or off? That was the question when entries were taken at Gulfstream Park on Thursday for Saturday's $100,000 Appleton Handicap, a Grade 2 race carded at one mile on the grass. Fourteen 3-year-olds and up, including several for dirt only and two also-eligibles, were entered.
Heavy rains on Wednesday forced the meet's first turf race to be switched to the main track on Thursday, and the rain threatens to impact the Appleton as well.
JAMAICA, N.Y. - Shug McGaughey brought Saarland and Maybry's Boy, two extremely promising 3-year-olds, to Florida for the winter and left behind D'Coach to take care of business in New York.
Should D'Coach step up and win Saturday's $75,000-added Count Fleet Stakes at Aqueduct, McGaughey will have another good 3-year-old on his hands.
Ten 3-year-old colts and geldings entered the mile-and-70-yard Count Fleet.
ARCADIA, Calif. - The odds keep dropping on Wooden Phone, the lone speed in the Grade 2 San Pasqual Handicap Saturday at Santa Anita. Though Wooden Phone will be favored regardless, the uncertain status of Euchre solidifies Wooden Phone as the deserving favorite in the 1 1/16-mile race.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla.- Trainer Shug McGaughey already has a Kentucky Derby contender in Saarland, winner of last November's Remsen Stakes. He may be developing a backup in Maybry's Boy.
Maybry's Boy, whose breeding suggests he would excel in route races, rallied from last under John Velazquez to win Thursday's $100,000, Grade 3 Spectacular Bid Stakes* (click here for chart) by 1 1/4 lengths over Showmeitall. It was another 3 1/2 lengths back to Harmony Hall.
JAMAICA, N.Y. - The New York Racing Association reported gains in daily average ontrack and total handle for 2001, which was capped by a strong Aqueduct fall meet.
Daily average total handle was up 6 percent during the 257-day season to $10,747,635. Daily average ontrack increased 4 percent in 2001 to $2,055,579. Last year, 258 days were run.
Daily average attendance in 2001 was nearly even with 2000, with an average of 9,558 in 2001, compared with 9,573.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - As maintenance workers scurried between raindrops Wednesday afternoon to spruce up Gulfstream Park's plant for Thursday's opening, officials in the racing office sat next to phones that did not ring. Entries for Friday's 10-race card - the second day of the Gulfstream meet - did not close until after 5:30 p.m., hours later than normal.
ARCADIA, Calif. - After Siphonic's crisp five-furlong work Wednesday at Hollywood Park, trainer David Hofmans gave the green light for the Grade 2 Santa Catalina Stakes on Jan. 13. "He worked great, he went off real slow, then went [11:40 seconds] the last eighth and galloped out in 1:14." Clockers gave Siphonic 1:01.40, breezing. It was Siphonic's first recorded work since he won the Hollywood Futurity on Dec. 15.
JAMAICA, N.Y. - Affirmed Success, a horse who isn't normally associated with winter racing in New York, showed up in Saturday's Aqueduct entries in a $56,000 classified allowance race.
*, a Grade 1 winner and top-class performer on dirt and turf at distances up to a mile, is one of seven older horses entered in the mile-and-70-yard race.
If Affirmed Success, an 8-year-old, runs well, there could be future inner track starts in his future, according to trainer Richard Schosberg.
