INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Following the worst performance in her two-year North American career, Keemoon will appreciate the friendly surroundings of Hollywood Park when she defends her title in Saturday's $70,000 Waya Handicap.
After an early-season campaign that included wins in the Bewitch Handicap at Keeneland and Honey Fox Handicap at Del Mar and a second in the Yerba Buena Handicap at Bay Meadows, Keemoon finished 11th in the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor at Woodbine on Sept. 30.
ALBANY, Calif. - Russell Baze won with his first two mounts on Thursday at Golden Gate Fields to reach the 400-victory mark for the ninth time in his career.
Baze, whose best total was 448 in 1995, won 400 for seven straight years from 1992-98. A broken bone in his back limited his victories to 373 in 1999, but he had 412 victories last year. No other rider has recorded 400 victories in a year more than three times.
JAMAICA, N.Y. - An earlier date and added purse money for the Carter Handicap, a tinkering with purses and dates for a handful of Saratoga stakes, and the return of New York Showcase to a one-day event highlight the changes to the 2002 New York Racing Association schedule.
PORTLAND, Ore. - Victor Lehman will attempt to keep his local record perfect on Saturday, when he heads a field of 10 $4,000 sprinters in the six-furlong feature at Portland Meadows.
Victor Lehman, a 4-year-old son of Vying Victor, was claimed out of a win for $4,000 by trainer Felimon Alvarado at Hastings Park in October. Moving here last month, he defeated $2,500 rivals at 5 1/2 furlongs on Nov. 10, then came back to down $4,000 foes on Nov. 18 with six furlongs in a rapid 1:12.85 under Loecca Margrave.
MIAMI - A pair of late-developing juveniles, Stormy Frolic and Rulebook, appear ready to close out their freshman campaigns in high style in Saturday's $100,000 Three Ring and What a Pleasure stakes. The two juvenile stakes are part of the Grand Slam I undercard at Calder, along with the Grade 3, $100,000 What a Charmer Stakes for fillies and mares on the turf.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Penamacor, the Chilean-bred trained by Ron McAnally, has spent most of his first year in the United States completely turned around. With Penamacor winning only one race in six starts in California, an allowance race at Del Mar, McAnally admits there is a touch of disappointment that Penamacor has not made a stronger impact in California's older horse division.
Boston Common, a 2-year-old colt by Boston Harbor who races for Richard Englander, the nation's leading owner, looks like a standout in the $25,000 Alamo Stakes at Sam Houston Race Park in Houston.
The seven-furlong race has drawn five others, including probable second choice Clever Coyote, a 9 1/2-length allowance winner last out over Wayne's Princess, who returned to win a stakes two weekends ago at Sam Houston.
As Henry Cochran sought a spot for Momentous to earn her first stakes win, the trainer thought seriously about the Falls City Handicap last month at Churchill Downs.
"Then it came up Breeders' Cup II," said Cochran, referring to a race that drew six Grade 1 winners.
Duly thwarted, Cochran awaited a more reasonable spot for Momentous, a talented 3-year-old Summer Squall filly owned by Gainsborough Farm. Momentous will rank among the top contenders Saturday in the $50,000 My Charmer Stakes at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky.
Training racehorses since 1970, Tom Tomillo has pretty much seen it all at the racetrack. That's partly why he does not get overly excited when he talks about running Cane Ridge as the deserving favorite Saturday in the $100,000 High Alexander Stakes at Hawthorne Race Course.
"It's a Stallion Stakes," said Tomillo, referring to the Illinois series of races for statebreds. "There ain't a whole bunch in there."