LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Two stakes have been added to the 2002 stakes schedule at Churchill Downs and purses have been increased for three Kentucky Derby weekend stakes.
As always, the highlight of the stakes schedule, which was released Wednesday, is the Kentucky Derby. The 128th running will be held May 4.
SUNLAND PARK, N.M. - The exploits of Xtra Heat and Hallowed Dreams, two fillies who have compiled extraordinary winning percentages the past few years, have been well chronicled. But here in New Mexico, Yulla Yulla has quietly put together a remarkable record of her own, though few people outside of the state have heard of her.
Blue Ribbon Downs in Sallisaw, Okla., which was scheduled to close out its mixed meet Sunday, has extended its season two days by adding Dec. 15-16 to its live racing calendar. The track added the dates to make up for some of the Fridays it lost earlier in the meet, said racing secretary Burt Cheek.
A full field of 10, including stakes winners Oswayo, Adam's Tribe, and Chambord Liqueur, will run seven furlongs in Saturday's $40,000 St. Nick Stakes for 2-year-olds at Charles Town.
The likely favorites are Oswayo and President Butler, who finished a neck apart two starts ago in an allowance race at Laurel Park. Oswayo came back to win the Pennsylvania Futurity at Philadelphia Park.
Adam's Tribe is a three-time winner against West Virginia-breds and Chambord Liquer beat Virginia-breds at Delaware Park.
Trainer Bret Thomas, best known for sending out Zarb's Magic to win the Grade 2 Arkansas Derby in 1996, won four races from six starters last week at Delta Downs in Vinton, La., to move into third place in the standings behind leader Don Cormier Jr.
Thomas is new to Delta. He moved his 27-horse stable to the track because of its improved purse structure, which was boosted to $80,000 a day this meet in anticipation of a slots casino opening at the track. Thomas's main clients are multiple Eclipse Award-winning owner John Franks, and Bill Boorhem of Foxwood Plantation.
Manor Downs, a Class 2 track near Austin that recently expanded its oval from four furlongs to 7 1/2, will offer five stakes during its inaugural Thoroughbred meet, which is set to run 10 days from April 27 to May 26 after receiving final approval from the Texas Racing Commission on Monday.
The track has also planned two starter series for the meet, one for sprinters, and one for route horses.
ALBANY, Calif. - Russell Baze, gunning for his seventh national riding title, could make up ground on current leader Ramon Dominguez in Friday's feature at Golden Gate Fields.
Baze will be aboard Flying Alibi as a field of six fillies and mares compete in a one-mile race for a $32,000 claiming price.
Average price fell 13 percent from last year, to $3,811, at Sunday's Washington Thoroughbred Breeders Association's winter mixed sale, where 233 head sold for a total of $888,050.
Bill Feeley of Roscoe, Mont., purchased the sales topper, a yearling colt by Devil's Bag from the consignment of Northwest Farms, for $37,000. The colt is a half-brother to 2001 Emerald Express Stakes winner Melcapwalker. Both are out of the Greinton mare No Extra Charge.
JAMAICA, N.Y. - 'Tis the season for apprentice riders to excel in New York. Lorenzo Lezcano already has a jump on the competition.
Coming off a wildly successful main track meet at Aqueduct - and with leading apprentice Julian Pimentel a week away from reaching journeyman status - Lezcano is in position to be the leading apprentice rider this winter at the Big A. The inner track meet runs through mid-March.