ALBANY, Calif. - El Dorado Shooter, perhaps northern California's best sprinter, had his first workout after a six-month layoff at Golden Gate Fields on Wednesday.
The 4-year-old gelding, trained by Cliff Delima, worked three furlongs in 38 seconds. He has been on the sidelines since running third as the even-money favorite in the Saratoga Handicap on May 26 at Bay Meadows. Prior to that, he was scratched from the April 21 Oakland Handicap at Bay Meadows after suffering from a virus.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Already loaded with stakes horses preparing for 2002, trainer Bobby Frankel recently added three stakes winners to his stable.
Beat Hollow and Shibboleth have arrived from trainer Henry Cecil in England, while recently arrived from Woodbine. A 4-year-old, Milwaukee Brew was previously trained by Joe Orseno. All three may start at the upcoming Santa Anita winter-spring meeting, which starts on Dec. 26.
Hoosier Park's live racing schedule will expand by 40 dates in 2002 under a compromise with Indiana regulators Tuesday.
Hoosier had initially applied for 120 dates, split equally between Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds, down from 193 live racing dates in 2001. Hoosier will now hold a 70-day Thoroughbred meeting, from Aug. 29 to Dec. 1, and a 90-day Standardbred meeting, from April 13 to Aug. 15, for a total of 160 live racing days.
Jerry Simms, the majority owner of Turf Paradise in Phoenix, Ariz., is close to reaching an agreement with state regulators to sell his stake in the track and step back from any management position, track and state officials said Wednesday.
"The negotiations are continuing and ongoing," said Christa Severns, the public information officer of the Arizona Department of Gaming. Severns said the deal would likely result in Simms immediately surrendering any management control at the track and agreeing to sell his stake in the track within the next six months.
MIAMI - There are four stakes worth $100,000 apiece on the Grand Slam I program Dec. 8, and if the nomination lists are any indication the best of the four races figures to be the Grade 3 Tropical Turf Handicap, to be run at 1 1/8 miles on the grass.
The $150,000 Texan Juvenile, the premier race for 2-year-olds at Sam Houston Race Park in Houston, is building a reputation for turning out quality horses. In four runnings, the race has produced four Triple Crown starters, and for Saturday night's renewal, a promising field of 11 has been entered, led by French Assault.
The most notable Juvenile graduate is Fifty Stars. He won last year's running, then went on to capture the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby before finishing ninth in the Kentucky Derby. He has earned $676,210.
ANDERSON, Ind. - Juvenile statebreds are the center of attention as Hoosier Park heads into the final weekend of its 70-day season.
The fillies are in the spotlight Friday night with the $30,000 Terre Haute Stakes at one mile, going as the third on an 11-race card. The ninth is the fillies division of the $40,000 Indiana Stallion Stakes at six furlongs, which is for statebreds sired by registered Indiana stallions.
PORTLAND, Ore. - There will be a three-week hiatus in the Thoroughbred stakes action at Portland Meadows until Oregon-bred Day on Dec. 15, when five stakes will be staged. For Chinquapin Charlie, the hero of Portland's Thanksgiving Handicap, the break will be considerably longer. A Kentucky-bred 4-year-old Northern Baby colt, he won't run again until the nine-furlong William Kyne Handicap on Jan. 27.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Trainer Radlie Loney figures he gambled and won when he ran Certainly Classic for $32,000 here Nov. 3. Certainly Classic can complete Loney's plan for him when he runs in Sunday's $100,000 Valedictory Handicap.
A 5-year-old gelding by Sky Classic, Certainly Classic won the Grade 3 Grey Stakes here at 2 and was the runner-up in the Sovereign Award voting for his division. He had earned more than $340,000 from 25 career starts when Loney filled out a $57,500 claim slip on behalf of Bruno Brothers Farms of Don and John Bruno here Sept. 22.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Golden Apples, whose third-place finish might be the most under-appreciated performance of Sunday's *, will take a break and not race again until spring. The 3-year-old filly was the only late-runner to gain appreciable ground in the Matriarch, run over a yielding course. Golden Apples finished less than three lengths behind winner Starine.
"On firm ground, I don't think anybody would have beaten [Golden Apples]," trainer Ben Cecil said.