ELMONT, N.Y. - Trainer Pat Reynolds struck gold with a horse he claimed for $40,000, Peeping Tom, who became a Grade 1 winner this year and runs Saturday in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Sprint.
Reynolds is hoping lightning strikes twice, with Eltawaasul, a horse he claimed for $50,000 in August and a starter in Friday's $150,000 Knickerbocker Handicap at Belmont Park.
ELMONT, N.Y. - The Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf may not have over-filled, but racing secretary Mike Lakow had no problem filling the field for Friday's Athenia Handicap, which - like the Filly and Mare - is for fillies and mares on the grass. In fact, the Athenia attracted so many entrants Lakow eventually split it into two divisions, worth $125,000 apiece, to be run at 1 1/16 miles over Belmont's Widener Turf Course.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - John Hennig has been training horses for some 35 years, so his guesses qualify as highly educated ones. Hennig says he believes that Political Attack has every right to develop into a quality turf horse, but he is having a hard time gauging exactly what that means for now.
On Friday, Political Attack will be one of the deserving favorites against eight other 2-year-old turf horses in the $100,000 Hopemont Stakes, a 1 1/16-mile turf race at Keeneland.
Gotta Go to Work heads a full field of 11 first-level allowance horses in Friday's sixth race at Bay Meadows.
Gotta Go to Work, a 3-year-old son of Lite the Fuse, has made only four starts in his career for trainer Terry Knight. He began his career in February at Golden Gate Fields downing a group of straight maidens.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Jorg Schwoch didn't attract all that much attention during his first year as a trainer here.
But the 33-year-old Schwoch is hoping to conclude his second meet at Woodbine on a high note, sending out Bahama Dream in Saturday's Ontario Fashion Handicap, a six-furlong race for fillies and mares.
"It would be nice if she could pull it off," said Schwoch, who saddled Bahama Dream for a rallying second in the Fashion prep. "We're already happy with what she's accomplished."
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Louie Roussel should have them coming and going in Arlington's Friday feature, a six-furlong allowance. If Extended View does not wire the field, Heart of a Chief can win the race with her stretch run.
Both fillies are owned and trained by Roussel, who picks his spots carefully. Roussel has had a typically high-percentage meet at Arlington, winning 13 times from 47 starters. Besides having his horses in the right race, Roussel has numbers on his side Thursday: His entry comprises almost a third of a seven-horse field.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Claiming horses are in the spotlight Friday at Santa Anita. A field of seven race 1 1/4 miles on grass in race 6, a one-other-than allowance/optional $40,000 claimer. Five of the eight starters run for a claiming price, while all six starters in race 7 are offered for $50,000. The 6 1/2-furlong claimer for 3-year-olds drew a field of six.
EDMONTON, Alberta - The 2001 Thoroughbred season came to a close last Saturday at Northlands Park and there was little to cheer about for the industry or the track administrators.
The 68-day meet generated a total handle (including simulcast and offtrack betting) of $21,551,329.00, a daily average of $316,931, down 12.7 percent from last year.
The total handle on live Northlands racing was $11,811,692, a daily average of $173,701. That number was down 5.2 percent from 2000.
Northlands had budgeted for a decrease but the numbers were disappointing.
ELMONT, N.Y. - A New Twist, an extremely impressive maiden winner in the summer, returns to the races on Thursday afternoon at Belmont Park. On the same card, On Parade, a 2-year-old filly bred to be a champion, makes her debut in a maiden race.
In the fifth, A New Twist, owned by Lucille Conover, meets four other 2-year-old fillies in a first-level allowance race at six furlongs.