PORTLAND, Ore. - Last Sunday's $8,175 Columbia River Stakes at Portland Meadows drew only five 2-year-olds to race over five furlongs, but race they did.
The favored Manito Gentleman, second-favorite Big Harry Deal, and third choice White Tie Ole battled hammer and tongs through a fast initial quarter in 22.84 seconds, and there was no relief for the survivors after Big Harry Deal dropped out a furlong later.
ANDERSON, Ind. - Rodney Prescott collected four wins Saturday night and is now in third place in the jockey standings with four weeks remaining in the meet.
Prescott took until the sixth race to score his first victory aboard Ticker Tap ($7.80). He followed up by sweeping the last three races on the card aboard Iron Post ($14.80) in the 9th, Idny Energy ($5.60) in the 10th, and Jacks Chance ($9.40) in the 11th. The Prescott pick three closing out the card paid $311.
COLLINSVILLE, Ill. - Apprentice Heather Irion, 17, has impressed local trainers with her horsemanship and poised form in the saddle. Heather comes by these qualities naturally as both her parents, Dale and Sue, are trainers and she has grown up on on horseback.
A senior at Alton High School, Heather is also a good student - she's a member of the National Honor Society - who will graduate ahead of her class in January. After graduation she plans to embark on her career as a jockey full time.
According to conventional handicapping theory, inside speed is the path to the winner's circle at a track that's less than a one-mile oval like Charles Town.
Recently, however, horses that have gone wide have fared best, especially in two-turn races, which at Charles Town are contested at 6 1/2 and seven furlongs.
Consider these facts, gleaned from the official charts of last week's races.
- The winners in the first three races Wednesday and the last four Thursday raced at least four wide at some point in the race.
JAMAICA, N.Y. - Trainer Tom Skiffington believes Reduit can be his next big turf star.
"I think he's a real top horse," Skiffington said. "I think he's going to be one of the major turf horses in the country next year."
This year is not over yet and Skiffington has an ambitious schedule laid out for Reduit over the next 2 1/2 weeks that culminates with a start in the $500,000, Grade 1 Hollywood Derby on Nov. 25 at Hollywood Park.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Ever so briefly, trainer Neil Howard thought he might have a 2001 Kentucky Derby horse in Rock Slide. But after Rock Slide was slow to return from a minor injury suffered in August of his 2-year-old year, Howard determined that he was a horse for the future, the type who just wasn't going to develop early in his career.
"It wasn't that he never panned out," said Howard. "He's a big horse and he needed time to grow into himself."
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Northern Crown presents a puzzle for bettors when he makes his U.S. debut on Friday at Hollywood Park.
An import from New Zealand, Northern Crown has been with trainer Simon Bray for two months, but has not started since September 2000. The winner of a maiden race and two cheap allowance races in 12 starts, Northern Crown was a sprinter in New Zealand, but is stretching out to 1 1/16 miles on turf in Friday's $42,000 allowance race.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Greatballsoffire, who was sizzling before her recent subpar showing, should get back on track in Friday's seventh race at Woodbine, a $62,500 optional claimer for fillies and mares.
Greatballsoffire has won four of her eight starts this year, banking $143,946. She was bought privately last fall by trainer John Cardella, who saddled her to an upset victory in a five-furlong race at this level on opening day of this long meeting.
Enthralling, undefeated in two starts so far in his career, heads a band of seven allowance horses entered in Friday's featured third race.
Enthralling, a well-bred son of Deputy Minister out of the stakes winning mare Jones Tomes Machine, began his career in August at the San Mateo Fair. He rallied from just off the pace against a band of $25,000 maiden claimers and pulled away at the finish to for a 1 1/2-length victory.