PHOENIX, Ariz. - There have been more than a couple of times when it looked as if the shine was coming off Shot of Gold. Nevertheless, at age 6 he has proven as durable and consistent as an old Timex, and that makes him the horse to beat in Saturday's $30,000 Caballo del Sol Handicap at Turf Paradise.
The six-furlong race for 3-year-olds and upward has lured a strong field of 10.
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Top of Our Game tries to stretch her winning streak to three in Saturday's $50,000 Hillsborough Handicap for fillies and mares going 1 1/16 miles on the turf.
Top of Our Game, trained by Carla Gaines, won a mile allowance race Aug. 17 at Del Mar, rallying from just off the pace to win by a head. She followed that race with a victory in the $125,000 Solana Beach Handicap at Del Mar, defeating Hillsborough opponent Mimi's Cafe by 2 1/2 lengths.
ELMONT, N.Y. - There's no rain in the forecast, which is good news for the six older fillies and mares set to oppose Shiny Band in Friday's allowance feature.
The bad news is that Shiny Band has been unbeatable in one-turn races on fast tracks, too.
Shiny Band has compiled a perfect 4-for-4 record since trainer Allen Jerkens put her on Lasix in mid-June, graduating from the maiden ranks and moving steadily through her allowance conditions.
EDMONTON, Alberta - Four-time local sprint champion Timely Ruckus finished second in an allowance race in his final start of the year Monday at Northlands Park. Trained by Ernie Keller, the 8-year-old Timely Ruckus - who prefers six-furlong races - was trying to win at a mile in his first start since a loss in the Alberta Fall Classic Sept. 23.
Timely Ruckus, who went off as the 2-1 favorite, stalked pacesetter Tyko Tycoon through six furlongs, and then jockey Stephan Heiler asked him to move at the top of the lane.
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Aclare comes off two strong seconds and rates the edge in Friday's featured seventh race at Bay Meadows, a six-furlong allowance race with a purse of $32,000. First post is 7:15 p.m.
Aclare was claimed by trainer Dennis Patterson for $12,500 last December at Hollywood Park. He did not run again until August, finishing second in a six-furlong allowance sprint.
Aclare came back a month later with another strong performance in allowance company. He closed from fifth to finish second to Baby Wave.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Just because his in-laws are highly prominent Lexington horse people doesn't mean there is added pressure on trainer Phil Oliver to win at Keeneland.
"I'm just like everybody else," said Oliver. "It's always nice to win at Keeneland, whoever you are."
On Friday, Oliver will saddle First Lieutenant, one of the major contenders in the eighth-race feature, the $75,000 Warfield Stakes. Eight older horses have been entered in the 1 1/16-mile race.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Friday's $50,000 Pinjara Stakes has drawn two stakes winners from late summer, a trio of colts trained by Bob Baffert, and a shipper from northern California who was unlucky in his last start.
The one-mile Pinjara is the season's first turf stakes for 2-year-olds in Southern California. It is restricted to nonwinners of a first-place purse of $30,000 other than closed or claiming races at a mile or over. Some runners may appear in the Generous Stakes at Hollywood Park next month.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Wild Current moves up in price but takes a significant class drop in Friday's eighth race at Woodbine, a $100,000 claimer for 3-year-olds.
Roger Attfield, who trains Wild Current, will also send out Golden Sparrow in Friday's sixth race, a 1 3/8-mile optional claimer for fillies and mares on the grass. Golden Sparrow, who is making her first start for Attfield, won two of three starts in her native England, but has yet to distinguish herself in her two North American outings.
Entries were drawn Wednesday for Saturday's 16th running of the Maryland Million, the second biggest day of racing in the state, at Pimlico Race Course.
Ninety-eight horses entered the 11 races, which are worth $1.05 million in purse money. The Maryland Million races are restricted to the progeny of Maryland-based stallions.
MIAMI, Fla. - Trainer Henry Collazo could have been down in the dumps and bemoaning his luck after Carey's Gold drew post position 14 for Saturday's $400,000 In Reality Stakes at Calder. But Collazo acted confident that Carey's Gold, his undefeated 2-year-old, would overcome the handicap and complete a sweep of the open division of the Florida Stallion Series.