Voladora, a career winner of $546,622 who has spent much of the past three years ruling the Oklahoma filly and mare division, is expected to make the final start of her career in the $40,000 Ada Handicap at Remington Park in Oklahoma City on Sunday.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - While Ahead by a Century has made all of her 36 career starts here at Woodbine, she has taken a circuitous route to Sunday's Bessarabian Handicap.
Last week, Ahead by a Century was on the auction block at Keeneland, where she fetched $182,000 for her owner, Frank DiGiulio.
The buyer was Jeff Begg, of Ontario-based Windways Farm, and since Ahead by a Century had been nominated to the Bessarabian, she has found herself back at Woodbine with new trainer Malcolm Pierce and will make what probably will be her final start in the Grade 3 Bessarabian.
ALBANY, Calif. - Fancee Bargain comes off two second-place finishes in similar races and should be the favorite in Sunday's featured eighth race at Golden Gate. The one-mile first-level allowance race for fillies and mares drew a field of seven and will offer a purse of $32,000.
Fancee Bargain, trained by Art Sherman, was the 8-5 favorite last out on Oct. 31 at Bay Meadows. She sat just off the early pace in that mile race and rallied to finish behind Demo Memo. Her prior start came in September at Bay Meadows.
MIAMI - Trainer Eddie Plesa Jr. had designs on next week's Grade 1 Cigar Mile for his handicap star Best of the Rest. Instead, he made a last-minute decision to forego the trip to New York and stay home for Sunday's $35,000 King Rex Handicap at Calder. The 1 1/8-mile King Rex drew a field of six older handicap runners.
Maryland is home to the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens and boxing's heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman. Saturday, Maryland hosts a horse race that could have championship implications in two divisions.
*, and Delaware Township in the $300,000, Grade 1 Frank De Francis Memorial Dash at Laurel Park.
A victory by Xtra Heat could earn her Eclipse Awards as the North America's best sprinter as well as top 3-year-old filly.
Xtra Heat isn't the only fast 3-year-old filly racing at Laurel Park on Saturday. Celtic Melody, a Mr. Greely filly who looks like a rising star, tries for her first stakes win in the $75,000 Stefanita, one of five stakes on the De Francis Dash undercard.
Also to be run Saturday are the $75,000 Thirty Eight Go Go, the $50,000 Hail Emperor, and two $60,000 stakes for Maryland-bred 2-year-olds: the Heavenly Cause and the Rollicking.
In the Stefanita, at seven furlongs, Celtic Melody has seven filly and mare opponents.
JAMAICA, N.Y. - Turf horses from all over North America have ascended upon Aqueduct for Saturday's $150,000 Grade 2 Red Smith Handicap, the last turf stakes of the year in New York.
Shippers from Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, Chicago and Canada have swelled the field for the 1 3/8-miles race to 16. Only 12 will be permitted to start. The race features the 2000 Red Smith winner (Cetewayo) and the 1999 Red Smith runner-up (Williams News) and a host of intriguing turf marathoners that could leave handicappers burning the midnight oil.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - It's quite a leap to start in a maiden-claimer in Kentucky and only a few months later win a graded stakes in New York or California. That's what trainer Bobby Frankel will be trying to do on Saturday, when he sends out Labamta Babe in the Grade 3, $100,000 Hollywood Prevue Stakes at Hollywood Park.
Will this be You, part deux? Frankel acquired You, a 2-year-old filly, for owner Ed Gann after she ran in Kentucky, beginning in maiden-claiming company. You went on to become one of her division's leaders, highlighted by a victory in the Frizette Stakes.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Until facing the very best that North America had to offer, Snow Dance had done everything trainer John T. Ward Jr. asked of her - at least on grass.
Snow Dance was rather ordinary in her first four starts on dirt, after which Ward began racing her on turf. The result was a major transformation: Snow Dance reeled off four straight victories before leading most of the way and fading to third behind Affluent and Golden Apples in a sensational field in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup, a Grade 1 race five weeks ago at Keeneland.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Late-blooming Streakin Rob put it all together three weeks ago when he captured the $250,000 Coronation Futurity, the country's richest race for Canadian-bred juveniles.
Streakin Rob will make a late-season bid for the Sovereign Award as champion 2-year-old when he tries open company in Saturday's $112,500 Display Stakes, a 1 1/16-mile race at Woodbine.
