ELMONT, N.Y. - Sunday's $125,000 Hudson Handicap at Belmont Park seems a rather unlikely place for history to be made, but this race could very well be the spot where Say Florida Sandy becomes the all-time leading New York-bred in money won.
Say Florida Sandy will be the heavy favorite in the Hudson, one of seven stakes for statebreds run during the New York Showcase Fall Festival, on Saturday and Sunday.
Jockey Javier Santiago didn't begin riding regularly at Delaware Park until late June, almost two months into the meet. Santiago, a native of Puerto Rico, has more than made up for lost time while establishing himself as one of the top young riders at the track.
Santiago, who celebrated his 24th birthday on Thursday, has thrived in his new surroundings. Through Wednesday's racing, he ranks 14th in the Delaware jockey standings with 28 winners. Overall, he has finished in the money with 79 of his 158 mounts - exactly 50 percent.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Three-year-olds have showed little respect for their elders in the $250,000 Empire Classic, taking four of the last five runnings of the richest race restricted to New York-bred colts and geldings.
Trainer James Bond hopes that trend continues Sunday as the New York Showcase Fall Festival concludes its two-day run at Belmont Park. The Empire Classic is one of four stakes on a 10-race card, which begins at 1 p.m.
Bond, a two-time winner of the Empire Classic, will send out Personal Pro from post 7 in the nine-furlong race, which drew a 10-horse field.
Mr Ross is the boss of the current crop of Oklahoma-breds, and his dominance should be on display Sunday when he goes after his third consecutive win in the Classic Stakes at Remington Park. The $90,000 race is the richest of seven statebred stakes that will make up the ninth annual Oklahoma Classics Day. Together, the restricted races are worth $365,000.
Mr Ross, who with $853,516 in earnings ranks as the third richest accredited Oklahoma-bred in history behind millionaires Slew O Damascus and Clever Trevor, seems to tower over his five rivals in the
ANDERSON, Ind. - Three-year-old Red's Honor takes on older horses in a field of 12 Indiana-bred colts and geldings in Sunday's $40,000-added Brickyard Stakes at six furlongs.
Trained by Dale Romans for the McKee Stables, Red's Honor won the Ft. Wayne Stakes by six lengths here Oct. 6 against his own age group. A son of Glitterman, Red's Honor has beaten older horses before. He defeated older allowance horses at Churchill Downs in May for his third consecutive win.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Since Minor Wisdom just won a $200,000 stakes race a few weeks ago, you would figure he would stand out in Saturday's $50,000 Bowl Game Stakes at Arlington. Not so.
The local older turf division has been strong all summer, and a good field of 11 was entered in the Bowl Game, which is run at about 1 1/16 miles on grass.
SAN MATEO, Calif ? Justnowayofknowin', a game winner in a first-level allowance test here last out, steps up on Sunday to face a tough band of allowance performers. The one-mile feature offers a purse of $34,000 and drew a field of 10.
Justnowayofknowin', trained by Chuck Peery, rallied from just off the pace here on Oct. 8 in a one-mile race to score a one-length victory. It was his first win of the year after he finished second four times in his prior five starts. That race was his first this season at a mile and he appears in top form.
ELMONT, N.Y. - The New York Showcase Fall Festival, a two-day event, gets under way Saturday at Belmont Park with three New York-bred stakes, including the $150,000 Mohawk Handicap for male grass horses.
The 1 1/8-mile Mohawk drew 13 runners, including Pure Harmony, who is the lone also-eligible.
Trainer Christophe Clement could have the horse to beat in the lightly raced Celtic Sky, a 3-year-old who gets in light with 112 pounds, seven less than the starting highweight, I'm All Yours.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Few trainers have benefited more than Burk Kessinger Jr. since Keeneland installed its turf course in 1985.
Kessinger has 11 stakes wins at Keeneland, all of them on turf. On Saturday, when the $100,000 Valley View Stakes is run for the 11th time, Kessinger will shoot for an even dozen with Peace Keeping, an Irish-bred filly who figures to be one of many contenders in a well-matched race.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - If there were a Sovereign Award for the most improved older runner this year, Steady Ruckus would garner a lot of votes.
Steady Ruckus won his first stakes in the 2000 Bunty Lawless, but was victorious in just two of his 10 starts last year, running inconsistently.
But 2001 has been a different story for Steady Ruckus, who has won four of his seven outings under a variety of conditions, banking $208,987. Previously a turf specialist, he has handled both surfaces with precision this year under the guidance of trainer Gil Rowntree.