LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Harlan's Holiday captured three stakes this summer, foremost among them the Cradle at River Downs.
Meanwhile, two of his primary challengers in the $100,000 Iroquois Stakes at Churchill Downs were taking three tries apiece to win a maiden race - albeit maiden races on the two toughest circuits in North America. Yoga finally broke through with a victory at Belmont Park on Sept. 29, and Janadel posted his first win a week later at Del Mar.
JAMAICA, N.Y. - She spanked 'em at Saratoga, and blew 'em away at Belmont. Sunday, Lujien Lujien completes her tour of the New York Racing Association tracks when she heads a full field of 2-year-old fillies entered in the $75,000 Miss Grillo Stakes at nine furlongs over Aqueduct's turf course.
Fifteen juvenile fillies were entered for the Miss Grillo, but only 12 will be permitted to run. They all have Lujien Lujien to beat.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - A resurgent Beautiful Belle looks to be the "now" horse in Sunday's $143,370 Jammed Lovely Stakes, a seven-furlong dash for Canadian-bred 3-year-old fillies at Woodbine.
Heliotrope and Nymphenburg head the supporting feature on the card, the $106,000 River Memories Stakes. Nymphenburg was also entered in Saturday's Maple Leaf Stakes by trainer Jerry Meyer, who said he wouldn't make a decision on where to run her until Saturday.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Superfly T N T, who opened the meet with a win over $25,000 maidens, should be one of the favorites in the featured race Sunday when Hastings Park concludes its 2001 live racing season. The featured race is a $50,000 optional sprint for 3-year-olds.
PORTLAND, Ore. - A compact field of five juveniles, including three who campaigned through the summer at Emerald Downs, will vie over five furlongs in Sunday's $7,500-added Columbia River Stakes at Portland Meadows.
Manito Gentleman, Big Harry Deal, and White Tie Ole have similar credentials, as all three graduated on the maiden $10,000 or maiden $12,500 levels at Emerald. Manito Gentleman could rule a slight favorite, however, based on solid efforts against winners in his two most recent outings.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Sparked by the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships, Belmont enjoyed significant increases in ontrack attendance and handle for its recently concluded fall meeting. Total handle also jumped considerably.
Buoyed by a Breeders' Cup Day crowd of 52,987, daily average attendance increased 16.4 percent to 7,618 from 6,545 for the 33-day fall meet of 2000. Daily average ontrack handle was up 24.4 percent from $1,695,837 to $2,109,472. Daily average total commingled handle was $13,410,375, a 28 percent leap from 2000 when it was $10,474,022.
STICKNEY, Ill. - Bettors continued to feast on Hawthorne Race Course's $50,000 guaranteed pick six Friday, when the bet was hit for the third time in as many days at this meet. One winning $2 ticket was sold on the pick six, paying $37,794.60. Pick six payoffs have varied each day despite the guaranteed pool because tax rates differ slightly depending on the venue where the winning ticket was sold.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Val Royal, the winner of the Breeders' Cup Mile at Belmont Park on Oct. 27, is likely to have another start this year, trainer Julio Canani said Friday.
Val Royal resumed exercise at Santa Anita on Thursday and is being considered for the $500,000 Citation Handicap at Hollywood Park over 1 1/16 miles on turf on Nov. 24 or the Hong Kong Mile at Sha Tin Racecourse on Dec. 16.
Canani said that Val Royal lost weight in the Mile, but that he has quickly rebounded.
At a glance, Top Hit's turf form does not make him a top contender for Sunday's $100,000 Bay Meadows Derby.
He finished fifth in the minor Tempe Handicap on turf last March at Turf Paradise, his only outing on the surface. Since then, his career has blossomed with a win in the Grade 3 Oklahoma Derby on the main track at Remington Park and placings in two Grade 3 stakes at Hollywood Park.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Chorwon, sixth at 58-1 in the Breeders' Cup Turf, is through for the year after having bled in the Turf, said trainer Hal Wiggins. The 8-year-old likely will run again next year, with his campaign starting sometime at the Fair Grounds meet that runs through late March.
So many Nicks in the racing game
The surname Nicks often has been linked with success at Churchill Downs, primarily because Ralph Nicks long has served as the top Kentucky-based assistant to Bill Mott.