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.
EDMONTON, Alberta - Saturday is getaway day, the end of the racing season here at Northlands Park.
It ends on a nine-race card that includes two high-level allowances races, one at 1 1/16 miles and the other at 6 1/2 furlongs.
The eighth race, to be run at 1 1/16 miles, attracted a field of eight, including stakes winners Red Exit and Tyko Tycoon.
Red Exit won the Herald Gold Plate at Calgary. Tyko Tycoon won the Klondike here in Edmonton.
Remington Park in Oklahoma City has cut purses for four of its upcoming stakes by a cumulative $80,000 after experiencing a drop in attendance and handle the past month. The track will reduce three of its $100,000 races, the Remington Green Handicap, the MEC Mile, and the Governor's Cup, to $75,000 each, while the Carris Memorial has been cut from $30,000 to $25,000. The track did not reduce overnight purses.
ARCADIA, Calif. - At first, there were no signs of rebellion. An innocent-looking Tiznow soaked in the sun opposite the quarter pole on the Santa Anita racetrack Thursday morning as Chris McCarron prepared to nudge him into his final workout before defending his Breeders' Cup Classic championship.
It was 9:30 a.m., and Tiznow had them right where he wanted. For the next
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Dale Romans has won or tied for training titles at Churchill Downs and Turfway Park, and his late father, Jerry, won titles at Ellis Park.
But neither father nor son ever won a crown at Keeneland, although Dale Romans certainly appears headed toward completing the family grand slam. Romans won two more races Thursday, including the featured $77,924 Fort Springs Stakes, giving him eight victories and a commanding lead 10 days into the 17-day meet.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - American owners regularly purchase European horses of racing age and bring them to this country.
Less frequently, you'll see a horse that sold in Europe as a yearling imported for an American racing career. But who was the last American racehorse you saw purchased out of a French 2-year-old in training sale?
Bedside Manner, with her 7-for-9 record, and Cedar Knolls, who nearly captured a Grade 2 in her last start, are the headliners in the $125,000 Iroquois Handicap on Saturday's New York Showcase undercard.
Eight fillies and mares entered the seven-furlong Iroquois. Bedside Manner and Cedar Knolls each shoulder 122 pounds as the highweights.