Sat, 10/06/2001 - 00:00

Aptitude, Frankel romp in Gold Cup

ELMONT, N.Y. - Bobby Frankel's dream year continued at Belmont Park on Saturday when Aptitude, the second-favorite in the Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup, scored an impressive 10-length win over a field of seven.

The win was the second in a row for Aptitude, and the 13th Grade 1 win of 2001 for Frankel. The Hall Of Fame trainer has yet to win a Breeders' Cup race with 36 starters, but is in line to saddle serious contenders in seven of this year's eight Breeders' Cup events scheduled for Oct. 27 at Belmont Park.

Sat, 10/06/2001 - 00:00

Tiznow's Goodwood goals are modest

ARCADIA, Calif. - Even while Tiznow's short-term objective remains the Breeders' Cup Classic on Oct. 27, co-owner Michael Cooper and trainer Jay Robbins are looking beyond this season. Specifically, Cooper is considering postponing Tiznow's stallion career and racing him through next year.

Tiznow meets Skimming and four others Sunday at Santa Anita in the Grade 2 Goodwood Handicap, the last California prep for the Breeders' Cup. Tiznow's performance in the Goodwood and Breeders' Cup will go a long way in determining if he carries on next season as a 5-year-old racehorse.

Sat, 10/06/2001 - 00:00

King of Del Mar still has a lot to prove

ARCADIA, Calif. - At Del Mar, he is the king. And it's good to be the king, especially when the meet's biggest race is worth $1 million. But now summer is turning to fall, and Skimming has to venture from his castle. He is seeking to conquer new lands, and erase the widely held perception that he is a one-track wonder.

Sat, 10/06/2001 - 00:00

Blueprint has some catching up to do

ARCADIA, Calif. - Blueprint, the winner of the Sunset Handicap and San Luis Rey Handicap earlier this year, is facing a time crunch to be ready for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Turf at Belmont Park on Oct. 27.

On Friday at Santa Anita, Blueprint worked a mile on turf in 1:41.60, finishing visibly tired. Despite the modest final time, trainer Bob Hess Jr. is not overly concerned. With three weeks remaining until the Breeders' Cup, Hess said Blueprint has time to get fit for the biggest race of his career.

Sat, 10/06/2001 - 00:00

Numbers Man adds a victory in Morven

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - For Numbers Man, the number he needed to come up was five - as in the five-furlong distance of the $50,000 Morven Stakes Friday night at the Meadowlands.

Richard Malouf's 2-year-old colt broke his maiden at first asking at the five-furlong distance. His return to that distance on the turf under Jose Velez Jr. stopped a three-race losing streak at slightly longer treks and produced a 16-1 upset.

"We've been strictly looking for the chance to sprint him," said

Sat, 10/06/2001 - 00:00

Spook Express rolls to opening-day victory

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Spook Express made a bold move to win the $563,500 WinStar Galaxy at Keeneland Friday, charging from last place to take the opening-day feature by 1 1/4 lengths over Solvig.

But trainer Tom Skiffington probably made the smartest move a few days earlier, scratching Spook Express from the ultra-tough Flower Bowl to await the Grade 2 Galaxy. The turn of events may have earned Spook Express a spot in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf and a belated try against the one-two finishers in the Grade 1 Flower Bowl, Lailani and England's Legend.

Sat, 10/06/2001 - 00:00

Tracks claim they can't make enough on Keeneland

The sometimes unusual economics of modern-day racing have come into sharp focus this week with the battle pitting Keeneland Racecourse against nearly every simulcasting site on the eastern seaboard.

Fri, 10/05/2001 - 00:00

Quiet Resolve needs strong Shadwell Mile

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Quiet Resolve nearly jumped up and stunned the racing world last fall. Dismissed at almost 42-1 in the Breeders' Cup Turf, he finished only a half-length behind the victorious Kalanisi.

Six races later, Quiet Resolve has been something of a disappointment for his owner-breeder Sam-Son Farm, having won just once. But when Quiet Resolve, a 6-year-old gelding, starts Sunday as a contender in the $500,000, Grade 2 Shadwell Keeneland Turf Mile, he may be peaking right in time for the World Thoroughbred Championships.

Fri, 10/05/2001 - 00:00

Two ways to skin a Mile

ARCADIA, Calif. - Thady Quill and Redattore are the top contenders in Sunday's $250,000 Oak Tree Breeders' Cup Mile at Santa Anita. Both are stakes winners this year, have excellent current form, and come from barns with Hall of Fame trainers.

The similarities end there. If they run as expected in Sunday's prep to the Breeders' Cup Mile at Belmont Park on Oct. 27, they are likely to go their separate ways this fall.

Fri, 10/05/2001 - 00:00

Chance for Delaware Township

ELMONT, N.Y. - If not for his affinity for Belmont Park, Delaware Township might not even be considered for this year's Breeders' Cup Sprint. But since he does some of his best work over the spacious Belmont oval, Delaware Township will try to strengthen his Breeders' Cup credentials Sunday when he heads a short field in the $250,000 Forest Hills Handicap at six furlongs.