ELMONT, N.Y. - For several years, John Terranova's New York barn has been a safe haven for Bob Baffert's West Coast shippers.
Terranova and his wife, Tonja - friends of Baffert since the late 1980's - have housed and helped prepare a number of Baffert's stakes winners including Point Given, Silverbulletday, El Corredor, and River Keen.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Chris Paasch has been in the racing business for 26 years, the last 20 as a licensed trainer. A New York native based in Southern California, Paasch, 45, has seen many talented racehorses, and he thinks he happens to have one in his own barn now.
"This might be a mild statement," said Paasch. "But this is the nicest horse I've ever touched in my life."
ARCADIA, Calif. - It would not feel like autumn without Kona Gold starting as the favorite in the Ancient Title Breeders' Cup Handicap at Santa Anita.
For the fourth consecutive year, Kona Gold will be the public's choice in Saturday's Ancient Title, a vital six-furlong prep to the Breeders' Cup Sprint at Belmont Park on Oct. 27.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - El Soprano, a huge Stronach Stable colt with lots of potential, should be a short price in Saturday's $250,000 Cup and Saucer Stakes, a 1 1/16-mile turf event for Canadian-bred 2-year-olds at Woodbine.
El Soprano finished third in his debut on the main track behind Rare Friends, who has won all three of his subsequent outings in stakes. Trainer Kevin Attard moved El Soprano to the grass Aug. 25 for a seven-furlong furlong maiden special, in which he closed down the center of the course to win by a neck.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Unlike the four other stakes at Belmont Park on Saturday, the $250,000 Kelso Handicap, a Breeders' Cup Mile prep, is a wide-open race.
With no standouts in the nine-horse field, the Grade 2 Kelso at one mile on the turf brings together an interesting group of horses. Among them are last year's winner, Forbidden Apple; Manndar, who won the Grade 1 Manhattan here last year; and sprint star City Zip, who makes his turf debut.
Forbidden Apple, trained by Christophe Clement, is the probable favorite because of his excellent record of 6 for 10 at Belmont.
ELMONT, N.Y. - At Thursday's post position draw breakfast for Saturday's stakes-studded card at Belmont Park, trainer Bobby Frankel said many of his stakes winners this year have been in the "right place at the right time."
It looks like the timing and the place are right for the Frankel-trained Flute to win her third Grade 1 in Saturday's $750,000 Beldame, her final race before the $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff, which will be run three weeks later at the same track and distance.
EAST BOSTON, Mass. - Sunlit Ridge, a homebred owned by Manfred Roos, is the undisputed leader of New England's 3-year-old filly turf division and also the best Massachusetts-bred sophomore of any gender. On Saturday, she will take on open older fillies and mares in the $25,000 Highland Happening Stakes. The 1 1/16-mile turf race attracted an overflow field of 14, including several shippers, but only 10 will run.
Scottish Halo has always had talent. What he lacked was good health.
A one-time Triple Crown prospect, Scottish Halo had gone more than a year without winning a race. In fact, the now 4-year-old colt had been fit enough to make just two starts in the last 16 months.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - After a summer of setbacks, Latour looks to get back in gear Saturday night at The Meadowlands in the $75,000 Summit Stakes for 3-year-old fillies, one of two stakes races on the card.
A daughter of French Deputy, Latour won three straight races last winter, including the Grade 2 Davona Dale at Gulfstream Park, and then things began to go wrong. She has been winless since, with losses as the favorite in the Ashland at Keeneland and the Serena's Song at Monmouth Park.