MIAMI - T V Sports Director has never run well on dirt, so when he stopped abruptly and finished last, 31 lengths behind archrival Built Up in the Unbridled Stakes on Aug. 19, the logical assumption was that the turf specialist did not handle the track.
But it was not the surface that caused T V Sports Director's poor performance that afternoon. It was a case of the "thumps."
ELMONT, N.Y. - As he watched the rain fall Monday morning outside his Belmont Park barn, trainer Bobby Frankel could only smile.
"Shows you how lucky I am breezing everything yesterday," said Frankel, who on Sunday worked virtually his entire star-studded barn in preparation for Saturday's Breeders' Cup Preview Day card at Belmont.
NORTH RANDALL, Ohio - As with most happenings of consequence, the Ohio Derby resulted in some good things and some not so good.
For Macho Uno and the many horseplayers who pounded him down to 1-5 odds, this Ohio Derby wasn't so great. But two days after the race, trainer Joe Orseno was philosophical about Macho Uno's third-place finish and optimistic that the 3-year-old colt still will run in the Breeders' Cup Classic.
ELMONT, N.Y. - A pair of streaking New York-bred 3-year-old fillies step into open allowance company in Wednesday's feature race at Belmont Park. Wednesday kicks off a six-day race week as Belmont will be open Monday, Columbus Day.
Spectaculaireontap and Star Creek enter the second-level, nine-furlong turf race having each won their last three decisions. The race, one of four scheduled for the grass, is the final leg of a pick six that features a $40,849 carryover.
ARCADIA, Calif. - There is a clear reason why Wednesday's second race at Santa Anita is not part of a pick six that features a carryover of $140,724.
Brisquette and Smart Start will be a heavily favored entry in the second, run over 6 1/2 furlongs for fillies and mares. The race does not offer as much of a handicapping challenge as the pick six races, which covers the third through eighth.
The pick six starts with a one-mile race for $35,000 to $40,000 claimers that drew seven entrants. The other pick six races have nine or more entrants.
The Woodlands Race Track in Kansas City, Kansas, which has been working to win legislative approval for slot machines since Missouri riverboat casino owner William Grace bought the horse and dog racing plant at a bankruptcy auction in 1998, opens for 26 days of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing on Wednesday. The meet runs through Nov. 4.
CHICAGO - Arlington-Washington Futurity winner Publication is leaving town as quickly as he came. Publication shipped to Arlington with little fanfare late last week and is scheduled to return to trainer Terry Knight's northern California base as soon as a flight can be arranged. Neither Knight nor the colt's owner, Larry Washington, was in town for the Futurity, and Publication, accompanied on his trip by his groom, Wally Ramirez, was saddled by Andy Wilson, an assistant trainer for Jerry Hollendorfer.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Fancy As left no doubt that he's the best 3-year-old in Western Canada with a decisive 3 1/2-length win over I'm Free in the $217,260 British Columbia Derby at Hastings Park Saturday. Under a well-timed ride by Richard Hamel, Fancy As took control from I'm Free at the top of the stretch and then drew off with authority to post an impressive win over one of the best fields seen here in recent years.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia ? A small but competitive field of fillies and mares will line up to go 1 1/16 miles in a $25,000 optional race at Hastings Park this Wednesday evening. With a lively pace expected it should set up nicely for Mighty Dixie who was stakes placed at the distance last season but is still looking for her first win of this year.
Wednesday's headliner at Bay Meadows, a $34,000 optional claiming/ allowance dash, provides handicappers with an interesting question: Go for the sharp recent runners or a classy fellow returning from a long layoff? The six-furlong race drew six entrants, and the classy Mellow Fellow makes his return after nearly 15 months on the sidelines.