OCEANPORT, N.J. - Forest Heiress stayed undefeated in three starts with an easy score in the Grade 3, $150,000 Sorority Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at Monmouth Park Saturday.
A daughter of Forest Wildcat, Forest Heiress went wire to wire under Dale Beckner and gave trainer Ben Perkins Jr. and owner New Farm a second stakes win on the day. They also won the Grade 1 Forego at Saratoga with Delaware Township.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, Fla. - Delaware Township parlayed a lightning-fast pace and the hot hand of leading rider Jerry Bailey into a 1 1/4-quarter length victory over an unlucky Left Bank in Saturday's Grade 1, $250,000 Forego Handicap. The win was the first of two major victories on the afternoon for trainer Ben Perkins Jr. and his principal owner, the New Farm, who minutes later won Monmouth Park's Grade 3 Sorority Stakes with Forest Heiress.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - He may be the second-best juvenile colt in the West, but Came Home proved tops in the East Saturday, whipping six rivals to win the Grade 1, $200,000 Hopeful by two lengths before 19,532 at Saratoga.
Mayakovsky, who established a track record for 5 1/2 furlongs here opening day, finished second, 6 3/4 lengths ahead of longshot Thunder Days. Completing the order of finish were Roman Dancer, Jump Start, Proud Citizen, and Deputy Connor. Sent off the favorite, Came Home returned $4.30 to win.
FORT ERIE, Ont. - Two runners who are winless this year will likely be the favorites in the Puss N Boots, one of two stakes on Fort Erie's Labor Day program.
A field of 12, plus two also eligibles, is entered for the $50,000 Puss N Boots, which will be run at 1 1/16 miles on the turf.
Northernprospector who has lifetime earnings of $533,411 has come up a neck short in two of his three starts this year, the latest being the 1 1/16-mile Cool Reception Stakes on Aug. 13. He started the year with a sixth-place finish in a sprint.
WINNIPEG, Manitoba - Four stakes for Manitoba-breds will be run Monday at Assiniboia Downs, each with a purse of $27,500. They are the Agassiz, Distaff, and two divisions of the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society Sales Stakes.
Trainer Harry Kube sends out half the entrants in an eight-horse field in the one-mile Agassiz, including the horse to beat, Gus Again.
Gus Again suffered his first loss in five starts this year last time out, finishing fourth in the Wheat City behind Kalfaari, Crooner Slew, and Smoky Cinder.
SASKATOON, Saskatchewan - Only three others have been entered to face Beau Ring and Rouge Royale in Monday's $6,000 Toon's Mile Handicap for older horses at Marquis Downs.
Beau Ring and Rouge Royale have been dominant on the local scene. Between them they have won 22 of 44 lifetime starts and been second or third in 16 others.
Beau Ring appears to be in the driver's seat now, as he destroyed the field, including Rouge Royale, last time out in the Fred Mendel Memorial.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Rare Friends and Mulrainy head their respective divisions of Monday's
2-year-old yearling sales stakes at Woodbine, the $102,800 Simcoe for males and the $102,700 Muskoka for fillies.
Rare Friends, who cost $27,000, is unbeaten in two starts with earnings of $119,745. He dusted a good field of maidens when he debuted Aug. 6, and is coming off another front-running score in the six-furlong Vandal.
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Native Desert, an 8-year-old gelding with
17 wins and a $1.4 million bankroll, heads a field of five in the $100,000 California Turf Championship at Bay Meadows on Monday.
Native Desert carries high weight of 122 pounds for the mile turf race, which is restricted to California-breds.
Native Desert will be trying to win this stakes for the third time in four years. He won the race in 1998 and 2000, and was a close second in 1999.
Nat's Big Party, a 7-year-old gelding who has risen to the top of the Oklahoma region's turf division, goes for his third consecutive stakes win Monday in the $150,0000 Edward J. DeBartolo Memorial Breeders' Cup at Remington Park in Oklahoma City. The 1 3/8-mile turf race has drawn a field of six.
Fastest qualifier Grand Coeur will face three-horse salvos from trainers John Bassett and Dwayne "Sleepy" Gilbreath in a wide-open Grade 1, $1,954,649 million All American Futurity for Quarter Horses on Labor Day at Ruidoso Downs.
The All American Futurity, Quarter Horse racing's richest race, is run at 440 yards.
Topping the undercard is the Grade 1, $200,000 All American Derby, headed by Grade 1 Rainbow Derby winner Feature Mr Jess.
