ARCADIA, Calif. - Trainer Bruce Headley is not shy expressing his enthusiasm for California racing.
Asked on Monday how many Breeders' Cup races he expects California-based horses to win at Belmont Park on Oct. 27, Headley said: "How many do they got?"
There are eight Breeders' Cup races, which makes it extremely difficult if not impossible for one circuit to dominate a program that brings together many of the world's best Thoroughbreds.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Canadian Derby winner Fancy As and Hastings Park leading 3-year-old I'm Free head a list of 17 horses nominated to Saturday's Grade 2 $200,000 British Columbia Derby.
Also nominated and expected to run in the 1 1/8-mile race are Manitoba Derby winner Stage Classic and multiple stakes winner Diglett, who ran fourth as the favorite in the Emerald Downs Breeders' Cup Derby last out.
EDMONTON, Alberta - Saturday's Alberta Fall Classic series at Northlands Park was full of surprises, as only one of the seven stakes on the card was won by the favorite.
Leading a parade of upsetters was Robnroy, who at 18-1 did the unthinkable, overtaking Timely Ruckus down the lane and winning the $40,000 Red Diamond Express. Robnroy, a 5-year-old trained by Pam McDougall, came from five lengths off the pace and went four wide on the final turn to win his first stakes of the year and push his earnings past $150,000.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Tiznow, who remains on course for a defense of his Breeders' Cup Classic title at Belmont Park on Oct. 27, was more eager in a Monday morning workout at Santa Anita than trainer Jay Robbins or jockey Chris McCarron would have preferred.
MIAMI - The Calder stewards have suspended trainer Julian Canet 60 days for "corrupt and fraudulent practices" and his assistant Jorge Navarro 30 days for "making false and misleading statements to the stewards." Stewards said they worked a horse under a fictitious name.
The suspensions were to take effect on Tuesday. Canet has appealed his ruling to Calder management and will have a hearing scheduled within the next week according to the track's general manger Randy Soth. Navarro did not appeal.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Trainer Dave Vance said Monday that he might nominate one or both of his star 3-year-old fillies Caressing and Unbridled Elaine for the Oct. 6 Arlington Matron, but that neither was likely to start.
Vance said he might nominate them to the $150,000 Matron "to keep my options open." Nominations for the Matron close Wednes-
day, and there is recent precedent for a 3-year-old filly beating elders in the race: Megans Bluff won the Matron last year after capturing the Arlington Oaks.
SOUTH SIOUX CITY, Neb. - Live racing returned to northeastern Nebraska for the first time since 1997 Saturday when Horsemen's Atokad Downs presented a one-day meet of eight races that distributed more than $125,000 in purses.
The $15,000 purse for the first race was the richest race ever run at the track, and it was eclipsed by the $20,000 purse of the feature. Formerly known as Atokad Park, the track used to have a daily purse distribution of about $16,000 per day.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - A funny thing happened on the way to the Breeders' Cup Classic.
With the World Thoroughbred Championships to be held at Belmont Park this year, the New York fall championship races were supposed to be the proving grounds for big-name contenders, while races like the Meadowlands Cup were expected to attract longshots.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Strut the Stage had his final major tune-up for the Canadian International here Sunday morning, breezing six furlongs on a yielding E.P. Taylor course. Going in company with Sam-Son Farm stablemates Only to You and Quiet Resolve, Strut the Stage was given a 1:12.20 clocking compared to Only to You's 1:12.60 and Quiet Resolve's 1:12.
Trainer Mark Frostad said the work did not go as planned.
"[Only to You] was supposed to take two lengths," said Frostad, "and she started off four to five lengths ahead. But they all worked well."
ELMONT, N.Y. - Macho Uno, who was being pointed to Saturday's $300,000 Ohio Derby at Thistledown, was battling colic last Saturday night and his connections may wait a week to run him in the $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont on Oct. 6.
"He had a minor bout with colic on Saturday evening, he trained Sunday and Monday, and I'm waiting to breeze him," Orseno said Monday afternoon. "We're re-thinking our plans from Ohio to the Jockey Club Gold Cup, although we are looking into a flight instead of a 10-hour van ride to Ohio."