BOSSIER CITY, La. - The company Northcote Road has kept this season sets him apart from his 13 rivals in the $100,000 Louisiana Downs Handicap on Saturday.
Northcote Road is the 119-pound highweight for the 1 1/16-mile turf race, which has also drawn Maysville Slew, who was nosed out in a photo in this race a year ago. Also in the field is Nat's Big Party, who has won two regional stakes in his last three starts, including the $100,000 Independence Breeders' Cup Turf at Louisiana Downs.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - The Highlander Handicap, which is run on the same Sept. 30 program as two Canadian Grade 1's, the Canadian International and E.P. Taylor Stakes, seldom gets the attention that it deserves.
And that could be a particularly unfortunate oversight this year, as the Grade 3, $150,000 Highlander is shaping up as a particularly fascinating exercise.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Lord Nelson figures to be a short price as he goes for his fourth straight stakes win at Hastings Park on Saturday in the $35,000 Sir Winston Churchill Stakes. The 1 1/8-mile feature attracted a field of seven older horses, including Kid Katabatic, who is looking for his first win of the year.
EDMONTON, Alberta - While Timely Ruckus will be in the spotlight in the Red Diamond Express, the best race of Saturday's Northlands Park card could be the $50,000 Fall Classic Distaff for older fillies and mares.
An indication of the competitiveness of the race was apparent when Alan Bott, the Northlands racing secretary, made five horses the co-highweights at 118 pounds.
Among that group is Little Lolitta, a 3-year-old who has already won more than $113,000 this year.
EDMONTON, Alberta - With his handicap star Rancour already in line for year-end laurels, trainer Ernie Keller will send out 8-year-old Timely Ruckus to lay claim to another championship Saturday at Northlands Park in the $40,000 Red Diamond Express.
Timely Ruckus, packing 124 pounds, including his regular pilot, Stephan Heiler, takes a winning streak of three into this 6 1/2-furlong sprint. The Red Diamond Express is one of seven stakes races on Alberta Fall Classic Day, which showcases the Alberta breeding industry.
BOSSIER CITY, La. - Until Sundown is not as accomplished as Tiznow, but he is following in the reigning Horse of the Year's hoofprints.
Until Sundown has taken the same road to this year's Grade 1, $500,000 Super Derby that Tiznow did last year, when he won the 1 1/4-mile race for 3-year-olds by six lengths before going on to capture the Breeders' Cup Classic.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - With the smoldering remains of the World Trade Center visible on the Eastern horizon, The Meadowlands brought racing back to the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area Tuesday night for the first time since the terrorist attacks a week earlier.
A subdued crowd of 4,921 bet $471,321 on track as a part of a total handle of $1,463,127 for the nine-race card.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Graded stakes winner Atelier makes her return to the races Friday at Belmont Park, topping a field of six fillies and mares in a money allowance, which goes as the seventh on the card. The race, worth $54,000, will be run at seven furlongs on the main track.
POMONA, Calif. - Inflexible front-runner Southern House and campaign-toughened Mimi's Cafe collide Friday in the $100,000 Las Madrinas Handicap at Fairplex Park. Ten fillies and mares entered the 1 1/16-mile race in which the current form of the principals stands out.
CHICAGO - After undergoing a sea change this year, Chicago's Thoroughbred racing basically was kept intact Wednesday when the Illinois Racing Board handed down a 2002 racing schedule.
The year begins with dark months in January and February before the National Jockey Club meet starts the racing season at Sportsman's Park on March 1, followed by a short meet at Hawthorne, a long meet at Arlington through the summer months and into the fall, and another two-month meet at Hawthorne.