EDMONTON, Alberta - The $30,000 Klondike Handicap at Northlands Park Saturday was heralded as the return of Code Name Fred in a much-anticipated battle against Run Joey Run, who was coming off two straight stake wins.
But a muddy track contributed to the undoing of the favorites, who were unable to overcome a game Tyko Tycoon in the 1 1/16-mile affair.
Point Given breezed five furlongs in :58.80 at Del Mar Tuesday morning in his final workout before Saturday's Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park.
Point Given has not run since winning the Belmont Stakes on June 9, but has kept active with several good drills in preparation for the $1.5 million Haskell.
Point Given will ship to Monmouth via Newark Airport on Thursday, and is scheduled to arrive sometime in mid-afternoon.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Big Bambu has won nine of 13 starts, including seven stakes. But her shining moment may have come here last summer when she finished a game second in the Grade 1 Test Stakes.
Big Bambu, a daughter of 1991 Hopeful winner Salt Lake, returns to Saratoga Wednesday, trying to win her first graded stakes, in the $100,000 Honorable Miss. The Grade 3 race, a prep for the Grade 1 Ballerina on Aug. 26, drew a field of five.
BOSSIER CITY, La. - A district court in Baton Rouge has denied Louisiana Downs's request for a temporary restraining order to reactivate its 34 video poker machines last Friday, instead setting a hearing on the issue for Aug. 7.
Louisiana Downs's video poker terminals have been turned off since July 20. The action was taken by the Louisiana State Police because of a dispute over the track's renewal application, which lacked signatures on two forms as of a June 30 filing deadline. The machines contribute about $50,000 to $60,000 a month toward purses at Louisiana Downs.
MIAMI - The 2001 Hialeah meeting ended more than two months ago, but the battle to collect money owed by the track is far from over.
Churchill Downs Inc. filed suit last Friday in Miami-Dade County Court seeking to recover approximately $185,000 that Churchill said is owed by Hialeah Park for simulcast signals sent to Hialeah from Churchill Downs and Hollywood Park.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Voodoo Dancer performed as expected while Light Dancer pulled off the biggest upset of the young Saratoga meeting Monday in split divisions of the Grade 3 Lake George Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on turf.
Voodoo Dancer waltzed home a 4 1/2-length winner in the $112,250 second division. Sadler's Dancer, who set a dawdling pace and then battled back after being passed by two horses in upper stretch, finished second, a nose ahead of Ok to Dance. It was another neck back to Silver Tornado, who hopped in the air at the break.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - In a way, Saturday's Grade 3 Modesty Handicap has spilled over onto Arlington's Wednesday's card. Watch and Lady of Peace, two fillies who were being considered for the Modesty, skipped the stakes in favor of Wednesday's allowance feature here, a turf race at about one mile that drew a field of nine.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Devastating, a late scratch from the recent Passing Mood Stakes, should be a serious threat in Wednesday's Eternal Search Stakes at Woodbine.
Just three other Ontario-sired 3-year-old fillies were entered in the 1 1/16-mile race, which is worth $100,000.
Devastating displayed some promise when she graduated in a romp near the end of the 2000 Woodbine meet. She won a seven-furlong allowance in her second start this year on May 11, and doubled up two weeks later in a 1 1/16-mile race for $62,500 optional claimers.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Simon Bray is hoping that good things come to those who wait. And wait. And wait some more. The trainer had Casino King, he said, "ready to run two or three weeks ago," but a paucity of long-distance turf races that suit him kept Casino King in the barn.
Bray has to wait no more. Casino King, who has won twice in three starts since Bray took over as his trainer, gets back to the races in Wednesday's $75,000 Escondido Handicap, which kicks off Week Three at Del Mar.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Congaree, who trained here as a 2-year-old but did not run, will finally make his Saratoga debut in Saturday's $600,000 Jim Dandy Stakes. Monday, he completed his preparations for the newly minted Grade 1 event by working five furlongs in 59.40 seconds at Del Mar.
Trainer Bob Baffert caught him galloping out six furlongs in 1:11.80 and was pleased with what he saw.
"He went really, really nice," said Baffert, who will ship Congaree by plane to Albany on Wednesday. "He's a good work horse."
