Consistency is not exactly a hallmark for Trip, but a half-million bucks in the bank might suggest that consistency could be a tad overrated.
A 4-year-old Lord at War filly owned by Claiborne Farm and trained by Frank Brothers, Trip has developed into something of an all-or-nothing type. Since last fall, she has won three times and finished out of the money four times, with no seconds or thirds in between.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Nuclear Assembly, an undefeated colt who set a five-furlong track record when he won a division of last month's Texas Thoroughbred Association Sales Futurity, faces a field of well-connected colts, including the Ronny Werner-trained pair of Runaway Choice and Las Devious, in the $100,000 Middleground at Lone Star Park on Saturday.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Strut the Stage will get to strut his stuff as the heavy favorite in Saturday's Grade 3 Toronto Cup Handicap at Woodbine. Just four were entered in the 1 1/8-mile turf race for 3-year-olds, which is worth $132,375.
Strut the Stage blew away a solid field of maidens when he debuted in a seven-furlong turf dash here last August. He was 2-5 in his only other 2-year-old race in the Grade 2 Summer Stakes, but he didn't fire like he did in his opener and finished third.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - When Collect Call and Affluent met three times in major stakes in the spring, they were supporting players who could do no better than finish second, third, or fourth.
In Saturday's $150,000 Hollywood Oaks at Hollywood Park, they are the leading players in what is essentially a match race. Three other fillies will make their stakes debuts in the Grade 2 Oaks, run over 1 1/8 miles on dirt. A victory from Katy Kat (an allowance race winner at Churchill Downs), Bartley (a claimer), or Secret of Mecca (a maiden) would qualify as an upset.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Two $500,000 stakes that are major preps to the Breeders' Cup World Throroughbred Championships - the Sept. 29 Yellow Ribbon Stakes for fillies and mares on turf and the Oct. 7 Goodwood Breeders' Cup Handicap - headline the stakes schedule at the upcoming Oak Tree at Santa Anita meeting, which runs Sept. 26 to Nov. 5.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - There is no suspense regarding Fair Apache's tactics from the rail in Saturday's $70,000 Valkyr Handicap at Hollywood Park.
"She runs as hard as she can as far as she can," said trainer Christopher Paasch. "When the gates open, it's giddyup."
Run over 5 1/2 furlongs on turf, the Valkyr, restricted to California-bred fillies and mares, could set up ideally for Fair Apache, who is owned by Rod and Lorraine Rodriguez.
MIAMI - Calder's $1 million Summit of Speed is only in its second season but the event has already created a fervor among fans and media. At the same time, it has won over south Florida-based horsemen eager to defend their turf and keep the majority of that purse money from leaving town in the pockets of the nearly two dozen invaders who have shipped in.
MIAMI - The late defection of City Zip has suddenly changed the $250,000 Carry Back Stakes from a mismatch to the most wide open of the four races on Saturday's Summit of Speed undercard.
City Zip figured to be odds-on to defeat 10 other 3-year-olds in the six-furlong Carry Back for 3-year-old colts and geldings. The Carry Back is the highlight of the Summit of Speed undercard along with its filly counterpart, the six-furlong Azalea Stakes. They will be preceded on the 13-race program by the $100,000 Calder Turf Sprint and $50,000 Rocket Man Stakes.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - The $75,000 Inside Information Stakes contains a common thread: turf fillies and mares dropping down from graded stakes to an easier spot in hopes of grabbing a nice winner's check.
Most of the eight horses entered in Saturday's feature at Monmouth Park have found graded stakes competition too tough for the time being. In the Inside Information, run at one mile on the turf, the field is wide open and offers a number of handicapping angles.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - Although Saturday's Bet Twice Stakes carries a purse of only $50,000, the race has attracted one of the toughest stakes fields of the meet. One of the more talented entrants is California invader Sardaukar.
Sardaukar, who ran in group stakes in France early in his career, makes his debut for trainer Alan Goldberg in the one-mile Bet Twice. Sardaukar had been racing for trainer Julio Canani in California.