EDMONTON, Alberta - Over the four-day Canada Day holiday last weekend, Northlands Park held three stakes and an allowance race that included three-time Sun Sprint winner Timely Ruckus.
The fireworks began June 29 with a victory by Northern Neechitoo in the $30,000 Wild Rose for older fillies and mares. A 5-year-old trained by Floyd Arthur, Northern Neechitoo wired a solid field, winning by eight lengths, and replaced Oh Tee at the top of the older filly and mare division.
AUBURN, Wash. - Rambling Pete appears to be the one to beat in Friday's six-furlong feature at Emerald Downs, a $12,500 to $10,000 claiming race for nonwinners-of-two lifetime.
Rambling Pete, a gray-coated son of Petersburg and Rambling Pat, is one of only two 3-year-olds in the seven-horse field, and he will be meeting older rivals for the first time. Nevertheless, he is likely to be favored off his splendid effort in his most recent outing on June 22, when he dueled with Pazhalsta every step of the way before losing a nose decision after six furlongs in 1:10.60.
Total handle on opening day at Colonial Downs in Virginia on Tuesday was nearly double the opening-day total from last year, officials said, while ontrack attendance was stagnant.
The handle increase illustrates the impact scheduling can have on business in the simulcast era. This year, Colonial opened on a Tuesday, when competition in the simulcast market is thin. Last year, the track opened on the Friday before Labor Day, when virtually every major track in the country was running live and sending their signals to out-of-state sites.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Despite three wins by Hastings Park jockey Brian Johnson, the Emerald Downs team took home first prize in the Can-Am jockey challenge, which concluded at Hastings Park on Monday.
The Emerald team had built up a 22 1/2-point lead from the first day of the two-day competition, held at Emerald Downs on Friday, but after Johnson won the first two races Monday, the teams were tied going into the final race.
PLEASANTON, Calif. - Jason Lumpkins, who arrived in northern California a little more than a year ago and gave perennial jockey champion Russell Baze one of his sternest tests at the recent Bay Meadows meeting, will leave the area July 23 and will probably miss the summer-fall Bay Meadows meet.
"I'm going back to West Virginia," Lumpkins said. "I have some loose ends to tie up there, and I will probably ride at Mountaineer Park the rest of the year."
Lumpkins does plan to return, but said he could be gone for up to six months.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - Because of an infestation of army worms that plagued the Monmouth turf course, turf races will be run sparingly in the next few weeks. The weekday cards will likely be drawn without turf races, but weekend turf stakes will go as planned. This weekend's turf races - the Grade 3 Reeve Schley Jr., the Lamplighter, and the John McSorley - will remain on the turf.
The worms were first spotted last weekend, causing the turf to turn slightly brown with a dried-out texture. The infestation has done no damage to the foundation of the course.
AUBURN, Wash. - The Washington Horse Racing Commission is expected to announce by the end of the week on whether it will allow Playfair to race in 2002.
The commission held a two-hour hearing here Monday to determine whether Lilac City Racing Associates' license to operate Playfair should be revoked because the track violated conditions of the order granting its license in December 1999.
Also discussed were Lilac City's financial condition and its request to amend its 2001 racing dates.
Pickupspeed and Blue Goblin, a pair of deep closers, rallied from the back of the pack to run one-two in the $75,000 Ft. McHenry Handicap at Pimlico.
Pickupspeed, making his first start on the turf, paid $29.80 and combined with Blue Goblin for a $243.60 exacta. He was timed in 2:30.14 for 1 1/2 miles.
Winning trainer Larry Murray said he thought the 12 furlongs of the Ft. McHenry might help offset Pickupspeed's chronic problem of starting slowly.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - La Recherche comfortably held off a late surge by Devout Sinner to win the $125,000 Walmac Lone Star Oaks at Lone Star Park. It was the second Lone Star Oaks victory for trainer Tom Amoss, who captured the race in 1999 with Mumtaz.
Le Recherche ($8.40) settled in second behind pacesetter Smokin and Jokin, who ran the opening six furlongs in 1:14.12. Le Recherche overtook Smokin and Jokin in midstretch, then went on to a 1 1/4-length win in the 1 1/16-mile turf race for 3-year-old fillies, getting the distance over firm turf in 1:44.32.
NORTH RANDALL, Ohio - Unbridled Time cruised to a 12 1/4-length tally over nine Ohio-bred 3-year-olds in the $100,000, nine-furlong Cleveland Gold Cup at Thistledown.
Blame It on Ruby finished second, 7 1/4 lengths ahead of Start Sooner.
Unbridled Time ($2.80), a $1,150,000 purchase as a yearling in 1999, was away in good order under Greta Kuntzweiler to be with the pace while hung four-wide going into the clubhouse turn. He moved to the leaders while in hand, made the lead just after six furlongs, and then widened his advantage.