Tue, 06/26/2001 - 00:00

Serena's Tune switches barns

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Serena's Tune, a daughter of Mr. Prospector and champion Serena's Song, was recently transferred to trainer Josie Carroll's Woodbine barn.

Serena's Tune, a $1 million yearling purchase, won her debut impressively at Del Mar last August for trainer Neil Drysdale. She captured two consecutive turf sprints during the winter at Santa Anita, including the La Habra Stakes, but is coming off two straight dull efforts - in the Grade 2 Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn and the one-mile Edgewood Stakes on the grass at Churchill Downs.

Tue, 06/26/2001 - 00:00

Top sprinting filly Swept Away is retired

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Swept Away, who won nine of 16 starts and over $550,000, has been retired after coming out of the May 12 Genuine Risk Stakes at Belmont with an injury.

"She developed a problem with a sesamoid following the Genuine Risk," said Richard Klein, who owns Swept Away with his parents, Bert and Elaine. "Instead of giving her time off and bringing her back, we decided to go ahead and retire her."

Klein said that Swept Away, by Mystery Storm, would be bred to a "top, proven sire" next year. A

Tue, 06/26/2001 - 00:00

Talike goes after her second victory

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Talike and Icy Flirt are leading contenders in a $37,000 first-level allowance for fillies and mares going six furlongs Thursday at Monmouth Park.

Talike will be making her third career start for trainer Alan Goldberg and owner Robert Masterson. She won her debut at Delaware Park, then came up a half-length short in an allowance race. In that race she was defeated by Astrid, who may be headed for stakes races later this season. Talike will be ridden by Joe Bravo, who started the week in his familiar place atop the jockeys standings with 26 wins.

Tue, 06/26/2001 - 00:00

All they can do is wonder why

ELMONT, N.Y. - Bad horses, bad rides, bad karma. Whatever the case, a handful of high-profile trainers are having a bad time of it at Belmont Park this year.

Phil Johnson (0 for 32), Shug McGaughey (0 for 31), Joe Orseno (0 for 17), and Mike Hushion (1 for 26) are a combined 1 for 106 through the first seven weeks of the meet. Add John Kimmel's current 0-for-20 funk and horsemen and handicappers alike are left shaking their heads.

Tue, 06/26/2001 - 00:00

Assault! Dignitas Dancer may go next on dirt

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Dignitas Dancer, who was nipped at the wire at 26-1 in the $300,000 Dallas Turf Cup, could make his next start against statebreds on dirt in the $150,000 Assault Stakes at Lone Star Park on Saturday, said trainer Dallas Keen.

The Assault is one of six stakes worth a cumulative $650,000 on Saturday that will make up the first Stars of Texas Day. Other races scheduled include the $100,000 Allen Bogan Memorial, and both divisions of the $150,000 estimated Texas Thoroughbred Association Sales Futurity.

Tue, 06/26/2001 - 00:00

Beautiful Pleasure will race into shape

ELMONT, N.Y. - It was back to work Monday morning for Beautiful Pleasure, who returned to the track just 41 hours after finishing last in Saturday's Grade 1 Hempstead Handicap at Belmont Park.

Normally, horses get two or three days off after a race. But, Beautiful Pleasure jogged a mile and lightly galloped another mile under Donna Ward, trainer John Ward's wife and assistant.

"I got a jump on her calorie count and we're going to stay in front of it,"' trainer John Ward said.

Tue, 06/26/2001 - 00:00

Chavez gave Bodacious Bubba winning edge

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Jorge Chavez helped trainer Paul Duhon pull off one of the biggest wins of his young career Friday night in the final race of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association All-Star Jockey Championship at Lone Star Park.

Chavez guided Bodacious Bubba, a $15,000 claiming horse, to win a wide open $55,000 starter allowance race over several regional stakes horses at 21-1. Finishing second was Pesky Rascal, who with his placing helped his rider, Jerry Bailey, win the four-race Jockey Championship by one point over Laffit Pincay Jr.

Mon, 06/25/2001 - 00:00

Point Given heading for Haskell

Horsephotos
Point Given, the nation's top 3-year-old colt, is expected to make his next start in the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on Aug. 5.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Point Given, the nation's top 3-year-old, is likely to make his next start in the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on Aug. 5 instead of the Swaps Stakes at Hollywood Park on July 15 as originally planned, according to Richard Mulhall, the racing manager for owner Ahmed Salman's Thoroughbred Corp.

Mon, 06/25/2001 - 00:00

Collect the Cash returns at Belmont

Bill Straus
Collect the Cash, winner of last year's Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth Challenge at Keeneland, will make her 2001 debut Wednesday at Belmont Park.

ELMONT, N.Y. - It will be at least another week before trainer Joe Orseno learns if he's getting his champion turf mare Perfect Sting back from injury. In the meantime, he has been preparing his other top turf filly, Collect the Cash, for her return to the races.

Collect the Cash, who won last year's Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth Challenge at Keeneland, is scheduled to make her 4-year-old debut in a $54,000 classified allowance race Wednesday, one of five turf races scheduled on an intriguing mid-week card at Belmont Park.

Mon, 06/25/2001 - 00:00

Mott, Clement face U.N. decisions

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Sunday's $500,000 United Nations Handicap at Monmouth could be the latest go-round for Forbidden Apple and King Cugat, who finished one-two in the Manhattan Handicap at Belmont Park.

The trainers of those two horses, who are the highweights, have others nominated to the United Nations, a 1 3/8-mile turf race. Bill Mott, trainer of King Cugat, could send Gulfstream Park Breeders' Cup Handicap winner Subtle Power in the United Nations. Christophe Clement may send Honor Glide, who finished third in the U.N. last year.