ELMONT, N.Y. - The eve of the Belmont Stakes was such a quiet day that even the usually rambunctious Point Given was as mum as a librarian.
A day after dumping his exercise rider before heading to the track for a gallop, Point Given went to the track Friday like a prim and proper gentleman and causually galloped around Belmont Park's 1 1/2-mile oval.
"He behaved himself," said trainer Bob Baffert. "He wasn't as wild as yesterday because he wasn't as fresh.
ELMONT, N.Y. - As rivalries go, this one has been more theory than fact. Monarchos and Point Given have established themselves as the best of an outstanding crop of 3-year-olds, yet in their two previous meetings, one has run well, while the other has been as flat as week-old soda water.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Dancethruthedawn has all the right credentials to blow away her 11 rivals in Saturday's $500,000 Labatt Woodbine Oaks, formerly the Canadian Oaks.
Dancethruthedawn displayed brilliant form in 2000, beating eventual champion juvenile filly Poetically in both of their meetings, and had excuses in her only poor effort this year in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks. She is a daughter of Mr. Prospector and Canadian Horse of the Year Dance Smartly, which makes her a full sister to the 2000 Queen's Plate, winner Scatter the Gold.
ELMONT, N.Y. - As he perused the entries for Saturday's $150,000 Riva Ridge Stakes, trainer Bob Baffert wondered aloud about his choice of races for his 3-year-old Flame Thrower.
"I just can't find an easy spot for him, can I?" Baffert said.
The 17th running of the Riva Ridge, a Grade 2 race run at seven furlongs, has drawn an exceptional field, providing further proof of the depth of this year's 3-year-old crop. The field of eight has combined to win 33 of its 61 starts, including 20 stakes.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Trainer Joe Orseno said if champion Perfect Sting beats males when she meets them for the first time in Saturday's $400,000 Manhattan Handicap on the Belmont Stakes undercard, "the boys will be in trouble the rest of the year."
With those fighting words, Orseno turned down a much easier assignment for Perfect Sting: the $175,000-added Just a Game Breeders' Cup, also on Saturday's card, a race she won last year against her own sex.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The song remains the same. Even his trainer, Dallas Stewart, is a little weary of hearing it.
"Getting a little old, isn't it?" he asked.
The refrain that keeps getting repeated: If Dollar Bill didn't have bad luck, he'd have none at all. Call him Bad-Luck Bill, the Doomed Dollar, the Hapless Horse, the Luckless Loser, the Can't-Miss (Traffic) Colt.
But whatever you do, don't call him late to a Triple Crown event. On Saturday, Dollar Bill will be in the lineup for the Belmont Stakes, just as he was for the Kentucky Derby and Preakness.
ELMONT, N.Y. - An awkward beginning proved a blessing in disguise for Smok'n Frolic, who romped to a 5 3/4-length victory in Thursday's $82,225 Fashion Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at Belmont. Ghost Wrestling, the even-money favorite, held second after dueling with My Heart's Deelite, who finished another three-quarters of a length back in third.
The Belmont Stakes has for many years been the last and the longest race of America's Triple Crown series. It was not always meant to be either. Today, it stands alone as a Grade 1 race for males at 1 1/2 miles on dirt - still the dominant surface for American racehorses. That, too, is a role the race did not always occupy.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Three races into her career, Cause I'm Tricky is starting to show the potential she revealed to trainer Leonard Duncan over the winter.
On Saturday, Cause I'm Tricky makes her stakes debut in the $75,000 Cinderella Stakes at Hollywood Park, a sprint for 2-year-old fillies over 5 1/2 furlongs.
"I think she's got the potential to be one-two-three," Duncan said. "We've got a lot to look forward to."
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Far from the glare of the Triple Crown, Jamaican Rum starts as a heavy favorite in Saturday's $100,000 California Sires Stakes at Hollywood Park, his first race since finishing sixth in the Kentucky Derby.
Trainer James Cassidy considered the Preakness Stakes for Jamaican Rum, but eventually decided to return to his base in Southern California and put the gray back on turf, the only surface he has won on this year.
