OCEANPORT, N.J. - Dont Tell the Kids, the winner of the 1999 Grade 3 Sapling, returns to Monmouth for Thursday's feature, a $43,000 optional claiming allowance at six furlongs.
Owned by O. Wayne Link, Dont Tell the Kids won his maiden and then the Sapling here in 1999, while trained by Bob Durso. On Thursday, Dont Tell the Kids makes his first start for new trainer Charlie Harvatt, and will break from post 1 with Jose Ferrer in the saddle.
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Russell Baze won five races Monday and regained the lead over Jason Lumpkins in the Bay Meadows jockey standings, 62-60.
Lumpkins, who had the lead going into Friday night's races, won two on Monday, including the $150,000 All American Handicap aboard Euchre.
Baze won the second race aboard John U to Berry ($9), the third on Work the Room ($4), the fourth on Numerous Prospects ($7.40), the fifth on Why Indeed ($5.80), and the seventh on Cahill Kid ($3.40). Lumpkins won the sixth on Westlake Drive ($4.60) in addition to the feature on Euchre ($7).
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Jockey Patti Cooksey has become an outrider for the balance of the Churchill meet and is considering retirement to fill that role full time on the Kentucky circuit, joining her husband, outrider John Neal.
Cooksey, 43, has recorded the vast majority of her 2,200-plus victories on the Kentucky circuit. Briefly, in February 1988, she was the all-time leader among female jockeys before being overtaken in less than a week by Julie Krone.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Kent Desormeaux, who has ridden in Japan for the last two months, said on Tuesday that he plans to return to California on June 24, three weeks before he was originally scheduled to leave Japan.
Desormeaux, who has won two Kentucky Derbies, is booked to ride Astra in the $250,000 Beverly Hills Handicap at Hollywood Park that day and will not return to Japan following the Grade 1 turf race for fillies and mares.
In April at Santa Anita, Desormeaux won the Santa Barbara Handicap aboard Astra, who is trained by Simon Bray.
AUBURN, Wash. - A bill that would expand simulcasting in Washington is awaiting the signature of Gov. Gary Locke.
If it is signed into law, Senate Bill 5407 would remove restrictions on simulcasting during a race meet, allowing for unlimited simulcasting at Washington tracks for 14 hours a day, five days a week. Currently, Washington tracks are allowed to offer simulcast wagering while a meet is being conducted on only one full card per day on race days and on two full cards per day on non-race days, with a limit of five days of wagering per week.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Won Strike, the lone horse supplemented to this year's Queen's Plate, is poised to make his next start Saturday at Woodbine in the 1 1/8-mile Plate Trial Stakes.
Owner Dan Butler recently paid $15,000 to make Won Strike eligible to the June 24 Plate, a payment necessary because Won Strike wasn't originally nominated to the 1 1/4-mile race for Canadian-bred 3-year-olds.
CALGARY, Alberta - Scotman erased any doubts about his ability to compete against his elders with a half-length victory over Run Joey Run here in Saturday's Teeworth Plate.
Scotman, who was Alberta's champion 3-year-old and horse of the year in 2000, returned $6.40 as the longest shot in the field of four which had just three betting interests.
Code Name Fred, Alberta's top older horse of 2000, was the favorite with trainer R.K. (Red) Smith's entry of Run Joey Run and Three Johns the second choice.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - B. D. Victor will be looking for his third straight win as he faces five other older horses in a $50,000 optional race at 1 1/16 miles Wednesday evening at Hastings Park.
The race couldn't shape up any better for B. D. Victor, who will be trying three turns for the first time this season. B. D. Victor won two races at 8 1/2 furlongs last year and in both cases he led from gate to wire. There doesn't appear to be a lot of speed to go with him and jockey Fernando Serna figures to have him in front while setting modest fractions.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Earlie Fires, Aaron Gryder, David Flores, and Tyler Baze will compete in the National Thoroughbred Racing Association All-Star Jockey Championship for the first time when the four-race competition is run June 22 at Lone Star Park.
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Euchre, ridden by Jason Lumpkins, ran down the favored Irisheyesareflying and Russell Baze to win the $150,000, Grade 3 All American Handicap by 1 1/2 lengths at Bay Meadows Monday.
Euchre went four wide around the first turn of the 1 1/16-mile race, with Irisheyesareflying five wide. Irisheyesareflying quickly moved up to battle for the lead with the longshot Prodigious, while Euchre settled into fourth place in the field of eight older horses.