Racing News

Six-time Sovereign Award-winning trainer Mark Casse earned an elusive first victory in the $1 million Queen's Plate (VIDEO), Canada's most famous race, when his filly Lexie Lou came from off the pace to score by 1 1/2 lengths July 6 at Woodbine.

"I've been following the Queen's Plate since I was a little boy and so to finally win it, I just pinch myself," Casse said. "I thought we'd win it sooner or later. I knew I wasn't going to give up."

A confident Patrick Husbands guided the daughter of Sligo Bay   to victory from post 14 in a field of 15 Canadian-foaled 3-year-olds Sunday. She was the lone filly in the 155th renewal of the Queen's Plate and was sent off as the 3-1 second choice.  

Main Sequence came from well off the pace to win the 63rd running of the $535,000 United Nations Stakes (gr. IT) (VIDEO) July 6 at Monmouth Park,covering the 1 3/8 miles in 2:14.23 over a firm course.

The 5-year-old gelding, a Flaxman Holdings homebred by Aldebaran—Ikat, by Privotal, was making his U.S. debut. He had not run since finishing eighth in the QIPCO Champion Stakes (Eng-I) last October. The late rally got him up by a neck over second choice Twilight Eclipse in second. The pacesettingSide Glance was a length back in third.

Main Sequence became the fifth horse this year to earn an automatic berth into the Breeders’ Cup Turf (gr. I) through the Breeders’ Cup Challenge series.

Favored Something Extra proved a popular front-running winner of the $211,018 Highlander Stakes (Can-IIT) (VIDEO) July 6 on the Woodbine turf course, defeating 2013 champion Canadian sprinter Phil's Dream with Eurico Rosa Da Silva aboard.

The 8-5 choice in a field of 10 grass sprinters, Something Extra was timed in a speedy 1:07.78 for six furlongs over firm ground while holding off Phil's Dream by 1 1/4 lengths. LongshotsLockout and Awesome Eclipse followed in a tight photo for second.

A furlong less worked to the benefit of Something Extra after the 6-year-old Indian Charlie gelding was overhauled by Excaper by half a length in Woodbine's seven-furlong Connaught Cup (Can-IIT) May 31 over the course.

Trainer Chad Brown took Stars & Stripes Day by storm, saddling back-to-back winners in the Grade 2, $500,000 Suburban Handicap and the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Oaks with Zivo and Minorette, respectively.

Deliberation on whether or not to run Zivo, who is a homebred owned by Thomas Coleman, continued right up until Saturday morning.

“We entered him to take a look,” said Brown. “He was in good form. Obviously, we couldn’t be happier that we entered him. He ran a great race.”

Having passed his first stakes test of 2014 with flying colors, juvenile champion Shared Belief is ready for his next challenge against older horses in the $1 million TVG Pacific Classic (gr. I), trainer Jerry Hollendorfer indicated July 6.

"We certainly want to take a look at a race like that," the Hall of Fame trainer said in reference to the Pacific Classic the morning after Shared Belief rolled to a 4 1/4-length victory in the $500,000 Los Alamitos Derby (gr. II).

The undefeated gelding won for the first time on a dirt track in the Los Al race and also handled the 1 1/8-mile distance easily, separating himself from challenger Candy Boy in the stretch.

Construction may be going full-steam-ahead as the main track atKeeneland undergoes conversion from Polytrack to a dirt surface, but that hasn't stopped two-time Horse of the Year Wise Dan from progressing in his comeback from colic surgery.

On July 1 the 7-year-old son of Wiseman's Ferry   galloped two strong circuits of the Keeneland training track under regular exercise rider Damien Rock, prompting trainer Charlie LoPresti to indicate his first breeze back could be coming soon.

Freddy Head is planning another attack on the Breeders' Cup Mile this year as he looks to Anodin to continue his extraordinary record in the race.

The Frenchman was the first to ride and train a winner at the meeting, having partnered Miesque to lift the prize in 1987 and 1988 and saddle the great Goldikova to land a hat-trick of victories from 2008 to 2010.

Itsmyluckyday, the 6-5 favorite in the field of older runners, drew clear to win the $160,500 Salvator Mile Stakes (gr. III) (VIDEO) July 6 at Monmouth Park by 1 1/2 lengths.

The 4-year-old son of Lawyer Ron, racing for Trilogy Stable and Laurie Plesa, covered the mile on the main track in 1:34.88.

It was the third win in a row for Itsmyluckyday, trained by Laurie's husband, Eddie Plesa. After a fourth-place finish in the Gulfstream Park Handicap (gr. II) to start the campaign, Itsmyluckyday won the Best of the Rest Stakes April 26 at Gulfstream Park, then captured the Majestic Light Stakes May 24 at Monmouth. The Salvator Mile is his first graded win since taking last year's Holy Bull Stakes (gr. III) while on the Triple Crown trail.

Trainer Malcolm Pierce accounted for the exacta in the $197,502 Dance Smartly Stakes (Can-II) (VIDEO) whenOverheard nipped favored Deceptive Vision in a terrific finish July 6 on theWoodbine turf.

The Dance Smartly, at 1 1/8 miles around one turn for fillies and mares, was the first of three graded stakes on the Queen's Plate undercard at Woodbine Sunday.

Eurico Rosa Da Silva guided Pin Oak Stable's homebred Overheard to a nose victory from off the pace on the far outside. The 4-year-old daughter of Macho Uno  , the 5-2 second choice in the field of eight, was timed in 1:44.25 over firm turf.

Belmont Stakes (gr. I) winner Tonalistcontinued his preparations for the $600,000 Jim Dandy Stakes (gr. II) by breezing five furlongs in company with stablemate Life in Shambles July 6 atBelmont Park.

NYRA clockers caught Tonalist, who is owned by Robert Evans, traveling the distance in 1:02.15, with Life in Shambles timed in 1:01.62. It was the second work for Tonalist since the Belmont Stakes as the 3-year-old son of Tapit   zeroes in on the July 26 Jim Dandy at 1 1/8 miles at Saratoga Race Course.

"They both worked well," said trainer Christophe Clement. "Life in Shambles goes to the Curlin (July 25) and Tonalist, touch wood, goes to the Jim Dandy. It was just a maintenance five-eighths, but he did it the right way; :25 3/5 (for the first quarter-mile), and they finished well. The fastest eighth of a mile was the last eighth of a mile, which I love."

Kim Hammond was reflecting on nearly 34 years of training horses one day last month when the all-time winningest female trainer in American racing wondered if she should have been a nurse instead.

“(My father, Everett, a long-time trainer) gave me a choice when I graduated from high school to go with the horses or go to college,” Hammond said while awaiting a race inside the Indiana Grand paddock. “I went with the horses because I was young and I didn’t know any better. I should have went to college.”

Seriously? Even after more than 2,000 wins and a stakes victory at Indiana Grand at the end of June?

Saturday night at Mohegan Sun Pocono Downs was an exciting night with the running of the Sun Stakes, the Downs version of Meadowlands Pace night.  The action was hot with three world records set, highlighted by Sebastian K's 1:49 trotting mile.

And there lies the problem.  When a track has three world/track records set on one race card, one has to wonder if these records are meaningless.  It used to be records were something special, something which  happened rarely, thus truly significant.  Even with harness racing's breeding emphasis transitioned to speed over stamina, record breaking should be an infrequent occurrence.  Five track records in one night surely indicates a track which has been ginned up to produce records. 

It used to be a foregone conclusion on 'important' days such as the Hambletonian tracks would be made lightning fast, something done partially to appease stallion owners looking to put a fast mark on their breeding prospects but it has gotten to the point where almost every day you see stories of a horse which has set a track and/or world record.  Sometimes they are high class horses, other days they are horses of a more pedestrian class.