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UPI horse racing weekend preview

By Robert Kieckhefer, UPI Racing Writer
Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner California Chrome in preparations for Saturday's Pennsylvania Derby.
Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner California Chrome in preparations for Saturday's Pennsylvania Derby.

The return of Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome, Kentucky Oaks winner Untapable and several graded events for the speedballs highlight the weekend racing schedule.

After last weekend's exertions in France, England and Ireland, there is relative calm on the cross-Atlantic front. Down Under, the Underwood Stakes at Caulfield has some top-drawer runners pointing to the Cox Plate and the Melbourne Cup.

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Let's get right down to it:

Classic

The battle for 3-year-old honors and, possibly, for Horse of the Year as well, shapes up Saturday at Parx Racing and next weekend at Santa Anita.

California Chrome, the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner, has not raced since his Triple Crown bid was stymied in a fourth-place finish in the Belmont Stakes. He came out of that race somewhat the worse for wear and old-school trainer Art Sherman has given him plenty of R & R. He'll see if that plan pays off when the modestly bred colt takes on seven rivals in Saturday's $1 million, Grade II Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing. The opposition is good enough to test California Chrome at less than his best. Tapiture comes to the race off two straight wins and another of Saturday's rivals, Candy Boy, was second in the latter of those, the Grade II West Virginia Derby. Bayern had two straight dominating wins in graded stakes before a mysterious flop as the favorite in the Grade I Travers last month. On paper, the race looks like a pace battle involving Bayern and C J's Awesome, who is stepping up in class after a sparkling in a Saratoga allowance over Saturday's 1 1/8-miles distance. California Chrome, if he's sharp, should be close and if the race collapses in the stretch, it's anyone's to win. Noting his colt starts from the inside post position, Sherman said Thursday, "There's a couple of speed horses in the race and we hope to maybe be sitting third. We want to make sure we get off the rail and don't get trapped."

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Meanwhile, Shared Belief, who was named last year's champion 2-year-old but missed the Triple Crown races with an injury, has been making hay in the absence of California Chrome. Shared Belief worked 6 furlongs on Tuesday at Golden Gate Fields in preparation for the Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita on Sept. 27. Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said all went well for the colt, who beat older horses in his last start in the Grade I Pacific Classic.

With Palace Malice and Mucho Macho Man retired and most of the other older horses struggling, the Nov. 1 Breeders' Cup Classic could be ripe for plucking by a good 3-year-old -- unless one of the Europeans decides to try the Santa Anita dirt. After all, with Meydan switching back from Tapeta to real dirt, the Breeders' Cup Classic would be a nice prep for the Dubai World Cup next March.

Coltimus Prime, winner of the Prince of Wales Stakes on the Fort Erie dirt track in July, returns in Sunday's $250,000 (Canadian), Grade III Ontario Derby at Woodbine, going 9 furlongs on the all-weather course. In his last appearance at Woodbine, the Milwaukee Brew colt finished ninth in the Queen's Plate. The opposition includes Ami's Holiday, who was victorious last time out in the Breeders' Stakes, going 1 1/2 miles on the Woodbine grass. Trainer H. James Bond brings Lunar Rover, who broke his maiden on the fourth try last time out at Saratoga in an off-the-turf allowance race.

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Distaff

While California Chrome got a summer vacation, Kentucky Oaks winner Untapable did not. She went on from that Churchill Downs victory to take the Grade I Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont Park in June, then ambitiously took on the boys in the Grade I Haskell at Monmouth Park in July, finishing a well-beaten fifth. She returns in Saturday's Grade I Cotillion for 3-year-old fillies at Parx and also faces some tough ones. Stopchargingmaria has been charging forward all summer, with wins in the Grade II Black-Eyed Susan at Pimlico, the Grade I Coaching Club American Oaks at Belmont and the Grade I Alabama at the Spa. Also coming off graded stakes wins are Jojo Warrior, Sweet Reason and Cassat. Several of the others have just missed in recent graded stakes efforts.

Filly & Mare Sprint

Size, whose nice early career careened off the rails in the Grade I Alabama, returns to action on Saturday evening in the $500,000, Grade III Charles Town Oaks in the West Virginia Hills. The Bill Mott-trained First Samurai filly won her first two starts, finished second in the Jersey Girl at Belmont and then won the Grade III Iowa Oaks at Prairie Meadows on a stormy weekend in late June. In the Alabama, she led early but then abruptly quit, finishing last of nine. She has been working well. The competition is worthy, especially Miss Behaviour, who has finished second in three straight graded stakes on the New York circuit. Others include Miss Woodford Stakes winner Stormy Novel; Grade III Ontario Colleen runner-up Executive Allure, who tries the dirt for the first time; Grade III Monmouth Oaks 2-3 finishers Saintly Joan and Aqua Regia; and Kiss to Remember, who has been knocking on the door for trainer Tom Amoss. Don't ignore the two also-eligibles if either draws in. The race is 7 furlongs.

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Fiftyshadesofgold, a close fourth in the Grade I Test Stakes at Saratoga in her last outing, returns for Saturday's $100,000, Grade III Dogwood Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Churchill Downs. The race is the same 7 furlongs as the Test but Fiftyshadesofgold won't be facing Sweet Reason or Miss Behaviour, who ran by her late to finish 1-2 in the Test. The My Golden Song filly is undefeated in two starts under the Twin Spires, including the Grade III Eight Belles Stakes on Derby weekend. "Her last race at Saratoga I thought was a great effort for her," said trainer Bret Calhoun. "Unfortunately, we drew the inside post and she took all the pressure early and was beaten a length." On Saturday, she will face nine rivals, including Milam, who has been placed in several graded stakes, and Thank You Marylou, who adds blinkers and eventually may live up to the name given her by Ken and Sarah Ramsey. Ironically, another of the rivals, Bird Maker, is owned by Marylou Whitney.

Artemis Agrotera suddenly has blossomed into something of a monster this summer in New York, dominating first a good allowance field and then, a month ago, the Grade I Ballerina at Saratoga. That's plenty of evidence to make her the odds-on favorite for Saturday's $300,000, Grade II Gallant Bloom for fillies and mares at Belmont Park, going 6 1/2 furlongs. Before finishing fifth in last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Filles, the daughter of Roman Ruler won the Grade I Frizette over the Belmont strip, defeating Sweet Reason and Stopchargingmaria. She has five rivals for the Gallant Bloom, including Merry Meadow and Willet, who have credentials.

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Sprint

Fast Anna, a late-blooming, 3-year-old colt by Medaglia d'Oro, is the morning-line favorite for Saturday's $300,000, Grade III Gallant Bob at Parx Racing. Seven are set to tackle 6 furlongs. Fast Anna won his first two races, the second by 13 lengths, at Gulfstream Park earlier this year. He then was nipped at the wire by The Big Beast after showing the way in the Grade I King's Bishop at Saratoga. Prudhoe Bay and Favorite Tale, the 1-2 finishers in the Grade III Jersey Shore, also are in this fray. Pure Sensation is pure speed but has had trouble holding on.

Turf

Saturday's $150,000, Grade III Kent Stakes at Delaware Park drew seven 3-year-olds to tackle 9 furlongs on the grass. The narrow morning-line favorite is Divine Oath, who won the Grade III American Derby at Arlington Park this summer but then struggled home sixth in the Grade I Secretariat Stakes. Cabo Cat returns after being a well-beaten third in the Grade III Saranac at Saratoga and Bashart comes off a fourth-place finish in that heat. Several in here have been competitive in limited exposure in the allowance ranks.

Australia

The Offer, among the fancied for the Melbourne Cup, and Star Rolling, a candidate for the Cox Plate, are among 10 in for Saturday's 1,800-meters Underwood Stakes, a Group 1, weight-for-age event at Caulfield. New Zealand mare Silent Achiever gets the only allowance in the tough field.

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News and notes:

Another track with a storied history is about to bite the dust. Suffolk Downs' joint venture with Mohegan Sun this week lost its bid for a casino license and COO Chip Tuttle said on Wednesday live racing will end Sept. 29, with simulcasting terminating sometime in December. The Massachussets Gaming Commission, which voted to award the license to Wynn Resorts, said in a statement Thursday it is "saddened by the impact discontinuance of live thoroughbred racing at Suffolk Downs will have on the lives of the dedicated men and women who have played a role in racing at the track for many, many years. The Commission and its Racing Division are fully committed to an extensive and sustained exploration of every available option that may preserve the long tradition of thoroughbred racing in the Commonwealth." Replied Tuttle, "This feels like empty posturing."

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