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) Skeezitz: little ears, Big winner
It's a good bet nobody will make fun of Skeezitz's funny little ears anymore.The 3-year-old Arabian, whose ears stick straight out instead of up, broke her maiden with a champion's finish in Friday's second race at The Big Fresno Fair.Skeezitz, with Jorge Hererra up, came from way back, took the inside path and caught RJ Fadtiki at the wire in a photo finish.Skeezitiz, a 24-1 long shot, paid $53.20, $23.80 and $9.40 to bring a roar from the large pre-weekend crowd. With Fadtiki at 3-1 odds and show horse Midnites Grey at 8-1, the three teamed for the day's biggest jackpot: a $3,995.40 trifecta and a $12,286.50 superfecta for the 5-furlong race.Starters Allowance SeriesWe Will Prevail won the mile fourth race and with it the California Authority of Racing Fairs summer-long series that began in Stockton in June and concluded in Fresno.We Will Prevail started the day five points behind Sylvan Hill, which finished fourth. More>> - (
) MASTERPIECES ON HOOVES
Receptions will be held tonight for two area art exhibits that display the beauty of thoroughbred racehorses, and at the same time, raise money for nonprofit groups that aid these horses when they can no longer race.Both exhibits are part of area activities previewing Breeders' Cup races Oct. 26 and 27 at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport.
From 7 to 8 p.m., prize-winning photographer Jon Kral of North Carolina will greet guests at Monmouth University's Gallery at Pollak Theatre in West Long Branch. The reception opens "Breeders' Cup FanFest: The Magnificent Thoroughbred," an exhibit of 40 original photographs of the horses. The exhibit runs through Nov. 9.
From 7 to 9 p.m., a reception marks "The Breeders' Cup: An Art Exhibition in Celebration of Thoroughbred Racing" at Frederick Galleries in Allenhurst. More>>
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) Motorsport: Prancing horse power to lift young guns, says Giltrap
New Zealand A1GP team owner Colin Giltrap says the World Cup of Motorsport will go from strength to strength now that Ferrari has signed on.Ferrari has signed a six-year agreement to manufacture and supply all A1GP engines and will design and consult on the manufacture of all car chassis for use in 2008-09 and beyond.
Giltrap agrees with A1GP chairman Tony Teixeira's belief that partnering with Ferrari will officially position A1GP as one of the most significant series in the world. "This is momentous," he said. "It's a phenomenal deal with one of history's most exalted brands. There is simply no better organisation for A1GP to partner with and the potential for growth is huge."
Ferrari will also be integral to the development of A2GP, a regional single-seat racing car series developed by A1GP to begin testing in 2009. More>>
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) MASTER SET FOR TROPHY TEST
Sylvester Kirk is hoping to finish 2007 with a flourish by saddling the progressive Art Master in the Group One �200,000 Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster on October 27.The son of Peintre Celebre failed to get competitive on quicker ground behind McCartney in a Listed contest at Salisbury, but got back to winning ways at Kempton with a decisive victory in a mile conditions event.
Lambourn handler Kirk said: "The plan is to take Art Master to Doncaster for the Racing Post Trophy and hopefully we will get soft ground up there. His level of form may not be quite good enough for the race, but we're hoping with suitable conditions it will be a big help.
"He did it very well at Kempton. They went a strong pace and he picked up well to score by a couple of lengths, going away at the end. More>>
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) Bettor’s scheme makes big bucks, and it’s legal
A bettor seems to have devised a clever scheme to beat the races at Prairie Meadows.
And it appears to be legal, with the only victims being off-shore betting sites that act as bookmakers.
The first two days of the harness meet had three races in which someone bet $1,000 to place or show on horses that figured to lose.
The apparent goal was to inflate the payoffs of the top finishers so the bettor could clean up with off-shore bookmaking sites. Those sites pay track odds, but the wagering is not commingled with track betting.
"The only logical spin I can put on this is that whoever is doing this must have additional accounts with off-shore sites," said Mark Loewe, Prairie Meadows' director of mutuels. "So, they're laying $1,000 off here, and betting $2,000 or $3,000 somewhere else."
Why Prairie Meadows? Because the harness betting pools are so small that a $1,000 wager can dramatically shift the odds. More>>