ESPN Search

Marlang shipped down from Canada and led the locals on a merry chase around Saratoga's Mellon Turf Course on Sunday, recording a 1 3/4-length, gate-to-wire score in the Grade 3, $111,100 Saranac Stakes for 3-year-olds.

Like everybody else up here, trainer James Bond hopes the rain has subsided for a while. Bond would like to run his 5-year-old mare Hostess against the boys in Saturday's Grade 1 Sword Dancer Invitational, but only if the Saratoga turf course is firm.

Jimmy Toner says he can remember shipping a few horses from his New York base to Pimlico for a couple of turf stakes, but the 67-year-old trainer doesn't recall ever running a horse on this historic track's dirt course.

Leaders in the 3-year-old division -- Street Sense, Curlin, Any Given Saturday and Hard Spun -- are all pointed to the Breeders' Cup Classic, but they are likely to take different roads to get there.

In his 17-year training career, Michael Tomlinson has never run a horse at Pimlico Race Course.

Chapel Royal ran away with the Sanford on Thursday, giving trainer Todd Pletcher his second 2-year-old stakes victory in two days of racing at Saratoga Race Course.

Forbidden Apple returns to his favorite course and preferred distance Saturday when he aims for an unprecedented three-peat in the Grade 2 Kelso Handicap at Belmont Park.