Horse Racing News on January 30, 2010

Bold Chieftain refuses to leave the racetrack.

Brian Troop, 61, of Barrie, Ontario, won the $500,000 first-place prize and title of Handicapper of the Year at the 11th annual Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship Saturday night.

Oaklawn Park has canceled its Saturday and Sunday cards, making for three straight days of lost racing at the hands of a winter storm that has hit Hot Springs, Ark.

Champs Elysees was the horse of the year and Eugene Melnyk was the man of the hour as Canada's outstanding performers of 2009 were feted at the Sovereign Awards ceremony on Friday evening.

Cannonball failed to fire at Flemington on Saturday as the first American-trained horse to run in Australia finished ninth of 11 in the Group 1, $450,000 Lightning Stakes, a five-furlong sprint that was taken by the Royal Ascot-bound Nicconi.

Trainer David Fawkes had been considering several spots for Duke of Mischief's next start, but there was little doubt where the Grade 3 winner was headed after he drilled five furlongs in 58.46 seconds and galloped out.