Horse Racing News on September 13, 2012

With five of its nine entrants bred outside the United States, including slight favorites Julie's Love and Dealbata, the $150,000 Noble Damsel Stakes Sept. 15 at Belmont Park will have a strong European flavor.

A full field of 12 grass-favoring sophomore fillies, topped by Virginia Oaks winner Volcat and Italian transplant Angegreen, will line up Sept. 15 for the $175,000 Pucker Up Stakes going 1 1/8 miles on the turf at Arlington Park.

Rahystrada will return to Kentucky Downs in good form Saturday, dead-heating for third in the Grade 1 Arlington Million most recently, and figures to be a strong favorite as he goes for a second straight victory in the Grade 3, $200,000 Kentucky Turf Cup.

Champion Big Brown could be represented by the second stakes winner of his first juvenile crop when Archer Hill gets the job done over seven other 2-year-olds in the $250,000 Summer Stakes at Woodbine Sept. 15.

The starting gate for the $250,000 Natalma Stakes (Can-IIT) on the Woodbine lawn Sept. 15 will be packed with promising 2-year-old fillies, 14 in all, with an automatic Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf berth at stake.

The Irish classic winner will have an opportunity to make amends when she faces six other three-year-old fillies in Saturday's Grade 1, $300,000 Garden City over nine furlongs on the inner turf at Belmont Park.

Morton Fink's homebred Fourstardave Handicap winner Wise Dan drew post 3 and was assigned morning-line odds of 6-5 as the favorite in a nine-horse field entered Sept. 13 for the $1 million Ricoh Woodbine Mile Sept. 16 at Woodbine Racetrack.

The one-year suspension of John Veitch, Kentucky's former chief racing steward, in connection with the Life At Ten case was upheld by a judge Sept. 12.

Haskell Invitational winner Paynter, who was diagnosed with laminitis Sept. 4, continues to make significant strides toward recovery and could even make a return to racing, according to the Zayat family.