On Sunday, July 26th, come on by Borders Bookstore between 1 and 3 p.m.  in Santa Rosa for a question and answer time with myself, horse race analyst Dewey Forget and – if he’s not running anything that day at Vallejo - Santa Rosa trainer Steve Specht.

        Dewey and I will share our thoughts on handicaping, and we all will be happy to answer any questions you might have about horse racing. The Sonoma County Fair meet begins that Wednesday so come on by. I’m looking forward to seeing you.

INDIAN BLESSING SCRATCHED FROM PRINCESS ROONEY

     Mike Welsch of the Daily Racing Form reports that reigning Eclipse Award winner Indian Blessing did not make the trip from California for the $350,000 Princess Rooney Handicap and will be scratched from the Grade 1 race, which highlights Saturday’s Summit of Speed program at Calder.

      Trainer Bob Baffert said Indian Blessing couldn’t have been doing better but withheld his star from the Princess Rooney to avoid a potential issue with the postrace testing in the event that she won the race.

    “After her last race she had a hind leg infection which we treated with antibiotics,” Baffert said. “When that didn’t work we gave her penicillin for a few days. Penicillin has procaine in it, so we tested her Monday and again Wednesday and my vet felt, after talking to the state lab in Florida, that she could be too close to the threshold levels allowed in Florida to take a chance.”

      Indian Blessing would have been favored against eight other fillies and mares to win the Princess Rooney, the only Grade 1 race on the Calder stakes schedule. The 4-year-old daughter of Indian Charlie is coming off the worst performance of her career, a fourth-place finish as the 1-2 favorite in Hollywood Park’s Desert Stormer on June 14. Indian Blessing finished second behind Big City Man, who died last weekend of a stomach ailment, in the Dubai Golden Shaheen in her only other start this season.

LOCAL WATCH:

     In the fourth race at the Pleasanton Fair, Santa Rosa trainer Steve Specht will saddle County Kildare in a $6,250 claiming race going six furlongs for owner Danny O’Neill. Frank Alvarado will be in the irons.

     In the fifth race, Specht sends out Ms. Lively for owners Jim Hanna and David and Teresa Palmer. Ms. Lively will battle six rivals in the 1 1/16-mile test with Alvarado aboard.

     In the sixth race, Specht sends out another trainee for owners Praz Racing Stables or Mike Dye. Guided Wave will take on six others in this Maiden Special Weight, mile and 70-yard test with Alvarado aboard.

     In the 10th race, local owner Dino Bonji sends out Drewismyson in a $3,200 claimer going a mile and 70 yards on the dirt. Tim Bellasis is the trainer and J Herrera is the jockey.

LOCAL WATCH UPDATE:

     In the fourth race at Pleasanton, Santa Rosa trainer Steve Specht’s County Kildare won the $6,250 claiming race going six furlongs for owner Danny O’Neill. Frank Alvarado was the ride. County Kildare returned $4., $2.80. $2.20

     In the fifth race, Specht’s Ms. Lively finished second and returned $5.80 and $4  for owners Jim Hanna and David and Teresa Palmer.

      In the sixth race, Specht’s Guided Wave finished first and returned $8, $4 and $3.60 for owners Praz Racing Stables or Mike Dye.

      In the 10th race, local owner Dino Bonji’s Drewismyson finished third ($3.80) in a $3,200 claimer going a mile and 70 yards on the dirt.