Turfway Park Race Report (Cont.)

At two, Mr. Mellon, "ran a nice race at Keeneland (third in a maiden-special weight) and we were going to run him at Churchill and he came up with a little bit of a heart problem," Walden said. "We sent him to a clinic, and a valve wasn't working right, so we had to put him away for the fall."

Walden has another reason to keep a keen eye on this one. Mr. Mellon's dam, Mackie, was named for the trainer's mother. The equine Mackie's racing career helped ease the pain of a family's battle with cancer. Mackie Walden died in 1993. "I talked to Pat about it after the race," Walden said. "I feel Mom was looking down and smiling on us today."

Louisville Lineman
Wil Wolford knows something about All-Pro performances. The two-time All-Pro tackle for the Buffalo Bills witnessed another as his Colonial Glitter left her eight rivals for dead in the $150,000 Bourbonette Breeders' Cup Stakes for 3-year-old fillies. Battling for the lead with Madame X Ski, the two had five lengths on the field with a quarter-mile to run in the mile race. From there, Colonial Glitter poured it on, drawing away to win over Southey by 10 1/2 lengths in 1:37.06. Madame X Ski held for third. Though he played in three Super Bowls as a member of the Bills, Louisville native Wolford would like nothing better than to participate on the big stage in the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I), but tempered his enthusiasm.

"They went fast early, but slow late," he said. "A mile and an eighth may not be in her plan, but she went a mile and sixteenth pretty well in the Davona Dale (gr. II; second)."

Trainer Paul McGee is keeping his options open, looking also at one-turn races like the Stonerside Beaumont Stakes (gr. II) and La Troienne (gr. III) in the coming weeks. "She's a slight filly; she's not big and strapping," McGee said.

Colonial Glitter runs for 3rd Turn Stables, named by Wolford and four of his friends after where they used to meet at the Derby. Wolford, who has been in racing since 1990, earned his biggest winner's check ($93,000) in the Bourbonette. b

Spiral Notes
This year's edition of the Spiral was the 31st, but the first with sponsorship from Lane's End Farm. The 1999 renewal was sponsored by Galleryfurniture.com and the race was without a sponsor the last two years... Attendance on Spiral Day was reported at 19,076... Overbrook Farm's Storm Commander won the $60,000 Hansel Stakes for 3-year-olds. Sent off at 10-1, he "apparently was a better horse than I thought he was," said Overbrook owner W.T. Young. The Storm Cat colt got the six furlongs in 1:10.95... Queen Stakes winner Senorita Ziggy is trained by Louisville Sports Spectrum mutuel clerk Martin Rouck... First-timer Blow a Kiss blew away a maiden special-weight field of 3-year-old fillies by 9 1/4 lengths in 1:10.14. Paul McGee trains for Jan, Mace, and Samantha Siegel.