Gierkink's preview: Sunday turf racing in jeopardy
The last two scheduled turf events at the meet are Sunday, but the races were taken off the soggy course Saturday, which could be the case again.
Ron GierkinkNov 01, 2014
The last two scheduled turf events at the meet are Sunday, but the races were taken off the soggy course Saturday, which could be the case again.
There were no winners of the pick six at Santa Anita on Saturday’s big day of Breeders’ Cup races, leading to a carryover of approximately $1.3 million for Sunday’s 10-race program.
Work All Week remained perfect on dirt and laid claim to the title of fastest horse in the world after holding off defending champion Secret Circle to register a half-length victory in the $1.5 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint on Saturday at Santa Anita.
Returning to the scene to some of her best races, Molly Morgan recaptured her best form Saturday in winning the Grade 2, $237,510 Chilukki Stakes at Churchill Downs.
When Main Sequence turned for home in Saturday’s $2,760,000 Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita, jockey John Velazquez had a clear path, but a formidable group of European-based runners to catch.
Merry Meadow was prominent throughout for a 1 3/4-length win Saturday in the $90,000 Sky Beauty at Gulfstream Park West. The race was one of two stakes featuring fillies and mares. In the $90,000 Sparkler, Fascinate was a 3 1/2-length winner over Jewel of a Cat.
For a year, Bobby’s Kitten has been a source of lingering frustration for trainer Chad Brown, the memories of a third-place finish in the 2013 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita proving difficult to forget.
Protonico made winning the Grade 3 Discovery Handicap look easy at Aqueduct on Saturday.
With a devastating turn of foot, Texas Red turned Saturday’s $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile into a family affair and created more havoc in the 2-year-old division.
Judy the Beauty held off longshot Better Lucky to continue a huge weekend for trainer Wesley Ward when posting a narrow victory Saturday in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Santa Anita.