Black Mamba gives Sadler stakes No. 4

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Black Mamba completed a remarkable weekend for trainer John Sadler, winning Sunday's $150,000 Beverly Hills Handicap at Hollywood Park and giving the leading trainer at the meeting his fourth stakes win in two days.

Sadler won three stakes on Saturday. Black Mamba's win was his third graded stakes win of the weekend.

Black Mamba, the 6-5 favorite, rallied from seventh under jockey Garrett Gomez to win the Grade 2 Beverly Hills Handicap by 1 1/4 lengths over Solva. Green Lyons finished third in the field of 10 fillies and mares. Black Mamba ran 1 1/4 miles on turf in 2:01.25.

Gomez had Black Mamba about five lengths off the pace on the backstretch, chasing the early pace of 24.49 and 48.73 seconds set by Forest Melody, who wound up fourth.

"She's the kind of horse Garrett likes to ride," Sadler said. "She drops the bit, and she relaxes."

Owned by Double Down Stables, Black Mamba, 5, has won 3 of 19 starts and $359,171. Before the Beverly Hills, Black Mamba was second or third in seven consecutive stakes, six of which were graded.

"She's been right there and she deserves to win one of these," Sadler said. "It was her turn."

Captain Squire: xxxxxxxx

Leonides won his second sprint stakes of 2008 in the $77,925 Captain Squire Handicap for 3-year-olds. Ridden by Richard Migliore, Leonides ($4.60) finished a neck in front of White Spar, running 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:15.81.

The stewards conducted an inquiry into a bumping incident between Leonides and White Spar in the stretch, but ruled that it did not affect the outcome. Owned by a partnership and trained by Vladimir Cerin, Leonides has won $220,965.