LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Little doubt that Dale Romans has “bounced” after his Eclipse Award-winning 2012 season, but an incredible finish to the Iroquois Stakes on Saturday night made up for a lot of 2013 disappointment.

A wild winner’s circle celebration was kicked off when a pair of Romans longshots, Cleburne and Smart Cover, finished 1-2 for Donegal Racing in the Grade 3, $171,750 Iroquois, one of four stakes on a Downs After Dark card at Churchill Downs.

Cleburne, a 34-1 shot, finished a neck ahead of his stablemate Smart Cover, a 26-1 shot in a field of 10 2-year-olds.

Untapable ($13.60) outgamed favored Stonetastic in a torrid stretch run to remain unbeaten in two starts in the Grade 2, $168,150 Pocahontas Stakes, the filly counterpart to the Iroquois. With Rosie Napravnik fresh off the Kentucky Downs charter, Untapable overcame some early trouble when prevailing by a half-length at Churchill Downs. She finished the distance in 1:44.38.

POMONA, Calif. – Edwin Maldonado rode two winners Saturday at the Los Angeles County Fair, including comebacker Majestic Stride in the race-10 feature, but the 2012 meet’s leading rider is chasing a moving target.

Martin Pedroza, the all-time leading Barretts at Fairplex jockey, rode three winners for the second straight day to take a 6-2 lead after two days. Pedroza led the standings 13 consecutive seasons until Maldonado’s 2012 title.

FRANKLIN, Ky. – Winless in eight races since capturing the Grade 2 New York Stakes last summer, Mystical Star emphatically returned to the winner’s circle by taking Saturday’s $150,000 Kentucky Downs Ladies Marathon in course-record time by a neck over Preferential.

The winner, a 5-year-old daughter of Ghostzapper, raced 1 5/16 miles on a firm turf course that played quickly in 2:11.30. Owned by Cheyenne Stables and trained by Christophe Clement, she paid $9.60.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Richie Scherer doesn’t have anything like a barn full of stakes horses right now, but Scherer, a 50-year-old second-generation trainer, knows what one looks like. She’s Offlee Good came out of a spring 2-year-old in training sale and into Scherer’s barn, and he gave her the standard 30 days of backing down before going forward. Then, morning work began, and Scherer started seeing something.

“I was working her against two other horses, and she was really beating up on them. I wasn’t sure if she was that good or they were that bad,” Scherer said.

FRANKLIN, Ky. – Dancing to Town, seventh in the Windward Stakes last out at Presque Isle Downs on the Tapeta synthetic surface June 30, reversed her form with a switch back to grass in Saturday’s $150,000 Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf.

As is her custom, Dancing to Town showed immediate speed, and without any significant early pressure to challenge her, she withstood a rally from Lily the Pink to win by a length.

Nashindy finished third, 2 3/4 lengths farther back, with Dame Marie fourth.

BOSSIER CITY, La. - Departing won the third derby of his career on Saturday at Louisiana Downs, when he cruised to a four-length win over Ruler of Love in the Grade 2, $500,000 Super Derby. He won the 1 1/8-mile race in hand, one start after taking the Grade 2 West Virginia Derby, and three starts removed from his win in the Grade 3 Illinois Derby.

The Super Derby was the richest race on a card of six stakes worth a cumulative $950,000.

BOSSIER CITY, La. – Jockey Chris Landeros got his 1,000th career victory when Major Marvel dug down deep to hold off String King by a neck in the $100,000 Unbridled Stakes at Louisiana Downs on Saturday. It was the fifth straight win for Major Marvel, who is owned by Ken and Sarah Ramsey and trained by Mike Maker.

Landeros rode his first career winner Jan. 18, 2006, at Turf Paradise. He shipped into Louisiana Downs from Remington Park to ride Major Marvel and was thrilled that the milestone win came in the Unbridled.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Solitary Ranger went for farm rest and recuperation this spring still a maiden, but when trainer Wayne Catalano began readying the colt for a second-half campaign, Catalano pointed for the Arlington-Washington Futurity rather than a race for nonwinners. And why not: Catalano won the 2010 Futurity with the maiden Major Gain, and he won it again Saturday when Solitary Ranger beat off a moderate challenge from Whyruawesome to win the Grade 3, $150,000 Futurity by 5 1/2 lengths.

FRANKLIN, Ky. – Longtime Southern California rider David Flores shifted his tack to Kentucky this fall, in large part because of the lucrative purses at Kentucky Downs.

On Saturday, opening day at Kentucky Downs, it immediately paid off, with the veteran jockey winning two of the first seven races at the all-turf track, including the $130,937 Kentucky Downs Ladies Sprint on To My Valentine.

To My Valentine, a 3-year-old filly by Dyhim Diamond who raced in France as a juvenile last year, used her speed to prove victorious in the Ladies Sprint.