Sun, 07/21/2013 - 17:43

Saratoga: Strong Impact saves ground to win Fiddlers Patriot

Barbara D. Livingston
Strong Impact (right), under Alex Solis, won the Fiddlers Afleet Stakes by three-quarters of a length Sunday.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Bruce Brown thought he had an up-and-coming turf-sprint stakes horse in the 4-year-old Spring to the Sky. But in Sunday’s $100,000 Fiddlers Patriot Stakes at Saratoga, it was the hard-knocking 7-year-old Strong Impact who got the job done for Brown.

Getting a ground-saving trip from Alex Solis, Strong Impact rallied powerfully in the stretch and ran down the pacesetting Tightend Touchdown to win by three-quarters of a length. Tightend Touchdown held second by a half-length over Varsity.

Sun, 07/21/2013 - 17:01

Canterbury Park: B J's Angel, Bet Your Life win MTA stakes

Coady Photography
B J's Angel, with Dean Butler aboard, won the MTA Lassie Stakes by 4 3/4 lengths Sunday.

SHAKOPEE, Minn. – The Minnesota Thoroughbred Association held its Stallion Auction Stakes on Sunday at Canterbury Park. The two races, run at 6 1/2 furlongs and carrying purses of $35,000 each, were run over a sloppy surface after morning storms saturated the racetrack.

Sun, 07/21/2013 - 16:50

Woodbine: So Long George scores first stakes win in Nijinsky

Michael Burns
So Long George and jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson won the Grade 2 Nijinsky Stakes by three-quarters of a length Sunday.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – So Long George ($23.60) notched his first stakes win after an ideal inside trip under Emma-Jayne Wilson in the $216,000 Nijinsky at Woodbine on Sunday.

So Long George stalked in fourth on the backstretch and through the turn in the Grade 2 fixture. Artic Fern and Grand Arch linked up on the lead through moderate fractions over the firm ground before Grand Arch assumed command in the stretch.

So Long George came through an opening along the rail near the top of the lane and went on to prevail by three-quarters of a length over 22-1 shot Hampstead Heath.

Sun, 07/21/2013 - 14:28

Woodbine: Leigh Court gets first stakes win in Duchess

Michael Burns
Leigh Court, with Gary Boulanger aboard, won Sunday's Duchess Stakes by 5 1/2 lengths.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Leigh Court, coming off a second-place finish in the 6 1/2-furlong prep for the Duchess Stakes, became a stakes winner in the main event here Sunday.

Under a heads-up ride by Gary Boulanger, Leigh Court assumed command on the far turn and cut out moderate fractions en route to a 5 1/2-length victory in the $125,750 Duchess, an open, seven-furlong race for 3-year-old fillies.

Sun, 07/21/2013 - 13:58

Saratoga: Palace Malice works for Jim Dandy

Barbara D. Livingston
Belmont Stakes winner Palace Malice worked a half-mile in 49.69 seconds Sunday at Saratoga for Saturday's Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes.

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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Belmont Stakes winner Palace Malice completed his serious preparation for Saturday’s Grade 2, $600,000 Jim Dandy Stakes by working a half-mile in 49.69 seconds Sunday over Saratoga’s main track.

Sun, 07/21/2013 - 13:41

Saratoga: Royal Delta points to Personal Ensign after big effort

HoofprintsInc.com
Royal Delta, with Mike Smith aboard, cruises to a 10 3/4-length victory, taking the Delaware Handicap for the second time.

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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Bill Mott was understandably in a jovial mood Sunday morning, roughly 16 hours after Royal Delta dominated Saturday’s Grade 1 Delaware Handicap by 10 3/4 lengths.

The win ended a two-race losing streak for the dual champion mare and was reminiscent of the brilliance she had displayed previously in her career.

Sun, 07/21/2013 - 13:24

Belmont Park: Total handle rises, on-track handle dips at spring-summer meet

Total handle was up slightly from last year, although on-track handle was down significantly, at the recently concluded Belmont Park spring-summer meet, according to figures released Sunday by the New York Racing Association.

Total handle on Belmont’s races was $573 million, up 1.2 percent from $566 million in 2012. On-track handle was $78 million, down 10.4 percent from $88 million wagered in 2012.

Sun, 07/21/2013 - 12:19

Evangeline Downs: Miss Addison gets first stakes win in Matron

OPELOUSAS, La. – Miss Addison picked up her first stakes win in Saturday night’s $50,000 Matron at Evangeline Downs. Pacesetter and favorite Little Polka Dot finished 1 1/2 lengths back in second, followed by Burning Creole.

Sun, 07/21/2013 - 11:59

Woodbine: Dynamic Sky, Jagger M breeze for Prince of Wales Stakes

Tom Keyser
Dynamic Sky (above) and Uncaptured give Mark Casse two Kentucky Derby hopefuls.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Uncaptured, Canada’s champion 2-year-old male and horse of the year for 2012, is scheduled to van up from Churchill Downs on Wednesday and will continue his preparations here for Fort Erie’s Prince of Wales Stakes.

The $500,000 Prince of Wales, the 1 3/16-mile dirt race that is the second leg of the Triple Crown for Canadian-bred 3-year-olds, will be run July 30.

Sun, 07/21/2013 - 09:58

Prairie Meadows: Smack Smack rallies to win Prairie Gold Juvenile

ALTOONA, Iowa – Smack Smack exhibited a potent turn of foot to mow down five rivals and pull away late for a three-length tally in Saturday's $75,000 Prairie Gold Juvenile.

Dawdling a bit through an opening quarter-mile after which he was eight lengths behind the pacesetting Bad Boy Peter, jockey Jake Barton gave Smack Smack a few taps of the whip, and the Don Von Hemel-trained Closing Argument gelding responded.