ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Sunday will be a day to remember for apprentice rider Skye Chernetz, who celebrated her first career stakes win after guiding On Rainbow Bridge to victory in the $150,800 Shady Well.
“It feels good to get the first one,” said Chernetz, who scored a second win on the card for owner Kurt Cobza and trainer Dave Cotey with Miss Giacomo in Sunday’s finale. “It was one of my goals for the year.”
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The 49-day spring-summer meeting at Betfair Hollywood Park ended Sunday with a slight gain in all-sources handle but a drop in ontrack attendance and handle, according to track president Jack Liebau.
The spring-summer meeting was the last of its kind. The track will run an autumn meeting in November and December and is scheduled to be closed and demolished in 2014 for development.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Two-time Canadian champion sprinter Essence Hit Man will try to rebound from his surprising loss in last month’s Grade 3 Vigil Stakes on Wednesday night at Woodbine, where he’ll aim to win the Grade 3 Bold Venture Stakes for the second year in a row.
The $150,000 Bold Venture, a 6 1/2-furlong dash, lured five other fine sprinters, including the track record holder for the distance, Consolidator Joe.
Embankment could be sitting on a big effort in her third start this year and is one of many possibilities in a $12,500 claiming race for fillies and mares that serves as the featured race at Northlands Park on Wednesday.
The 6 1/2-furlong sprint drew seven horses and goes as race 7 on the eight-race card that begins at 6 p.m. Mountain.
Stormin Monarcho, who shipped in to score a convincing win in the six-furlong Golden Boy Stakes at Assiniboia Downs on June 5, will be favored when he returns for the 1 1/16-mile Harry Jeffrey Stakes on Wednesday evening.
The $30,000 Harry Jeffrey for 3-year-olds is the major local prep for the Aug. 5 Manitoba Derby, a 1 1/8-mile race that is the highlight of the meeting at the Winnipeg oval.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Strait of Dover, the winner of last year’s Queen’s Plate and a Sovereign Award as Canada’s champion 3-year-old male of 2012, was euthanized Sunday evening at the nearby Milton Equine Hospital after having colic surgery last week.
Strait of Dover, bred in British Columbia by the Canyon Farm of Wally and Terri Leong, had made his first two career starts at Hastings but then was sent here to trainer Danny Vella.
Tim Yakteen usually holds something back. Listen to him talk of his horses, and he often will be full of praise, with comments often tempered.
The 3-year-old Freakin Rocket may force Yakteen to change.
Unbeaten in two starts at Betfair Hollywood Park in May and June, Freakin Rocket makes his stakes and turf debut in the first division of Wednesday’s $100,000 Oceanside Stakes on Del Mar’s opening day. The colt’s career is only 60 days old, but he may be the best horse Yakteen has trained in his nine-year career, even if the trainer was reluctant to say so Sunday.
Lenape Rim needed all of the Presque Isle Downs stretch to overtake Lotta Lovin for a neck win in the $75,000 Northern Fling Stakes on Sunday evening at Presque Isle Downs.
Trained by Mike Salvaggio Jr., Lenape Rim was third early in the field of six older Pennsylvania-bred fillies and mares. Jockey Bill Otero split horses in late stretch to rally for the win. Lotta Lovin led late and held second, a head in front of Sixth and Arch in third.
The running time for the one mile over the Tapeta synthetic surface was 1.37.18, and Lenape Rim returned $17.40 to win.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Take that, gentlemen.
The 5-year-old mare Marketing Mix beat a field of males for her second consecutive stakes win in the $100,250 Sunset Handicap on Sunday, the closing day of the spring-summer meeting at Betfair Hollywood Park.
Making her first start over 1 1/2 miles on turf, Marketing Mix ($3.40) had an ideal trip to finish a length in front of defending champion Dhaamer, the 6-5 second choice.
ALTOONA, Iowa – Jockey Terry Thompson wasted little time on Sunday's program at Prairie Meadows in getting his 3,000th career victory. Cruising to a seven-length win aboard Ifoundmy Mojo ($3) in the opener, Thompson became the 165th rider in North American history to reach the milestone.
Owned by Maggi Moss and trained by Chris Richard, Ifoundmy Mojo scored his third win of the meet, all under Thompson, in the six-furlong allowance race.
