INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Once considered a 2-year-old who would be best as a closer, Alpine Luck has turned into the opposite in recent starts, a brave front-runner capable of winning stakes.

After leading throughout a maiden race over five furlongs on June 22, Alpine Luck won his stakes debut in Saturday’s $150,500 Hollywood Juvenile Championship at Betfair Hollywood Park. The common denominator has been the presence of jockey Gary Stevens, who has ridden Alpine Luck on the lead in both wins.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – The three favorites in the Modesty Handicap failed to fire, but 8-1 Ausus stepped forward, parlaying a perfect trip under James Graham into the first stakes win of her career Saturday at Arlington Park.

Ausus saved ground on both turns of the 1 3/16-mile grass race, with Graham only leaving the fence in the stretch to let Ausus make her final move. It was a good one, too, as Ausus ran down the pacesetting favorite, La Tia, and Artemus Kitten to win the Grade 3, $200,000 Modesty by 2 1/4 lengths.

Fast Puff wowed ‘em at Arapahoe when she posted a dominating 8 1/2-length win in her debut June 14. Question was, could she duplicate that run in Saturday’s $48,478 CTBA Lassie Stakes?

The answer was a resounding “yes.”

Treasured Up, the 4-5 favorite, beat Angel Terrace by 1 3/4 lengths in the rained-off $200,000 Robert G. Dick Memorial for fillies and mares at Delaware Park.

All four Delaware Park grass races were shifted to the main track. The surface switch upended the Dick as the competitive field of 10 dwindled down to five starters with the defections of Laughing, Tannery, Qushchi, Valiant Girl, and Aigue Marine.

Dreaming of Sophia had never raced on a wet track or run beyond six furlongs in her career entering Saturday’s $75,000 Cellars Shiraz Stakes at Gulfstream Park. Apparently it didn’t matter.

Despite facing obstacles she’d never encountered before, Dreaming of Sophia cruised to an extremely impressive 6 1/2-length victory over 8-5 favorite Swinger’s Party in the 1 1/16-mile Cellars Shiraz, a race originally scheduled to be run over the turf.

Eight years ago, trainer Tim Ritchey had a great season with 3-year-old colt Afleet Alex, who won the Arkansas Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes. Ritchey is off to a similar success story this summer with a 3-year-old filly sired by Afleet Alex.

Dancing Afleet, who came into June still a maiden, has turned into a win machine the past month at Delaware Park. She won her third straight race of the meet Saturday afternoon by upsetting the Grade 2, $300,000 Delaware Oaks by a half-length over Ile St. Molly.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - She’s a Tiger won her debut by a flashy nine lengths at the Alameda County Fair at Pleasanton last month. When she won her stakes debut in Saturday’s $150,500 Landaluce Stakes at Betfair Hollywood Park, the margin was three-quarters of a length, but the style of the victory was deserving of merit.

She’s a Tiger overcame threats from several rivals through the six-furlong race for 2-year-old fillies to remain unbeaten. Ridden by Frank Alvarado, She’s a Tiger ($3.20) ran six furlongs in 1:12.04.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The favored Laughing Falcon went straight to the lead and never looked back to take the $126,200 Passing Mood Stakes at Woodbine on Saturday.

With Matt Moore aboard, Laughing Falcon set fractions of 22.65 and 45.92 seconds in the seven-furlong turf sprint for Ontario-sired 3-year-old fillies. She turned back a late bid from Rootham Triple E’s and scored by three-quarters of a length in 1:21.96 over firm ground. Dancing Bay rallied wide from far back for third in the 11-horse field.

ELMONT, N.Y. – The connections of Notacatbutallama thought they were “stealing” when they entered their recent Grade 3 stakes winner in Saturday’s $100,000 Solar Splendor, a listed stakes at Belmont Park.

Lo and behold, the 1 1/16-mile turf race drew three other graded stakes winners, making it arguably the toughest field the New York-bred Notacatbutallama has faced to date.

In her last seven starts, Hurricane Girl has three wins and a near-miss while running for a $40,000 claiming tag, so it’s clear that she fits well at that level. The question handicappers must answer in Tuesday’s $45,000 turf feature at Indiana Downs is whether Hurricane Girl can maintain that good form while stepping up substantially in class and changing barns for the third time since January.