Valiant Boy SBFAR lived up to his Horse of the Year billing on Saturday, drawing off to win by five lengths in the $103,659 President of the U.A.E. Cup at Churchill Downs, North America’s richest race for Arabians.
The French-bred son of Darweesh ran easily along the inside as Smoke House and VIP paced the field through an opening quarter mile of :27.41 seconds. Smoke House maintained a comfortable one-length cushion down the backstretch and widened his margin heading into the final turn.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Ken Ramsey is winning so much at Churchill Downs he can’t even jinx himself. Despite watching Saturday night’s Grade 3, $113,900 Regret at Churchill Downs from the winner’s circle – usually a sure-fire path for disappointment – it did little to stop his 3-year-old filly, Kitten’s Dumplings, from thoroughly dominating the race under Joel Rosario.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Rendering his two season-opening efforts a distant memory, Fort Larned returned to his Breeders’ Cup Classic-winning form Saturday night with a dominating wire-to-wire triumph in the 32nd running of the Grade 1, $536,300 Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – At times this spring, trainer Bob Baffert viewed Code West as his Belmont horse, but ultimately, he chose to not run Code West in the race.
Instead, Code West turned into his Matt Winn horse, winning the Grade 3, $113,100 race Saturday evening at Churchill Downs on the Stephen Foster Handicap undercard. The win gave Baffert his fourth victory in the race and his 100th win at Churchill Downs.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – At times this spring, trainer Bob Baffert viewed Code West as his Belmont horse, but ultimately, he chose to not run Code West in the race.
Instead, Code West turned into his Matt Winn horse, winning the Grade 3, $113,100 race Saturday evening at Churchill Downs on the Stephen Foster Handicap undercard. The win gave Baffert his fourth victory in the race and his 100th win at Churchill Downs.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Joel Rosario won the Kentucky Derby on a 5-1 shot, and it wasn’t a surprise at all, even in a 19-horse field. Orb was the favorite at that price.
But when Rosario coasted home first Saturday night on a 5-1 shot named Funny Proposition among just five fillies and mares in the Grade 2, $186,375 Fleur de Lis Handicap, there were huge gasps of astonishment from the Downs After Dark crowd at Churchill Downs.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – There is a pick-six carryover at Betfair Hollywood Park of $130,527 for Sunday’s nine-race program.
Going into the last race Saturday, there were two horses in a maiden claimer for sprinters who could have prevented a carryover. Royal Weekend finished fifth, and Secret Memo was ninth.
Sunday’s pick six covers the fourth through ninth races on a program that begins at 1 p.m. Pacific. There also is a carryover of $31,988 in the super high five, held on the ninth race.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Byrama was closing rapidly on pacesetter Royal Tiger on the turn Saturday’s $250,250 Vanity Handicap at Betfair Hollywood Park when jockey Gary Stevens altered his strategy.
With More Chocolate ranging on the outside of Byrama as the field neared the stretch, Stevens knew he needed to react to stay ahead of that well-regarded rival.
“I knew she was the horse to beat, and I put her away,” Stevens said.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The first-time starter Kobe’s Back had such a lofty reputation among the 2-year-olds trained at Betfair Hollywood Park that he was the 9-5 favorite in Saturday’s $101,000 Willard Proctor Memorial Stakes.
The hype was justified.
Despite spotting his rivals about four lengths after a poor start, Kobe’s Back rallied past eight rivals in the stretch to win the Proctor by a convincing 3 1/4 lengths. Kobe’s Back ($5.60) ran 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:05.42.
E F Five won the $35,000 Aspen at Arapahoe Park for the second time in three years on Saturday, when he defeated defending champ and favorite Wally Van by three-quarters of a length. E F Five also won the Aspen in 2011.
E F Five ($10.80) was prominent through fractions of 21.32 seconds for the opening quarter and 43.86 for the half-mile, before completing the six furlongs for Colorado-breds in 1:09.43. Kelly Bridges was aboard for trainer Kenneth Gleason.
E F Five races for Linda Robertson. He registered his fifth career stakes win in the Aspen.
