INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Iotapa, claimed for $50,000 in a maiden race last June, rallied wide under red-hot jockey Joe Talamo to win Sunday’s $74,920 Railbird Stakes at Betfair Hollywood Park.
Talamo swept the three weekend stakes at Hollywood Park. On Saturday, he won the $150,250 Marjorie Everett Handicap on Open Water and the $100,500 Fran’s Valentine Stakes on Unusual Hottie.
California Chrome will be a California-bred 2-year-old colt to follow this summer.
On Friday, in his second start, California Chrome won a maiden special weight race over 4 1/2 furlongs by 2 3/4 lengths in 52.42 seconds. A colt by Lucky Pulpit, California Chrome was second in his debut April 26.
Art Sherman trains California Chrome for breeders Martin Perry and Steve Coburn.
Unusual Hottie will have a brief vacation following her first stakes win in Saturday’s $100,500 Fran’s Valentine Stakes for California-bred females on turf.
Unusual Hottie won her second race in as many starts this year in the Fran’s Valentine, closing from third in a field of seven to win by three-quarters of a length over Sugarinthemorning.
A 4-year-old filly owned by Seyyed Nilforushan, Unusual Hottie won an optional claimer here April 25, her first start of 2013 and her initial start for trainer Jeff Mullins. Unusual Hottie joined Mullins’s stable in February.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – A $10,000 claim submitted for race winner Plenny of Henny in Sunday’s first race at Betfair Hollywood Park was voided after the 4-year-old gelding was ruled to be unsound in the receiving barn after the race, stewards said.
It was the first time that a new rule that took effect last Thursday was utilized, voiding the claim of a horse who dies on the racetrack or is found to be unsound by the official or state veterinarian immediately after the race. The California Horse Racing Board passed the rule earlier this year.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The improving Coffee Clique came from off a sizzling pace to land her first stakes win in the Grade 3, $156,300 Selene at Woodbine on Sunday.
Racing with a substantial lead, longshot Leigh Court set fractions of 23.24 seconds, 46.66, and 1:11.48 in the 1 1/16-mile route for 3-year-old fillies. She began to tire on the far turn, and Coffee Clique hit the front early in the stretch and went on to score by four lengths in a snappy 1:43.63.
Deniro's Saint, under jockey Rodrigo Vergara, prompted the pace to the outside of heavy favorite Blazing Bling to upper stretch and drew clear to win by two lengths in the $50,000 Tomboy Stakes at Beulah Park on Sunday.
A 3-year-old Ohio-bred filly trained by Joshua Faulkner, Deniro's Saint drifted out a bit in the stretch but still was good enough to hold sway late.
Blazing Bling, under Deshawn Parker, set the pace but gave way late and finished second, 10 1/2 lengths in front of She's the Prize in third.
ALTOONA, Iowa – The Ray Tracy-trained duo of Wolf Pack Jack and Rushin' Rubietta dominated their Iowa-bred foes Saturday evening in the $68,650 Gray's Lake Stakes, a six-furlong race that attracted seven 3-year-old geldings.
Taking advantage of a blistering early pace, Cho Cho Cat staged a furious rally from last in the final furlong to win Saturday night’s $50,000 Tellike Stakes at Evangeline Downs.
Going to Kukaro, co-favored with Storm’s Promise at 5-2 in the five-furlong turf dash for fillies and mares, forced the issue before putting a head in front a furlong out but was unable to contain the winner. Cowgirl N Up finished third, followed by Storm’s Promise.
BALTIMORE – Trainer Eddie Plesa Jr. expressed satisfaction Sunday morning that his 3-year-old Itsmyluckyday bounced back from his 15th-place non-effort in the Kentucky Derby with a solid second-place finish in Saturday’s Preakness Stakes.
[bc_video_id:292828:]BALTIMORE – Oxbow, the winner of the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, left Pimlico Race Course early Sunday morning, and a couple of hours later, so too did Orb, who won the Kentucky Derby and was fourth in the Preakness.
