HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Cigar Street thrust himself into the picture in the handicap division while at the same time salvaging what had been up to that point a disappointing day for the Bill Mott barn when he rallied to a two-length victory over Take Charge Indy in Saturday’s $100,000 Skip Away at Gulfstream Park. The win was the fourth on the card and third graded stakes tally on the day for jockey John Velazquez.
Sunny Desert, who had her six-race winning streak snapped when third in the Grade 2 Top Flight Stakes four weeks ago, rebounded with an authoritative victory in Saturday’s $75,000 Broadway Stakes at Aqueduct.
Allowed to settle in fourth position, six lengths off a sharp early pace of 45.16 seconds set by Here’s Zealicious, Sunny Desert rallied outside under Cornelio Velasquez in the stretch, caught Here’s Zealicious and Clear Pasaj inside the furlong grounds, and drew off to win the six-furlong race by three lengths.
NEW ORLEANS - Back in Louisiana-bred company after being outrun against open fillies in the Grade 3 Honeybee at Oaklawn Park, Sittin At the Bar powered past her rivals in the stretch to score a three-quarter-length victory in the Crescent City Oaks on Saturday at the Fair Grounds.
Ridden by Shaun Bridgmohan for trainer Brett Brinkman and owner Dale Ladner, Sittin At the Bar pushed past pace-setter Mischievous Mama in midstretch. Hometown Gossip finished third, another 3 3/4 lengths behind Mischievous Mama, in a field of eight 3-year-old fillies.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - In a span of 10 weeks, Regalo Mia has wiped away a year marred by bad beats and bad health.
Powering down the center of what is left of the Gulfstream Park turf course, Regalo Mia bounded home a two-length winner of Saturday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Orchid Stakes. It was her second straight victory here, having won the Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf in January.
Angegreen rallied from last to nose out Irish Mission for second. Anjaz was fourth followed by Starformer, Seanchai, Aigue Marine, Game Fair, Tree Hugger, and Closing Range.
Apprentice rider Yomar Ortiz and trainer Hugh McMahon finished atop the standings for the winter meet at Laurel Park that ended Saturday.
Ortiz, 21, topped the jockey standings with 57 first-place finishes, six more than fellow apprentice Trevor McCarthy. Ortiz had 16 multiple win days during the meet, including four three-win afternoons.
“It was a battle until the end,” Ortiz said. “Trevor McCarthy was winning races at a high rate and it wasn’t settled into the last couple days.”
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - The Dreaming of Julia who was so dominant in winning the first two starts of her career resurfaced Saturday at Gulfstream Park with a jaw-dropping 21 3/4-length victory in the Grade 2, $300,000 Gulfstream Oaks, stamping her as one of the favorites for the Kentucky Oaks.
Stalking the pacesetter Live Lively - who defeated Dreaming of Julia in the Davona Dale here in February - Dreaming of Julia eased past that rival leaving the three-furlong pole then widened her margin at will through the stretch with jockey John Velazquez barely asking her to run.
NEW ORLEANS – Running closer the pace than usual, longshot Lee’s Spirit showed punch when it counted in the Fair Grounds stretch and won the $60,000 Costa Rising Stakes for older Louisiana-breds on Saturday in a head-bobbing finish by a nose over Populist Politics.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Trainer Todd Pletcher waited until the last minute before deciding to run Ciao Bella in Saturday’s $150,000 Rampart rather than hold her out for next week’s $250,000 Ruffian in New York. And it didn’t take more than a half-mile before Pletcher pretty much knew he’d made the right choice.
A pair of fillies who were stakes-placed as 2-year-olds last season and another whose half-sister was a two-time Grade 1 winner with earnings of more than $1 million will compete in quest of their second career victory in the last of three allowance races on Tuesday night’s program at Charles Town.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Travelin Man rebounded from his only bad performance at Gulfstream Park last month by recording a repeat victory in Saturday’s $75,000 Sir Shackleton Stakes.
Under Rosie Napravnik, Travelin Man rallied inside of pace-setting Action Andy in upper stretch and galloped home a four-length winner.
Action Andy finished second by 6 1/2 lengths over Spring Hill Farm. He was followed in the order of finish by Whiskey Rebellion, Bellefire and Capt. Candyman Can. Soaring Stocks and Guam Typhoon scratched.
