Remembering Spence justified his role as fastest qualifier and favorite for Saturday’s $231,650 Los Alamitos Winter Derby with a nose win over stablemate Perrys Affair in the 400-yard race at Los Alamitos.
Ridden by Francisco Rubio, Remembering Spence ($4) broke from the inside in a field of nine. He trailed Perrys Affair by three-quarters of a length midway through the race, but caught the leader in the final strides, finishing in 19.58 seconds.
Derive, Turf Paradise horse of the meet for the 2011-2012 season after winning six straight at the Phoenix track, including the 2012 Phoenix Gold Cup, broke down while defending his title Saturday and had to be euthanized.
Track veterinarian Dr. Jack Muller confirmed that the 7-year-old Derive tore suspensory ligaments and fractured both sesamoids in his left front ankle.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Six potential starters for Saturday’s Grade 2 Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park turned in their final preps Sunday morning at a frigid Palm Meadows. The group ncluded likely favorite Violence, who went five furlongs in 1:00.36 in company with stablemate Palace Malice.
Makeshift became a stakes winner Saturday night at Sam Houston Race Park, when she darted to a 2 1/2-length win over Tastefullyxcessive in the $75,000 fillies division of the Texas Stallion Stakes.
The race was one of two stakes on the program. In the $75,000 colts and geldings division of the Texas Stallion Stakes, Worldventurer picked off his third career stakes win, winning by a length over Memo Jo.
ARCADIA, Calif .- Great Hot ended a 13-race losing streak with a front-running win in Saturday’s $200,000 Santa Maria Stakes over 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita.
The win left trainer A.C. Avila eager to try the 5-year-old mare over an even longer distance, in the $300,000 Santa Margarita Stakes over 1 1/8 miles on March 16. His enthusiasm was apparent after he described the way that Great Hot returned to the winner’s circle after the Santa Maria, her first stakes win at 1 1/16 miles.
“She can relax,” he said. “When she came back, it was like she had just galloped.”
ALBANY, Calif. -- Jose Valdivia Jr. was quite content to sit back as Manando set a brisk pace in the 32nd running of the Grade 3, $200,000 El Camino Real Derby on Saturday at Golden Gate Fields.
And when the real running began in the 1 1/8-mile race, Dice Flavor made a strong move and outraced Nina's Dragon to the wire in a victory that earned him 10 points in the 36-race Road to the Kentucky Derby series.
[ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays]
ARCADIA, Calif. - Judy In Disguise is unbeaten in two starts in the United States after a gritty win in Saturday’s $81,850 Sweet Life Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on turf at Santa Anita.
Ridden by leading rider Rafael Bejarano, Judy In Disguise disputed the pace throughout the stakes over about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course. She lost the lead in the stretch and fought back to win by a half-length over Doinghardtimeagain.
Hennesey Smash won her sixth consecutive race Saturday at Sunland Park, when she wired the field in the $85,000 Peppers Pride Handicap. She won by 1 1/4 lengths over even-money favorite Rose’s Desert, while it was another 1 ¼ lengths back in third to Playtricks.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott capped off another big day at Gulfstream Park, completing a sweep of Saturday’s two stakes and registering his third win overall after Amira’s Prince rallied to 3 3/4-length victory over Teaks North in the $150,000 Mac Diarmida Stakes.
Earlier in the day, Mott sent out Starformer to an easy win in the Grade 3 The Very One Stakes and Emollient to a game allowance victory in her 3-year-old debut. John Velazquez, who guided Amira’s Prince to his first stakes win, also won three races on the card.
PHOENIX – It was no surprise to see owner Rick Wiest and trainer Robertino Diodoro in the winner’s circle at Turf Paradise after Saturday’s $75,000 Phoenix Gold Cup. After all, they won it last year with Derive and had that big horse back for a title defense.
But it was a surprise that their “other” horse, the very sharp L. A. Weekend, posted a mild upset in the six-furlong marquee event for the Turf Paradise meet.
