OLDSMAR, Fla. – It’s the goal of every trainer to improve the quality of his runners, but with better quality horses comes tougher competition and it becomes harder and harder to maintain a high level of success.
That’s why Jorge Navarro’s accomplishments lately are noteworthy. Navarro, who began training in 2008, has shown an improving win percentage each season he’s raced and has managed to do this while steadily improving the quality of his stock.
Rylees Boy, the winner of the 2012 Champion of Champions, became the first horse to earn a berth in the 2013 running of that race with a late-charging win in Sunday's $171,300 Los Alamitos Winter Championship at Los Alamitos.
Ridden by Ramon Sanchez, Rylees Boy closed from fourth in a field of nine to win by a half-length over stablemate Bills Last. Hez Our Secret was third in the field of nine. Last to Fire, the 2-1 favorite, finished fourth.
The Winter Championship winner received an automatic berth to the Champion of Champions.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Bob Baffert kept it all in the family on Sunday at Santa Anita. The Hall of Fame trainer won the San Vicente Stakes with Shakin It Up, and a maiden race with Govenor Charlie, both of whom are closely related, being by champion Midnight Lute out of daughters of his two-time champion Silverbulletday.
Both of Sunday's winners were bred by Mike Pegram, who owned Silverbulletday. Pegram owns Shakin It Up in partnership, as he did with Midnight Lute.
ARCADIA, Calif. – In his first start since November and likely his last one before being asked to stretch out around two turns, Shakin It Up proved best in a thrilling stretch drive to capture the Grade 2, $150,000 San Vicente Stakes for 3-year-olds on Sunday at Santa Anita.
Shakin It Up ($6.40) rated behind the early pace of Belvin and Caballo Del Cielo, then knifed between horses during a furious stretch drive that at one point saw all six runners abreast. He proved best by one length over Treasury Bill, with Caballo Del Cielo another three-quarters of a length back in third.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark.- Seeking Ms Shelley forged past Lulu Wong to win what may have been the final start of her career in the $60,000 Spring Fever for fillies and mares at Oaklawn Park on Sunday. She won by a half-length, while Lulu Wong held second by a half-length over third-place finisher and 4-5 favorite Lady Diva Ga Ga.
Jockey Alejandro Luna must have sensed that it was worthwhile to travel all the way from Southern California to ride longshot Habits Secret in the $208,090 South Florida Quarter Horse Derby on Sunday at Hialeah Park.
Although the California-bred Habits Secret had not finished better than third in three previous outings during Hialeah’s Quarter Horse meet, including a last-place finish in the finals of the Hialeah Laddie Futurity, the colt had finished first in a pair of six-figure stakes in Indiana as a 2-year-old.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Royal Delta put an exclamation point on a memorable weekend for her trainer, Bill Mott, when she cruised to an easy six-length victory over a game but overmatched All for Thee in Sunday’s $100,000 Sabin Stakes at Gulfstream Park. Royal Delta will now head back to Dubai, where she is scheduled to make her next start in the $10 million World Cup on March 30.
There will be a pick six carryover of $109,674 entering Monday’s Presidents Day program at Aqueduct as the wager went unhit Sunday for the second consecutive card.
The pick six will begin with race 5 as there will be 10 races on the card.
With longshot Saturday Appeal ($34), File Gumbo ($14.60), and firster Discreet Force ($15.40) winning the first three legs, most tickets were dead by the time Elghayoor won the $75,000 Dearly Precious Stakes as the 5-2 second choice.
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.
