Trainer Mel Stute was hospitalized early Sunday after sustaining a head injury in a fall at his home on Saturday evening.
Stute remained hospitalized early Sunday afternoon, and was scheduled to undergo a CT-scan, according to his son, trainer Gary Stute.
“He was coherent and speaking when I saw him,” Stute said of an early morning visit on Sunday.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Pure Fun began her 2012 season in a $30,000 maiden claimer for sprinters at Churchill Downs in June, a race in which she was a soundly beaten fifth.
She ended the season on Saturday with a victory in the $500,000 Hollywood Starlet Stakes at Betfair Hollywood Park, a win that gives her a leading role in the buildup to the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs on May 3.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Romacaca asserted her class and showed a bit of a new dimension in the process, rallying from off the pace to a well-earned neck victory over the fast-closing Chokurei in Sunday’s $100,000 South Beach at Gulfstream Park.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario — Aunt Els led all way to earn her first stakes win under Justin Stein on Sunday at Woodbine in the $150,000 Ontario Lassie, for 2-year-old fillies.
Aunt Els ($6.10) was making her first start around two turns in the Lassie, during which she was tracked throughout by the 3-5 favorite, Original Script.
Connie Scherr, trainer Steve Asmussen, and jockey Glen Murphy swept both $75,000 divisions of the Texas Stallion Stakes for 2-year-olds at Retama Park on Saturday night, when Esscalator wired a field of fellow fillies and Estrickator used similar tactics against colts and geldings. The races shared a card with the $50,000 Fiesta Mile won by Smiles Golden Song.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Pure Fun was so far behind for the first six furlongs of Saturday’s $500,000 Hollywood Starlet Stakes that it seemed doubtful she would have any significant impact on the race.
She was in front when she needed to be. Closing with an eye-catching rally under jockey Garrett Gomez, Pure Fun scored an upset win at 6-1 in the Grade 1 Starlet for 2-year-old fillies.
Safe Trip set a quick pace and held for a three-quarter length win over Lion Hall in the $50,000 KLAQ Handicap at Sunland Park on Saturday. The race was the first Thoroughbred stakes of the meet, and the third straight score for Safe Trip. His streak began in September in the $100,000 Premiere Cup that was held opening weekend at Zia Park.
PHOENIX – Well, it had to end sometime. Derive had been the dominant horse at Turf Paradise the past couple seasons, going 7 for 7 here with multiple stakes wins that carried him to horse of the meet honors in 2011-2012. Well, the local kingpin finally got toppled but only just as Absolutely Cool rallied gamely to edge him by a nostril in Saturday’s $35,000 Caballos del Sol Stakes.
STICKNEY, Ill. – The 2-year-old gelding Chatfield Road didn’t show trainer Tom Swearingen much when he started training with a hint of seriousness this past summer. Swearingen wasn’t surprised. He had trained Chatfield’s Road’s siblings and knew they all possessed limited talent. The horse’s breeder and owner, John Carver, gave away Chatfield Road’s dam, Ms. Chatfield, when nobody wanted to buy her. And when Swearingen debuted Chatfield Road for a $15,000 claiming price Nov. 15 at Hawthorne, he figured no way the horse would get claimed.
He was right – and that was lucky.
