Hez Our Secret, Senor Toby and Jess You and I earned berths to the $750,000 Champion of Champions on Dec. 15 by sweeping the top three positions in Saturday’s Z. Wayne Griffin Director’s Trial at Los Alamitos.
Saturday’s lone trial was the last chance to earn a berth into the Champion of Champions, the nation’s most prestigious race for older Quarter Horses.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - No regrets.
That was the sentiment expressed Sunday by Buff Bradley, trainer of the filly Groupie Doll, who was beaten a nose by Stay Thirsty in Saturday’s Grade 1, $350,000 Cigar Mile at Aqueduct.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Shanghai Bobby, the undefeated winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and likely champion 2-year-old colt, is being pointed to the Grade 3, $400,000 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 26 for his 3-year-old debut, trainer Todd Pletcher said Sunday.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – When the maiden race winner Travesura made the lead in the first turn of Saturday’s $100,000 Miesque Stakes at Betfair Hollywood Park, jockey Tyler Baze was delightfully surprised.
“I wasn’t expecting to be on the lead,” he said. “They gave it to me, and I took it.”
Travesura set a slow pace under Baze – 24.61 and 49.24 seconds – and had enough in reserve to hold off a late threat from Pussycat Lips to score an upset win in the one-mile turf race for 2-year-old fillies.
PHOENIX – Red Zeus, a maiden, picked the right day to run the race of his life as the 2-year-old son of Red Sky’s posted a big upset in Saturday’s $45,799 Arizona Breeders’ Futurity (colt and gelding division) at Turf Paradise.
African Rose set a pressured pace and prevailed to pick up the first stakes win of her career Saturday in the $55,000 Zia Park Distaff. She won by 1 1/4 lengths over Raucous Lady, while it was another 3 1/4 lengths back to third-place Pyrite on My Mind.
African Rose ($18.40) was pressed through fractions of 21.85 seconds for the opening quarter and 44.17 for the half-mile. She went on to cover the six furlongs for fillies and mares in 1:09.88.
NEW ORLEANS – Jockey Leandro Goncalves, spending his first meet at Fair Grounds, started off riding turf races here like he was taught, saving ground along the fence for as long as possible. While so doing, he saw something strange happening around him.
“I looked around, everyone else was six or seven wide, and I was the only one on the inside,” Goncalves said. “I thought I was doing the right thing, but I was doing it wrong.”
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Uncaptured is a throwback, at least in this respect: Late in his 2-year-old season, the colt already has won five stakes, a total sometimes not exceeded by even the most glorified retirees in this modern era.
The fifth one came after an old-fashioned throw-down with a similarly talented colt, Frac Daddy, when the two hooked up Saturday at Churchill Downs in a riveting 86th running of the Grade 2, $177,150 Kentucky Jockey Club, the last of two stakes on the Stars of Tomorrow program exclusively for 2-year-olds.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Fresh off a four-win performance Friday, including the Citation with Data Link, jockey Garrett Gomez continued his hot hand at Betfair Hollywood Park on Saturday with a flawless, rail-skimming ride aboard Den’s Legacy, a trip that made the difference in the Grade 3, $100,000 Generous Stakes for 2-year-olds.
She's All Scat was headed in midstretch but came back to win the $100,000 Gin Talking at Laurel Park on Saturday.
She's All Scat was hustled away from the gate in the seven-furlong event and led to midstretch. Ek Haseena put a head in front from the outside and jockey Jose Caraballo knew what to do.
"The other horse came up to us and began to go past. I had to ask her to come on again, and she did it." said Caraballo.
She's All Scat had a final margin of victory of 1 1/2 lengths over her nine 2-year-old opponents.
