Sat, 10/06/2012 - 16:01

Penn National: Jonathan's Girl much the best in Ligature

Jonathan’s Girl rallied along the rail and drew off to an emphatic 7 3/4-length victory in the $75,000 Ligature Stakes for Pennsylvania-bred fillies and mares Friday night at Penn National Race Course.

It was the first stakes victory for the 5-year Jonathan’s Girl ($11.60), owned by trainer Steve Klesaris in partnership with Marcia Cohen. In her only previous try against stakes company two starts ago over a sloppy track at Parx, Jonathan’s Girl finished seventh. Overall, she is 6 for 14 lifetime with earnings of $264,942. She ran six furlongs in 1:09.65.

Sat, 10/06/2012 - 15:28

Penn National: Vega rides his 4,000th winner

Harry Vega collected the 4,000th win of his career when he scored aboard the 2-year-old maiden claimer Moonshot Monkey ($4.60) in Friday night’s fourth race at Penn National Race Course.

Vega, 47, began riding at Hazel Park in Michigan in 1983 and currently competes at Penn National and Laurel Park. This season, he has 70 wins in 509 starts for earnings of $2 million. He is best known as the regular rider of the filly Xtra Heat, who won five graded stakes in 2002 including a trio of Grade 2 events.

Sat, 10/06/2012 - 15:15

Keeneland: Sum of the Parts a ‘maybe’ for Sprint; Spring in the Air to Juvenile Fillies

Coady Photography/Keeneland
Sum of the Parts wins Friday's Grade 3 Phoenix Stakes at Keeneland, earning a fees-paid berth in the Breeders' Cup Sprint.

Trainer Tom Amoss reiterated Saturday that Sum of the Parts is “only a maybe” to run back Nov. 3 at Santa Anita in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. Sum of the Parts earned an expenses-paid berth in the race by virtue of his gate-to-wire triumph here Friday in the Grade 3 Phoenix Stakes, a race for which he earned a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 97.

Sat, 10/06/2012 - 14:58

Santa Anita: In the Stars eyes stakes after win

In the Stars will start in a turf stakes in November after winning for the first time in the United States in an allowance race over a mile on Friday.

Ridden by Corey Nakatani, In the Stars ($3.40) was fifth early, took the lead with a wide move on the turn, and pulled clear to finish 3  1/4 lengths in front of Mary Fildes.

Sat, 10/06/2012 - 14:46

Beulah Park: Meet switches to a four-day week

Beulah Park in Grove City, Ohio, will begin its 89th year Monday.

The barn area is filling up and racing secretary Ed Vomacka is optimistic about the 44-day meet.

“Entries have gone really well so far, and we expect that to continue,” Vomacka said. “We have quite a few outfits coming from Thistledown, so it will really pick up when they are finished up there in November, I would think.”

Beulah is switching to a four-day racing week for the meet, and Vomacka sees that as a huge plus for the racing office.

Sat, 10/06/2012 - 14:42

Woodbine: Honorable Guest stands out in Bull Page Stakes

Michael Burns
Honorable Guest has a class and Beyer Speed Figure edge in Monday’s $125,000 Bull Page Stakes.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Honorable Guest sticks out in holiday Monday’s $125,000 Bull Page Stakes on class and Beyer Speed Figures. He should be favored in the six-furlong dash at Woodbine, which has lured eight other Ontario-sired 2-year-olds.

Honorable Guest finished second in each of his first three outings, including two stakes, although he was demoted to fifth in the Colin for interference. He earned his diploma by eight lengths in a six-furlong maiden special for Ontario-sired stock Aug. 11.

Sat, 10/06/2012 - 14:36

Keeneland: Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup shaping up as deep race

Shigeki Kikkawa
Lady of Shamrock (left) will ship from Southern California for next Saturday’s QEII Cup.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The connections of 10 3-year-old turf fillies have accepted invitations to participate next weekend in the sixth and final Grade 1 race of the Keeneland fall meet, the $400,000 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup on Saturday, Oct. 13.

Division leaders Stephanie’s Kitten, Lady of Shamrock, and Samitar are among those expected to be entered in the 29th running of the QEII, a 1 1/8-mile turf fixture that invariably comes up an outstanding race.

Sat, 10/06/2012 - 14:24

Santa Anita: Bares Tripper to try turf in Surfer Girl Stakes

Benoit & Associates
Bares Tripper will make her turf debut in Monday’s $100,000 Surfer Girl Stakes at Santa Anita.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Bares Tripper won her debut on a Polytrack surface at Del Mar. She won a stakes on a dirt track at Fairplex Park. A start on turf in Monday’s $100,000 Surfer Girl Stakes at Santa Anita is not a major issue for trainer Peter Miller.

“She should handle the turf,” Miller said. “I don’t see why she won’t handle it after she handled the synthetic. Some horses just run on anything, and I think she’s one of those.”

Sat, 10/06/2012 - 14:12

Northlands Park: Canadian Juvenile looks to be wide open

Barring scratches, 10 2-year-olds will start in the $50,000 Canadian Juvenile at Northlands Park on Monday, and it is anyone’s guess which horse will emerge as the winner. All 10 will be stretching out to a middle distance for the first time, and they also will be looking for their first stakes win.

Sat, 10/06/2012 - 14:04

Belmont Park: Peace Preserver, Channel Lady look tough off of last in Pebbles Stakes

Tom Keyser
Channel Lady has won her only two starts on turf and steps up in class for Monday’s Pebbles Stakes.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Eight turf-meant 3-year-old fillies who last raced at six different tracks will meet in Monday’s $150,000 Pebbles Stakes, which is scheduled for one mile on the Widener turf course.

Todd Pletcher will be well represented by the uncoupled duo of Peace Preserver and Channel Lady, who figure to vie for favoritism after posting the field’s fastest races during the final week of racing at Saratoga.