Trainer Ian Wilkes’s home track is Churchill Downs, and the good 3-year-old he trains, Neck ‘n Neck, likes it there, too. Before Saturday, Neck ‘n Neck won 3 of 5 starts at Churchill and 0 of 7 elsewhere. But the track at Hoosier Park evidently suits him. Rallying from 10th in an 11-horse field, Neck ‘n Neck scored a one-length victory in the Grade 2, $500,000 Indiana Derby, the biggest win of his career.
Not Abroad, unable to get the job done in a series of much longer races, relished the cut back to 1 1/8 miles and dominated Saturday’s Jim McKay Maryland Million Classic at Laurel Park.
The $150,000 Classic was the feature on an 11-race program, worth a collective $1.05 million, devoted to the offspring of Maryland-based stallions.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Merit Man could have won Saturday’s $100,000 Tim Conway Stakes at Santa Anita by more than 5 1/2 lengths if he had paid attention through all of the six furlongs.
“He kind of pulled himself up at bit when he saw a photographer,” winning jockey Patrick Valenzuela said. “He’s a nice horse."
And a horse on his way to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint here on Nov. 2 after winning his stakes debut in the Tim Conway.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Capitalizing on his inside post position and utilizing his early speed, Joha spurted to the lead in Saturday's Grade 1, $400,000 Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland Saturday and gamely repelled all comers to earn a date in the Breeders' Cup.
Grace Hall made it look easy winning the Grade 2, $200,000 Indiana Oaks on Saturday afternoon at Hoosier Park.
Trained by Anthony Dutrow and ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr., Grace Hall was to the outside of pacesetting Eden’s Moon, trained by Bob Baffert, to the far turn in the 1 1/16-mile event. Hernandez asked Grace Hall for run into the stretch, and she responded, drawing off to win by 5 3/4 lengths.
Hernandez was impressed with his mount.
Salty Strike was kept mid-pack early by jockey Victor Lebron before rallying into the stretch and drawing off to win the $105,000 Mari Hulman George Stakes at Hoosier Park on Saturday. The Hillsdale was one of 10 stakes on the best card of the Hoosier meet, which was topped by the Indiana Derby.
Trained by Ken McPeek, Salty Strike won by a length and a half and ran the mile and a sixteenth in 1.43.14 over a good track. Brushed by a Star was second and Action Lady was third. Salty Strike returned $7.80 to win.
MIAMI - Musical Romance will be on her way to Santa Anita to defend her title in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint after rallying to a popular three-quarter-length decision over pacesetter Golden Mystery in Saturday's $55,000 Mike Sherman Memorial Stakes at Calder.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Obviously keeps winning major turf mile stakes in Southern California and keeps getting closer to a start in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile at Santa Anita on Nov. 3.
Saturday, the 4-year-old gelding won his second consecutive Grade 2 race for turf milers in the $150,000 Arroyo Seco Mile at Santa Anita, the local prep for the BC Mile.
Ridden by Joe Talamo, Obviously ran a mile in 1:31.95, finishing just .06 of a second slower than Atticus’s 1997 course record of 1:31.89. Obviously paid $4.40.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Eliciting superlatives once more, Wise Dan dominated the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile on a sunny day at Keeneland to entrench himself further as quite possibly the best horse in North America this year.
With Jose Lezcano keeping the 5-year-old gelding out of trouble throughout the trip, Wise Dan circled into contention leaving the final turn and powered to a 2 1/4-length triumph in the $750,000 Shadwell, the richest race of the Keeneland fall meet.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Tapitsfly might have been typecast as a speed horse for much of her career, but her come-from-behind victory in the $350,000 First Lady at Keeneland on Saturday may help to change that.
"This proves she's not one-dimensional," an elated Dale Romans said after watching Tapitsfly wear down Daisy Devine in the 15th running of the Grade 1 turf fixture. "We've always known she's got class. This was a big one for us."
