ETOBICOKE, Ontario — The English raider Wigmore Hall captured the Grade 1, $504,000 Northern Dancer Turf for the second year in a row under Jamie Spencer at Woodbine on Sunday.
Wigmore Hall raced at the rear of the pack on the backstretch of the 1 1/2-mile marathon, as Celtic Conviction set honest fractions, while being pressed by the filly Irish Mission.
POMONA, Calif. – Apprentice jockey Eswan Flores was handed a 60-day suspension by California Horse Racing Board stewards at Fairplex Park after testing positive for cocaine metabolites in a test taken Aug. 23 at Del Mar.
Flores will be suspended through Oct. 23 and is not eligible to an extension of his apprentice allowance. Flores basically surrendered the final three weeks of his apprentice allowance that would have expired Sept. 11. Flores has not ridden since Aug. 24.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario — Stealcase, overcoming a slow start, rallied from last place in the field of seven to prevail by 1 1/4 lengths in the Grade 3, $154,500 Ontario Derby on Sunday at Woodbine.
Conditioned by Mark Casse and ridden by Patrick Husbands, Stealcase had been keeping difficult company south of the border and was sent off as the 2-1 favorite in the open 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-olds.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario — Barefoot Lady, a late pickup mount for local rider David Moran, stalked the pace and rallied smartly for a 1 1/2-length win in the Grade 2, $314,200 Canadian Stakes here at Woodbine on Sunday.
“It was a nice surprise,” said Moran, who inherited the mount when Barefoot Lady’s import rider Jamie Spencer was unable to make the filly’s assigned weight of 113 pounds.
“She carried me beautifully throughout. I got a great trip.”
ELMONT, N.Y. - It’s good to be Bill Mott these days.
On Saturday, Mott put two of his Grade 1-winning horses - Flat Out and Ron the Greek - through workouts at Saratoga in preparation for a start in the $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park on Sept. 29.
On Sunday, at Belmont, Mott was on hand to watch two more of his Grade 1 winners - the 2011 champion 3-year-old filly Royal Delta and Woodward winner To Honor and Serve - put in works four hours and two tracks apart.
POMONA, Calif. – Bares Tripper crushed the $100,000 Barretts Debutante by more than six lengths Saturday at Fairplex Park, while heavily favored Pure Indy finished a flat fifth.
Peter Miller trains Bares Tripper, who was making her first start since Aug. 8. After a winning debut Aug. 8 in an $80,000 maiden-claimer at Del Mar, she wheeled back two weeks later and finished last in the Grade 3 Sorrento Stakes.
Wild Crush came from off the pace to upset heavily favored Bond James Bond in the $50,000 Alberta Breeders Handicap for 3-year-olds and up at Northlands Park on Saturday. The Alberta Breeders was the last of seven $50,000 stakes races restricted to Alberta-breds that made up the bulk of the 11-race Fall Classic Day card.
Wild Crush paid $22.40 for his win in the 1 1/16-mile race.
He was ridden by Stephan Heiler. Wild Crush hadn’t won a race since he captured the Beaufort Stakes on Fall Classic Day last year with Heiler aboard.
FRANKLIN, Ky. – Ioya Bigtime took full advantage of being the lone speed in a small field when he notched his richest career victory Saturday in the 15th running of the Grade 3, $200,000 Kentucky Turf Cup, the annual showcase event at turf-only Kentucky Downs.
Nursed along the 1 1/2-mile journey by Jeffrey Sanchez, Ioya Bigtime held off Rahystrada, the defending champion and 7-5 favorite, to win by a half-length. The winner returned $6.40 after finishing in 2:30.06 over a firm course.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Angegreen, the Italian-bred Team Valor-owned filly with the Group 2 overseas placing and the name jockey, Mike Smith, was the 5-2 favorite to win the Pucker Up Stakes on Saturday at Arlington. Leading Astray, bred in Illinois, campaigned exclusively in Chicago, and ridden by nationally anonymous Eddie Perez, went off at odds of 8-1. Reputation, as so often happens, was no guide to outcome. Angegreen never picked up her feet and finished last of 12.
Gentlemans Code, idle since finishing third in the Quick Call on opening weekend at Saratoga, outdueled even-money favorite Wildcat Creek to win Saturday’s $50,000 Thomas Clifton Stakes for 3-year-old turf sprinters at Penn National.
Ridden by Arlington Park-based jockey Julio Garcia for trainer Wesley Ward, Gentlemans Code ($4.40) sped the five furlongs on firm turf in 56.18 seconds for his fifth win in 11 lifetime starts. A son of Proud Accolade, Gentlemans Code is owned by Ice Wine Stable.
