SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Contested started a little slowly, but she finished pretty fast to win Saturday's Grade 1, $500,000 Test Stakes by two lengths at Saratoga.
Gypsy Robin, who chased a rapid early pace established by Ullapool, held second, a half-length in front of the New York-bred Beautiful But Blue.
The win was the fifth from seven starts for Contested, a daughter of Ghostzapper trained by Bob Baffert and owned by his wife, Jill.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario — Colonial Flag, the favored shipper from Maryland, notched her first stakes on Saturday at Woodbine in the Grade 3, $161,300 Ontario Colleen.
Actionontwo set honest fractions in the one-mile turf route for 3-year-old fillies. Colonial Flag raced two-wide in mid-pack on the turn, and was angled wide for the drive before overhauling 20-1 shot Evil Kitten late to score by a length, in 1:35.15. Runfor Ro edged out Poetic Kid for third in the 10-horse field.
Joe Rocco Jr. rode Colonial Flag for trainer Mike Matz.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - "Do you think she's lost a step?"
Those were trainer Chad Brown's first thoughts as he walked into the winner's circle following Zagora's record-setting 1 1/2-length victory over Hungry Island in Saturday's $250,000 Ballston Spa at Saratoga.
Anybody who felt Zagora might not be quite the same filly she was a year ago after failing to kick on in defense of her title in the Grade 1 Diana had to believe otherwise after her performance on Saturday against a Grade 1 quality field in the Grade 2 Ballston Spa.
Dreamin Big won her fourth consecutive race in the $87,000 Merrillville Stakes at Hoosier Park on Saturday.
Dreamin Big was kept back off the early pace in the six-furlong sprint. Jockey Francisco Torres moved the 4-year-old filly to the rail in upper stretch and she went to the lead, with her final margin of victory over her seven Indiana-bred rivals being three-quarters of a length.
Slim Shady’s Lady led to late stretch, could not go with the winner, but finished five lengths in front of third-place finisher Linda's Lace.
Mom’s Law, a 15-1 outsider stepping up sharply in class from a nonwinners-of-two allowance, repelled separate bids from two challenges to score a surprise victory in Saturday’s $75,000 New York Oaks for statebred 3-year-old fillies at Finger Lakes.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Brother Francis was six races into his career before he won a maiden race here over 6 1/2 furlongs on Aug. 5. He was the most accomplished maiden on the grounds at that time, having finished second in the Grade 3 Hollywood Prevue Stakes and third in the Grade 1 CashCall Futurity last fall.
The recent win, by six lengths, has led owner Norman Cheng to plan for a start in the $300,000 Del Mar Derby over 1 1/8 miles on turf next Sunday.
Trainer Jim Cassidy would prefer a start in the $100,000 El Cajon Stakes over a mile on the Polytrack surface on Friday.
Though Steve Asmussen nominated both Tapizar and Prayer for Relief to next weekend's Woodward at Saratoga, he has other spots picked out for those horses.
Tapizar, coming off a 4 1/2-length victory in the West Virginia Governors Stakes at Mountaineer on Aug. 4, is being pointed to the Grade 2, $400,000 Kelso at Belmont Park on Sept. 29. The Kelso is a one-turn mile on the dirt and is designed to get Tapizar to the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Santa Anita on Nov. 3.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – On the day they ran the 143rd Travers Stakes, Stay Thirsty, winner of the 142nd Travers at Saratoga, was continuing preparations for next Saturday’s $750,000 Woodward Stakes.
Stay Thirsty is winless in four starts since the Travers last Aug. 27. In two starts this year, he was second to Trickmeister in a swiftly run Vanlandingham Stakes at Belmont in May. Last month, Stay Thirsty finished a non-threatening fifth to Mucho Macho Man in the Grade 2 Suburban at steamy Belmont Park.
On Saturday, one day after his recent Grade 1 winner Poseidon’s Warrior drifted badly while galloping out past the wire following the conclusion of a routine half-mile work, trainer Butch Reid said his horse would skip the Grade 1 Forego on Sept. 1 to await the Grade 1 Vosburgh four weeks later.
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Kentucky-based trainer Kellyn Gorder, who has been winning with a high percentage of horses he has shipped to Mountaineer Racetrack the past six months, can pad his already impressive statistics when he sends out a pair of uncoupled contenders in Tuesday night’s featured ninth race.
Five Afleet and Glint are part of seven-horse lineup in a 5 1/2-furlong allowance sprint restricted to horses who have never won four races. The 10-race card includes two other allowance events, both for nonwinners of two, on the turf.
