When Broken Sword, an 11-length winner in the Juan Gonzalez Memorial in her debut, was scratched from Saturday’s $76,300 Wine Country Debutante at the Sonoma County Fair in Santa Rosa, it appeared the race would be a wide-open event.
Instead, Unusual Way dominated the event, going wire to wire to win the six-furlong stakes for 2-year-old fillies by 11 lengths over Black Oak and favored Marks Mine, who finished a head apart for second.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Shanghai Bobby, the 2-1 morning-line favorite for Sunday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Saratoga Special, was forced to scratch from the race due to a temperature, said owner Jack Wolf.
“He spiked a temperature at 7, and by 10 it was over 103 [degrees],” Wolf said.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - In three performances this year, Wise Dan has proven to be equally proficient on synthetic, dirt and turf. It’s a rare trait and one that gives his connections plenty of options when they sit down to plot out the future for the 5-year-old gelding.
OPELOUSAS, La. - Controlling the pace throughout under Tracey Hebert, Heavy On Themister found more in the late going and held off odds-on favorite Apart to win Saturday night’s $125,000 Evangeline Mile at Evangeline Downs by a neck. It was another 5 1/2 lengths back to Sweetsouthernmoon in third, followed by Pirate Island.
ALTOONA, Iowa - Under a persistent right-handed drive by Glenn Corbett, the 11-1 Dirty Rotten Shame outlasted 85-1 longshot Sunshine Warrior by a half-length to win the $60,000 Prairie Meadows Juvenile Mile on Saturday, closing day of the Prairie Meadows meet.
Alternation became a millionaire Saturday night at Remington Park in Oklahoma City, when he edged Prayer for Relief by a nose in a spirited battle to the wire in the $200,000 Governor’s Cup. The race served as Alternation’s stepping-stone to a fall campaign that could take him to the Breeders’ Cup.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Old Time Hockey couldn’t catch My Best Brother in the opening-day Oceanside Stakes, but given an extra 110 yards to work with Saturday, plus a slight weight break, he was able to get up just in time and nose out My Best Brother in a thrilling renewal of the Grade 2, $147,000 La Jolla Handicap for 3-year-old turf horses at Del Mar.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Wise Dan, already a Grade 1 winner on dirt, gave every indication he may be even better on grass after exploding through the final furlong to a convincing five-length victory over Corporate Jungle in Saturday's $500,000 Fourstardave at Saratoga.
The Grade 2 Fourstardave was decided over a turf course softened by two days of rain and which was officially designated as yielding at post time. Both Data Link and Right One were scratched as a result of the softer conditions.
Apprentice jockey Scott Williams kept his hot streak going with a win aboard Hollywood Dreams in the colts and geldings division of the $50,000 3 & 4 Year Old Sales Stakes at Northlands Park on Saturday. Williams, who won six races at Northlands on Friday night, is the leading apprentice in Canada and going into Saturday’s card, he was tied with Rico Walcott for leading rider at Northlands.
Hollywood Dreams, trained by Dan Martiniuk, paid $7 for his front-running win over the 4-5 favorite Bond James Bond in the 6 1/2-furlong race. Points Alert finished third.
SHAKOPEE, MN - Heliskier wasn't 1-20 this time and there wasn't $200,000 in win wagers, but he stretched out to a mile and 70 yards in style, dominating seven other Minnesota-bred 3-year old males in the $65,000 Minnesota Derby, with Derek Bell riding at Canterbury Park.
"You always have concerns stretching out a horse," said trainer Mac Robertson. "Derek gave him a perfect ride sitting behind the speed, and it turned out to be a pretty easy race."
