Key Donation put himself on the path to next month’s Grade 2, $500,000 Super Derby on Saturday, when he swept past dueling leaders Tensas Cold Front and Master Rick to win his stakes debut in the $100,000 Prelude at Louisiana Downs.
The Prelude was the richest of four stakes on the card, all designed as preps for Super Derby Day stakes on Sept. 8. The four races Saturday were worth a cumulative $250,000.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - Frankie Costa, a longtime New Jersey trainer known for his good humor and omnipresent cigar, died Friday. He was 77.
Monmouth Park made the announcement on Saturday morning.
Born in Italy, Costa was a jockey before turning to training in 1972.
“Frank was a New Jersey legend and a dear friend,” said Bob Kulina, president of Darby Development LLC, which operates Monmouth. “He was a fixture at Monmouth Park, one that will surely be missed.”
OCEANPORT, N.J. - Chamberlain Bridge looked like his old self on Saturday afternoon at Monmouth Park, surging in the lane to win the $62,000 My Frenchman Stakes for grass sprinters.
The 8-year-old gelding, the winner of the 2010 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, got his first win of the season in five tries. The victory followed a rousing second-place finish in the Arlington Sprint Stakes after blowing the break and falling far off the pace.
CHESTER, W.Va. – Macho Macho gave trainer Steve Asmussen a record fourth victory in the $750,000 West Virginia Derby when taking full advantage of a great trip to post a mild upset Saturday in the 43rd running of the Mountaineer Park showcase.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Fort Larned was training so well leading up to Saturday’s Grade 1, $750,000 Whitney Invitational Handicap that trainer Ian Wilkes couldn’t wait until Saturday to talk to his jockey.
So in mid-week he called Brian Hernandez, the Kentucky-based jockey who would be riding Fort Larned to share with him the good vibrations.
The conversation filled Hernandez with so much confidence that there were no nerves for the 26-year-old, who would be making his first ever trip to Saratoga.
CHESTER, W.Va. - Tapizar finished full of run Saturday after leading throughout and turning back a brief upper-stretch bid from Seruni to capture the $200,000 West Virginia Governor's Stakes, the richest supporting race on the West Virginia Derby program at Mountaineer Park.
Ridden by Corey Nakatani, Tapizar returned $3.40 as the heavy favorite in a field of six older horses in the Governor's. A 4-year-old colt by Tapit, he was making his first start in nearly five months. He finished the 1 1/16-mile distance in 1:42.57 over a fast track.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - She had won from last and from on the lead. Saturday, Julie's Love proved she could win from a stalking position as well.
After sitting third for most of the trip under Julien Leparoux, Julie's Love rallied past the front-runner Dancing to Town in deep stretch then held off the late-running favorite Dealbata to win Saturday's $100,000 De La Rose Stakes at Saratoga.
Dealbata, away last from the outside post under Ramon Dominguez, got up by a head over Dancing to Town for second.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario — Alpha Bettor, a 23-1 bomb, caught City Wolf in the final strides to notch his first stakes win Saturday at Woodbine in the Grade 3, $152,400 Seagram Cup.
Incredicat set honest fractions in the 1 1/6-mile route, with City Wolf in close proximity on the backstretch. City Wolf took control early in the stretch, and seemed headed for an overdue win, but Alpha Bettor came charging on the outside from fourth to score by a half-length, in 1:43.79.
James Street rallied for third, and favored Pool Play was a non-challenging fourth in the seven-horse field.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - The scene was emotional in the winner’s circle Saturday at Saratoga when Hall of Fame trainer Allen Jerkens Jr. greeted his 3-year-old filly Emma’s Encore following her last to first nose decision over Judy the Beauty in the Grade 1 Prioress.
Private Tutor ended up just shy of odds-on favorite Special Skills at the wire, but nevertheless wound up in the winner’s circle, thanks to a disqualification in Saturday’s $55,575 Nick Shuk Memorial Stakes for 2-year-olds at Delaware Park.
