Kiss My Hennessy won the second stakes race of his career Sunday at Ruidoso Downs, when he romped by 6 1/2 lengths in the $172,026 Rio Grande Senor Futurity. The race was the richest offering for Thoroughbreds on a $1.1 million program of 11 stakes restricted to horses bred in New Mexico. The program featured four stakes for Quarter Horses.
Jockey Luis Rodriguez and trainer Kenneth Gleason swept both Thoroughbred stakes run Sunday at Arapahoe Park, when they teamed to win the $35,000 Mount Elbert with Dance to the Star and the $40,663 Colorado Thoroughbred Breeders Oaks with Miss Suzannah.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Terri Pompay wishes Currency Swap could run all his races at Saratoga.
Pompay, a Saratoga native, brought Currency Swap back to the scene of his finest hour, a popular victory in last year’s Grade 1 Hopeful, and was rewarded with a 1 3/4-length triumph over Doctor Chit in Sunday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Amsterdam. The win was the third in as many starts at the Spa for Currency Swap who also captured his career debut here by six lengths last August.
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Even from 3,000 miles away, trainer Bob Baffert has the magic touch when it comes to the $1 million Haskell Invitational.
Baffert won his sixth Haskell – and third straight – as Paynter, the Belmont Stakes runner-up, cruised past pacesetting Gemologist around the far turn and then repelled a challenge from Nonios to win Sunday’s Grade 1 Haskell by 3 3/4 lengths before a crowd of 35,253 at Monmouth Park.
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Tune Me In, the longest price in the race, pulled off a 25-1 upset in the Grade 3, $152,500 Oceanport Stakes on the turf Sunday at Monmouth Park.
Trained by Bruce Alexander, Tune Me In got his first stakes victory by taking the race right to Get Serious, a two-time Oceanport winner and the 2-1 second choice.
In his usual fashion, Get Serious went right to the front, only to find the gray Tune Me In his constant companion.
The pace was painfully slow, 25.85 seconds and 50.12 as they raced as a team.
OCEANPORT, N.Y. – Corey Nakatani thought Brushed by a Star might be something special the first time he rode the filly last fall at Churchill Downs.
She has done nothing since to dispel that notion.
Sunday, taking a step up in class after an 11-length romp in the Iowa Distaff last month, Brushed by a Star went to the front under Nakatani and led all the way to take the Grade 2, $200,000 Molly Pitcher Stakes by 1 1/2 lengths at Monmouth Park.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Awesome Fire rallied from far back under Chantal Sutherland to capture the $250,400 Wonder Where Stakes for her brother, owner Hugh Sutherland, at Woodbine on Sunday.
Awesome Fire was making her first turf start in the 10-furlong Wonder Where, the final leg of the Canadian triple tiara, a lucrative series for Canadian-bred 3-year-old fillies. After breaking awkwardly, she trailed on the backstretch and then made her way into contention on the far turn.
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Laughing, the 6-5 favorite, beat Shimmering Moment by one length Sunday in the Grade 3, $150,000 Matchmaker for fillies and mares on the turf at Monmouth Park.
Freshened by trainer Alan Goldberg after running third to Zagora in the Grade 3 Gallorette on the Preakness undercard, Laughing was eager for the challenge.
After Silver Screamer grabbed the early lead, Rafael Bejarano guided Laughing to the front midway around the first turn. Silver Screamer kept pace until the top of the lane at which point Laughing sprinted clear.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – A pair of 2-1 shots, Roxy Gap and Atlantic Hurricane, staged an exciting stretch duel in Sunday’s $187,000 Royal North Stakes at Woodbine, with Roxy Gap coming out on top in the Grade 3 turf sprint for fillies and mares.
Roxy Gap made the lead at the head of the stretch in the six-furlong dash and then dug in gamely to prevail by a half-length in 1:09.18. Jenny’s So Great, who won this race last year, finished 2 1/4 lengths behind favored Atlantic Hurricane in third in a field reduced to six with the scratch of Honey Chile.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The Oklahoma training track was the focus of attention at Saratoga on Sunday morning, where four prospective starters for next Saturday’s Whitney got in important final preps for the Grade 1 fixture.
While the main track was too wet for any workout activity Sunday, the Oklahoma strip, although perhaps a bit heavier than normal from the moisture, was listed as fast and became a beehive of activity throughout the morning. Among the Whitney hopefuls to breeze were the Bill Mott-trained pair of Ron the Greek and Flat Out, along with Rule and Hymn Book.
