Sun, 07/01/2012 - 17:37

Woodbine: Dominion Day second straight stakes win for Hunters Bay

Michael Burns
Emma Wilson guides Hunters Bay to a one-length victory in the Dominion Day.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario—Hunters Bay  outran a determined Pender Harbour en route to his second consecutive stakes win Sunday at Woodbine in the $208,000 Dominion Day.

Hunters Bay ($3.40) prevailed by a length in the Grade 3 fixture, while covering the 1 1/4-mile distance in 2:04.11. Pender Harbour finished a clear second after putting some mid-race pressure on pacemaker Straight Story, who set slow fractions before fading. Straight Story pulled up lame near the finish, and was vanned off.

Sun, 07/01/2012 - 16:24

Woodbine: Blue Heart rewards Solis's patient ride in Bison City

Michael Burns
Alex Solis rides Blue Heart to a 1 3/4-length victory in the Bison City for 3-year-old fillies.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario—Blue Heart split rivals around the sixteenth pole before drawing off to take the $250,000 Bison City Stakes under Alex Solis at Woodbine on Sunday.

Blue Heart stalked the leaders along the inside in the 1 1/16-mile route, as Casa Loma and Simple as That vied through slow fractions. The favored Black Bird Rock made a wide bid into contention on the far turn, but couldn’t match strides with Blue Heart, who kicked in strongly when she got clear en route to a 1 3/4-length tally in 1:45.77.

Sun, 07/01/2012 - 11:58

Evangeline: Star Guitar takes Louisiana Legends Classic for fourth time

OPELOUSAS, La. - Star Guitar extended his winning streak to 10 Saturday night at Evangeline Downs as he captured his fourth consecutive $100,000 Louisiana Legends Classic in track-record time.

Sun, 07/01/2012 - 10:49

Prairie Meadows: Hansen much the best in Iowa Derby

Coady Photography
Hansen, ridden by Ramon Dominguez, romps to a 10-length win in the Iowa Derby.

ALTOONA, Iowa -- 2011 champion 2-year-old colt Hansen lived up to his lofty reputation by winning the Grade 3, $245,000 Iowa Derby by 10 lengths Saturday night at Prairie Meadows.

Sent to the front from his inside berth by his regular rider Ramon Dominguez, Hansen led four other 3-year-olds on a procession. Responding strongly when briefly roused Dominguez into the stretch, Hansen quickly opened up six lengths on the stalking local hero Alsvid. The Mike Maker- trained Hansen was not fully extended in handily getting the Iowa Derby's 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.01.

Sun, 07/01/2012 - 10:39

Prairie Meadows: Fort Larned proves uncatchable in Cornhusker

Coady Photography
Fort Larned, under Brian Hernandez Jr., collects his second Grade 3 win of the season in the Cornhusker Handicap.

ALTOONA, Iowa -- Fort Larned broke on top, established a clear early lead, and was always in command to register a three-length win in Saturday night's Grade 3, $300,000 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap, the featured event of the Iowa Festival of Racing.

Sat, 06/30/2012 - 22:56

Charles Town: Sum of the Parts proves versatility by taking Red Legend

Mike Montgomery
Sum of the Parts, ridden by Leandro Goncalves, improves to 3 for 3 this season by taking the $400,000 Red Legend.

Clearly, the type of surface Sum of the Parts races on doesn’t matter. He can win on anything.

After launching his 3-year-old campaign with an easy score on Polytrack at Keeneland and a photo-finish victory in a six-furlong stakes on the Tapeta at Presque Isle Downs, Sum of the Parts shipped to Charles Town and conquered his seven 3-year-old rivals on dirt in Saturday night’s $400,000 Red Legend Stakes.

Sat, 06/30/2012 - 21:35

Churchill Downs: Circle Unbroken completes sweep of 2-year-old stakes for Simms

Reed Palmer Photography/Churchill Downs
Circle Unbroken, ridden by Jon Court, captures the Bashford Manor for 2-year-olds.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Garry Simms is leaving quite a legacy. Before Saturday, only four trainers in the long  history of Churchill Downs had won the track’s major spring stakes for 2-year-olds, the Debutante and the Bashford Manor, in the same year.

Make that five.

Simms, 60, joined that elite crowd on a sultry night when Circle Unbroken, getting a terrific ride from Jon Court, drove through a slight opening in midstretch to outfinish late-closing Positively to win the 111th running of the Grade 3, $109,800 Bashford Manor Stakes.

Sat, 06/30/2012 - 21:03

Hollywood Park: Jeranimo zooms from last to first in Shoemaker Mile

Benoit & Associates
Garrett Gomez guides Jeranimo to his first career Grade 1 victory in the Shoemaker Mile.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Jeranimo was last of eight on the final turn of Saturday’s $300,000 Shoemaker Mile at Betfair Hollywood Park - and that was fine with red-hot jockey Garrett Gomez.

“I thought, ‘Let’s wind him up, shoot him off the turn, and see what happens,’ ” Gomez recalled.

What happened was Jeranimo’s first win in a Grade 1 race. Rallying wide through the stretch, Jeranimo ($19.60) ran past his rivals to win the turf race by 1 1/4 lengths over the highly regarded Argentine import Suggestive Boy.

Jeranimo was timed in 1:33.97.

Sat, 06/30/2012 - 20:28

Penn National: Former leading jockey Thomas Clifton dies at 43

Thomas Clifton, 43, one of the top jockeys at Penn National for a 10-year period, died Friday following a two-year battle with cancer.

Clifton, a native of St. Louis, won 2,016 races during his career. He collected his 2,000th win at Penn National on July 15, 2010, his last season as a jockey. He became ill during the winter of 2010-2011.

Between 1999 and 2007, Clifton led the Penn National rider standings three times (1999, 2005, 2007) and was the runner-up in both 2003 and 2004. His best season came in 2003, when he won 204 races.

Sat, 06/30/2012 - 19:23

Arapahoe Park: Tulsa Te outruns favorite in CTBA Derby

Coady Photography
Tulsa Te, ridden by Russell Vicchrilli, prevails by a half-length over favored Magical Twist in the CTBA Derby.

Tulsa Te won the second stakes race of his career Saturday at Arapahoe Park, when he drove to a half-length win over favorite Magical Twist in the $43,650 Colorado Thoroughbred Breeders Association Derby. It was another 6 1/4 lengths back in third to King of Swat.

Tulsa Te ($6.40) was prominent throughout the 1 1/16-mile race for Colorado-breds, covering the distance on a track rated fast in 1:45.34. Russell Vicchrilli rode the winner for Willard Burbach and trainer Courtney Sarris.