ALBANY, Calif. – Awesome Gem had done just about everything in a 50-race career, but did something new in winning the $100,000 Grade 3 Berkeley Handicap at Golden Gate Fields on Monday.
The multi-millionaire won on a disqualification for the first time in his career.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Belle Royale has such a low-key approach to the first half of her races that trainer Simon Callaghan almost describes her as lazy.
The second half of a race is a much different situation.
For the second time in as many months, Belle Royale closed from the rear of a field to win a turf stakes for females in Southern California.
She won the minor American Beauty Stakes at Santa Anita on April 7 in her American debut, and won the most prestigious race of her career in Monday’s $250,000 Gamely Stakes at Betfair Hollywood Park.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Roman Threat won his first stakes in Monday’s $100,000 Los Angeles Handicap at Betfair Hollywood Park, leaving jockey Rafael Bejarano to question how much the promising sprinter can accomplish in coming months.
The Grade 3 Los Angeles Handicap was a milestone win for trainer Bob Baffert, his 84th at Hollywood Park. Baffert is tied with fellow Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas on the all-time list. The late Charles Whittingham won 222 stakes.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Nates Mineshaft returned to his front-running ways one race after a 20-length defeat and the result was a cruising, 7 1/4-length win in the Grade 3, $300,000 Lone Star Park Handicap on Monday. Get in Da House finished second in the 1 1/16- mile race, edging Night Party by a half-length. The handicap was the richest race of the meet at Lone Star Park.
Startin Something settled just off the leaders outside into the turn, rallied four wide into the stretch, made the lead inside the eighth pole under Scott Speith, and drew away to a 1 3/4-length win in the $50,000 Angenora Stakes for Ohio-accredited fillies and mares on Monday afternoon at Thistledown.
ELMONT, N.Y. - It took a Classic winner to win a classic renewal of the Metropolitan Handicap.
Shackleford, the 2011 Preakness winner, used his speed to secure a clear early advantage and then withstood the furious rally of Caleb's Posse to win Monday's Grade 1, $750,000 Metropolitan Handicap by a nose at steamy Belmont Park. It was three lengths back to 6-5 favorite To Honor and Serve in third.
Caixa Eletronica, Jackson Bend, and Saginaw completed the order of finish.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - Ruthenia stormed home to pull a 10-1 upset in the Grade 3, $103,000 Violet Stakes on Sunday at Monmouth Park. The Violet, a longtime fixture at the Meadowlands Racetrack, capped a big weekend for trainer Christophe Clement on the Jersey Shore. He also won the Lamplighter Stakes on Saturday with Malibu Way and is 4 for 6 at the meet.
ELMONT, N.Y. - She may play games in the morning, but in the afternoon It's Tricky is all business.
After chasing the front-running Cash for Clunkers for more than a mile of the 1 1/16-mile Grade 1 Ogden Phipps Handicap, It's Tricky, under Eddie Castro, caught that rival with 20 yards to go and won the $400,000 Phipps by three-quarters of a length at Belmont Park.
Given that Al’s Deputy hadn’t finished better than fourth in his last five starts dating back to October, it was no surprise that he was a 20-1 outsider in Monday’s first stakes of the season at Finger Lakes. Considering how trainer Charlton Baker has dominated the George W. Barker Stakes, however, 20-1 was a huge price on Al’s Deputy.
A 6-year-old gelding beaten more than 27 combined lengths in his three most recent starts and idle since March, Al’s Deputy closed strongly in the stretch to upset the $50,000 Barker, a six-furlong sprint for New York-breds.
