ETOBICOKE, Ontario — Blues Dancing outran the other speed and kept on going to capture the $125,000 Lady Angela Stakes at Woodbine on Sunday.
Blues Dancing ($15.10) set honest fractions under Luis Contreras in the seven-furlong sprint, en route to a 3 ¾-length win over a stalking Miss Scarlet Road. Memories Last Love, another longshot, finished third, and favored Grace Phil was fourth in the eight-horse field of Ontario-sired 3-year-old fillies.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Jockey Kent Desormeaux, who failed a Breathalyzer test last Friday which prompted the Belmont Park stewards to remove him from three mounts that day, was cleared to return to the saddle on Sunday.
In his only mount on Sunday’s Belmont program, Desormeaux finished last aboard 3-4 favorite She’s Very Rare in the first race.
INGLEWOOD, Calif.- An ongoing battle with weight will keep Patrick Valenzuela from riding in the near future, the jockey said on Sunday.
Valenzuela took off his lone mount on Sunday and said later in the day that he is struggling to control his weight.
“I can’t get my weight off,” Valenzuela said in a phone interview. “I’m 126 [pounds]. It is tough and it’s tougher than I thought.
“I ran this morning and I got to 126. I was 129. Until I’m get my weight down I’m not going to name on horses. It’s not fair to horsemen.”
ELMONT, N.Y. - After two trouble-free trips winning the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, I’ll Have Another on Sunday encountered a traffic-filled journey from Pimlico to Belmont Park, where on June 9 he will attempt to win the Belmont Stakes and become Thoroughbred racing’s 12th Triple Crown winner.
Due mainly to an accident on the New Jersey Turnpike, it took I’ll Have Another nearly 5 1/2 hours to van from Pimlico. The trip usually takes around four hours.
Strong favorites Summer Breezing and Opus A got the job done in a pair of overnight stakes on Sunday’s card at Belmont Park.
Summer Breezing ($3.10), back on turf following a 10 1/2-length romp on Keeneland’s Polytrack, overcame a bumping incident which caused him to steady to post a half-length victory in the $90,000 Tiller for 3-year-olds.
Russell Road, shortening up to 4 1/2 furlongs for only the second time in his 34-race career, scored a two-length victory in Saturday night’s $50,900 It’s Only Money Stakes for West Virginia-breds at Charles Town.
Ridden by Luis Perez for owner Mark Russell and trainer James W. Casey, Russell Road ($2.40) took over from Henry the Lover with a sixteenth remaining and drew away under moderate urging. He completed the distance in 51.62 seconds.
Henry the Lover easily held second by 2 1/2 lengths. Mastic Village nosed out Speedy Sammy for third.
ALTOONA, Iowa -- Praire Cougar resisted the persistent challenge of stable companion Sacred Romance to win the $67,641 Bob Bryant Stakes, a six-furlong event for Iowa-bred 3 year old fillies Saturday night at Prairie Meadows.
Giving her trainer Ray Tracy his 500th victory at Prairie Meadows, Praire Cougar proved best of Tracy's trio in the six-horse field when edging clear late for a three-length tally.
My Three Girls gained the advantage in deep stretch and then held off a desperate late bid from heavy favorite Little Polka Dot to capture Saturday night’s $50,000 Tellike Stakes at Evangeline Downs.
Only a neck separated the top two at the wire and it was another neck back to Storm’s Promise, who vied with the winner through rapid fractions of 21.56 and 44.16 seconds in the five-furlong turf sprint for fillies and mares.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Our Eleanor benefitted from a hotly contested duel between heavily favored Claresmiezie and longshot Vinoterra to win the Ross McLeod for 3-year-old fillies at Hastings on Saturday. She paid $13.80 as the third choice in the eight-horse field.
With Amadeo Perez aboard, Our Eleanor was sitting comfortably in mid pack while Claresmiezie and Vinoterra battled it out through extremely fast fractions of 21.60 and 44.48 seconds. Perez started moving Our Eleanor into contention on the stretch turn and she took command of the race in midstretch.
BALTIMORE – I’ll Have Another is bound for the bright lights of Broadway. He pulled out of Pimlico Racecourse on Sunday morning, headed to Belmont Park in New York, where on June 9 he will attempt to become the 12th winner of the Triple Crown, and the first since Affirmed in 1978.
