VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Taylor Said came from just off the pace to win the 6 1/2-furlong John Longden 6000 in a very brisk time of 1:15.77 at Hastings on Sunday.
Sent off as the favorite in the $50,000 sprint for 3-year-olds and up, Taylor Said was expected to set the pace in the 11-horse field. He was outrun by Northern Causeway and St. Liams Halo early, however, and Fernando Perez was forced to steady Taylor Said when he was full of run going into the first turn.
ALBANY, Calif. – Stormy Lucy made her stakes, route, and turf debut in the $75,000 Golden Poppy at Golden Gate Fields on Sunday and then did something familiar.
The daughter of Stormy Atlantic posed for pictures in the winner’s circle for the third straight time.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Making her first start since January, Grade 1 winner Teddy’s Promise closed from last in a field of six fillies and mares to win Sunday’s $84,950 Time To Leave Stakes at Betfair Hollywood Park.
Ridden by Victor Espinoza, Teddy’s Promise ($7.80) finished a half-length in front of Rumor, who was a half-length in front of Pink Lollipops. Izzy Rules, the 3-2 favorite, finished fifth after racing near the front for the first half-mile.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Essence Hit Man ran them off their feet in the $168,000 Vigil Stakes, winning the Grade 3 event over a sharp Big Band Sound at Woodbine on Sunday.
Essence Hit Man ($3.70), last year’s champion sprinter in Canada, set moderate fractions of 22.56 seconds and 45.16 in the seven-furlong test. He maintained a clear lead through the stretch before tiring late and got home on top by three-quarters of a length, in 1:22.28.
Sunny Desert and I’ll Stake U won divisions of Sunday’s $100,000 New York Stallion Stakes for 3-year-old New York-breds.
In the Park Avenue division for fillies, Sunny Desert came through a narrow opening inside and took a head-bob nose decision over Hot Splash.
Sunny Desert ($6), coming off a big maiden win for John Parisella, ran 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:17.10 over a fast main track and was the second winner on the day for Ramon Dominguez.
Lenders Way edged the maiden Sweet Moon for third.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The screaming, shouting, and celebrating was short-lived at trainer Doug O’Neill’s stable at Betfair Hollywood Park on Saturday afternoon following the win by I’ll Have Another in the Kentucky Derby.
The reality of backstretch life interfered in the moments after the race. It was time to head for the paddock to prepare another starter.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Homicide detectives from the Louisville Metro Police Department opened a death investigation Sunday after a man’s body was discovered in Barn 8 in the Churchill Downs stable area just before 5 a.m. Eastern, some 10 hours after the 138th Kentucky Derby was run.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – On the morning of Feb. 27, less than 24 hours after Union Rags’s triumphant 3-year-old debut in the Fountain of Youth, trainer Michael Matz stood beaming outside his barn at the Palm Meadows training center, secure and confident in the knowledge that he had the horse to beat in the Kentucky Derby.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Less than 48 hours after his victory in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, I’ll Have Another will travel to Baltimore to begin preparations for the second leg of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes, on May 19 at Pimlico.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Florida Derby winner Take Charge Indy came out of his 19th-place finish in Saturday’s Kentucky Derby with a chip in his left front ankle and will miss the major summer races, trainer Pat Byrne said Sunday morning.
Byrne said Take Charge Indy would undergo surgery early this week to have the chip removed. After 60 days of inactivity, Take Charge Indy will resume training, and Byrne hopes to get the horse back for a fall campaign.
