HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Trainer Shug McGaughey had toyed with the idea of flying to New Orleans to watch his beloved Kentucky Wildcats play their arch rival Louisvile Cardinals in the semifinals of the NCAA basketball tournament instead of staying in town to saddle Hit It Rich in Saturday's $150,000 Orchid at Gulfstream Park.  As things turned out, the Hall of Fame horseman was glad he decided not to make the trip.

Mary Rampellini

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Jockey Alex Birzer swept both divisions of the Rainbow Stakes at Oaklawn Park on Saturday, when he took the fillies division with Spadra and the colts and geldings side with Primetime Dreamer. Each race was for 3-year-olds bred in Arkansas, and each had a purse of $60,000.

NEW ORLEANS - Believe You Can bounced back from a disappointing performance last month in the Rachel Alexandra Stakes, holding up through a taxing pace to win the Grade 2, $500,000 Fair Grounds Oaks by a head late Saturday afternoon.

Summer Applause, the 4-5 favorite, rallied determinedly in the final furlong and just missed running down the winner. But Believe You Can had a right to be tired after dueling through extremely fast early fractions of 22.88 seconds for the first quarter-mile and 46.47 for the opening half.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – He was right.

Trainer Patrick Byrne insisted for three weeks that his decision to scratch Take Charge Indy from the Tampa Bay Derby was the correct one, even if it meant rolling the dice on a Kentucky Derby berth against Union Rags and El Padrino in the Grade 1, $1 million Florida Derby on Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

A little more than two weeks ago, Sneaky Lil was running for a $7,500 claiming tag. Saturday afternoon at Pimlico, the 6-year-old Sneaky Lil became a stakes winner.

Making her first start for trainer Jamie Ness and Midwest Thoroughbreds, Sneaky Lil ($14.20) came from far off the pace under Abel Castellano Jr. to take the $50,000 Shine Again for Maryland-bred fillies and mares by four lengths.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Grace Hall likely established herself the favorite for the Kentucky Oaks after drawing off to an easy and extremely impressive 6 1/2-length  victory over the previously undefeated Zo Impressive in Saturday’s $300,000 Gulfstream Oaks.

Grace Hall, whose only defeat at 2 came at the hands of the champion My Miss Aurelia in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, bounced back in the Grade 2 Oaks from a surprising neck setback to longshot Yara when launching her 3-year-old campaign here in the Grade 2 Davona Dale.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Willa B Awesome closed from third in a field of five to catch pacesetter Reneesgotzip for an upset win in Saturday's $300,000 Santa Anita Oaks.

The result was a milestone win for the four-person partnership and trainer Walther Solis, their first win in a Grade 1 race. The result did little to clarify the chances of some of the West Coast's leading hopes for the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs on May 4.

NEW ORLEANS – Had she not run into traffic trouble, Artemus Kitten might have won the first stakes race of her career in the Feb. 4 Jersey Lily at Sam Houston, but the 4-year-old filly quickly made up for that missed chance by scoring a narrow victory over favored Upperline in the $98,000 Bayou Handicap on Saturday at Fair Grounds.

Ramon Dominguez, sidelined by a separated collarbone when unseated from Mob Wife on March 18, was named to ride two horses on Friday’s program when entries were taken Saturday.

Dominguez is listed on Cooper River, who will break from the rail in race 2, a New York-bred optional claiming sprint on the main track at 6 1/2 furlongs; and Rebellious Chic, who drew the outside post in race 7, a New York-bred allowance for fillies and mares scheduled for 1 1/6 miles on turf.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. -   Fort Larned, who has shown steady improvement since getting to Florida this winter, became a track record holder as well as a graded stakes winner for the first time after registering an impressive 2 1/2 -length victory over Alma d’Oro in Saturday’s $100,000 Skip Away at Gulfstream Park.