Cease served notice of his talent last summer at Saratoga, when he won a 1 1/8-mile maiden race by 13 lengths and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 102. Saturday night at Sam Houston Race Park, the horse recorded another memorable win at the 1 1/8-mile distance, this time taking down the first stakes win of his career in the $150,000 Maxxam Gold Cup.
The race for older horses was the richest dirt offering at the Sam Houston meet that closes March 12.
ARCADIA, Calif. – The largest pick six carryover of the Santa Anita winter meet –$430,582 – is up for grabs Sunday after pick-six bettors missed Friday and Saturday.
The two-day carryover into Sunday is expected to generate a gross pool (carryover plus new money) well beyond $2 million. Based on the modest field size and seemingly formful races, the pick six is likely to be hit Sunday.
ARCADIA, Calif.- Ron the Greek left jockey Jose Lezcano eager for the future after a runner-up finish in the Sunshine Millions Classic at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 28.
In that race over 1 1/8 miles, Ron the Greek closed well in the final furlong to finish 1 1/2 lengths behind Mucho Macho Man.
“It was a shorter distance and we couldn’t catch them,” Lezcano said.
The distance issue was solved when Ron the Greek started over 1 1/4 miles for the first time in Saturday’s $750,000 Santa Anita Handicap.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Willyconker, claimed last summer for $40,000 and risked by his current connections for $25,000 in October, completed his improbable rise from claimer to stakes winner by scoring an upset victory over highly regarded Mr. Commons in the Grade 1, $300,000 Kilroe Mile on Saturday at Santa Anita.
Willyconker ($23.20) outfinished Mr. Commons, the 4-5 favorite, by a neck through a furious final quarter-mile in 23.26 seconds. It was another length back to Compari in third, with Jeranimo fourth.
Willyconker completed one mile on firm turf in 1:33.88.
ARCADIA, Calif.- There is more to Eden’s Moon than her new status as a Grade 1 winner in Saturday’s $250,000 Las Virgenes Stakes at Santa Anita.
“She’s getting better and better,” trainer Bob Baffert said. “She’s not a polished horse.”
Eden’s Moon ($7) looked bright in the Las Virgenes, winning her stakes debut by 3 1/4 lengths over 6-5 favorite Reneesgotzip. Eden’s Moon gave owner Kaleem Shah of Virginia his first career Grade 1 win.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Fastestwhogetspaid was the longest shot in the $60,000 Gazebo at Oaklawn on Saturday 38-1, but he rallied with authority to catch Lake Victor on the wire for a nose win. It was another 2 1/4 lengths back in third to Mr Bluegrass Music.
The Gazebo, a six-furlong race for 3-year-olds, was formerly named the Mountain Valley.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Gotham Day wasn't just a big one for Hansen, it was huge business-wise for the New York Racing Association.
All-sources handle for Aqueduct's 11-race card Saturday was $14,341,072, up 28.5 percent from the 2011 figure of $11,162,859. Aqueduct also ran 11 races last year. There were 100 betting interests on Saturday's card, compared with 90 in 2011.
It is believed Hansen, who won the Gotham by three lengths, is the first 2-year-old champion to return the following year to race over Aqueduct's inner track.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Doubles Partner had never won a race at a mile and had not run a race at any distance for nearly 10 months. That's no problem for any horse coming from the Todd Pletcher stable.
Doubles Partner returned from his long layoff to outfinish 25-1 outsider Trend to register a three-quarter-length victory in Saturday's $150,000 Canadian Turf at Gulfstream Park. Little Mike, the defending Canadian Turf champ, succumbed after setting the pace through midstretch to finish fourth as the even money favorite.
State of Play won a photo over Ill Conceived after the pair hooked up leaving the half-mile pole Saturday in an exciting renewal of the $75,000 John Battaglia Memorial Stakes at Turfway Park in northern Kentucky.
The Tom Fool Handicap was run at seven furlongs for 35 years before being shortened to six furlongs in 2011. The distance change has been a fortuitous development for Calibrachoa, who on Saturday became the race's first back-to-back winner since Groovy in 1986-87. For Caleb's Posse, not so much.
