Sun, 01/01/2012 - 19:51

Santa Anita: Bauble Queen rallies late to win Robert Frankel Stakes

Benoit & Associates
Bauble Queen, with Garrett Gomez up, runs down Turning Top to win the Robert Frankel Stakes at Santa Anita.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Jockey Garrett Gomez turned 40 on Sunday. He didn’t ride like an old guy.

Gomez celebrated in ideal fashion, sweeping the two stakes at Santa Anita. Gomez won the minor Kalookan Queen Handicap with Rumor and guided Bauble Queen to a dramatic victory in the $150,000 Robert Frankel Stakes for turf females.

Bauble Queen ($8.80) closed from fifth in the field of six to win the Grade 2 Frankel Stakes by a half-length over pacesetter Turning Top.

Sun, 01/01/2012 - 19:07

Sunland Park: Desert Hennessy tops Marr-trained exacta in Dominguez Memorial Handicap

Coady Photography
Desert Hennessy beats stablemate Cross Chris Run to the wire in the Albert Dominguez Memorial at Sunland Park.

Trainer Joel Marr accounted for the exacta in the $110,000 Albert Dominguez Memorial Handicap at Sunland Park on Sunday, when Desert Hennessy drove to about a length win over stablemate Cross Chris Run.

The 1 1/16-mile race was restricted to 4-year-olds and up bred in New Mexico.

Desert Hennessy ($7) settled into a stalking position after the break and was floated four wide into the first turn. He continued to stalk the leaders down the backside, advanced four wide around the final turn, and went on to cover the distance on a track rated fast in 1:43.78.

Sun, 01/01/2012 - 18:14

Santa Anita: Rumor wins Kalookan Queen Handicap, points to Santa Monica Stakes

Benoit & Associates
Rumor gets a perfect trip to win the Kalookan Queen Handicap at Santa Anita.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Rumor is likely to start in the $300,000 Santa Monica Stakes at Santa Anita on Jan. 28 after winning her second consecutive minor stakes in Sunday’s $79,500 Kalookan Queen Handicap.

Given an ideal ride by jockey Garrett Gomez, Rumor stalked a torrid early pace of 20.97 and 43.30 seconds set by Excellent News before taking the lead in early stretch. Rumor won by 2 1/4 lengths over Saint Isabelle, the 9-5 favorite. Big Tiz closed from eighth to finish third in the field of nine fillies and mares.

Sun, 01/01/2012 - 18:04

Gulfstream Park: Reveron caps big day for trainer Bezara in Gulfstream Park Derby

Barbara D. Livingston
Reveron holds off Casual Trick to win the $100,000 Gulfstream Park Derby by a half-length.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. –  Trainer Augustin Bezara started 60 percent of his five-horse stable Sunday, all three of whom won including Reveron in the inaugural $100,000 Gulfstream Park Derby.

Bezara was a leading trainer in his native Venezuela prior to coming to the United States two years ago. He’d already won the third race with Mommy’s Image and the fifth with Sweetlandofliberty before sending out Reveron to make his stakes debut in the first derby of the New Year in the United States.

Sun, 01/01/2012 - 17:44

Gulfstream Park: Sacristy rallies to stay perfect on dirt in Old Hat Stakes

Barbara D. Livingston
Sacristy scores a 1 3/4-length victory over Say a Novena in Sunday’s Grade 3, $100,000 Old Hat Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Sacristy remained undefeated since switching to dirt and became a stakes winner in the process, rallying from last to a 1 3/4-length victory over Say a Novena in Sunday’s Grade 3, $100,000 Old Hat Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

Sacristy finished a distant second in each of her first two starts, both of which came over synthetic surfaces at Arlington Park and Keeneland. Trainer Wayne Catalano switched Sacristy to dirt for the first time at Churchill Downs for her 2-year-old finale, where she rallied to an easy 6 3/4-length victory.

Sun, 01/01/2012 - 16:41

Aqueduct: Nicole H repeats in Interborough Stakes

Adam Coglianese/NYRA
Nicole H wins the $75,000 Interborough Stakes by a neck over Winning Image.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Considering how long trainer Mike Hushion and jockey Ramon Dominguez were talking after the race, one wouldn’t have figured that they had just won Sunday’s $75,000 Interborough Stakes at Aqueduct with Nicole H.

While naturally pleased with the victory, Hushion was concerned that Nicole H, the defending Interborough winner and 2-5 favorite for this year’s renewal, wasn’t her dominating self and only won the race by a neck over Winning Image.

Sun, 01/01/2012 - 16:18

Santa Anita: Game On Dude works, eyes San Antonio Stakes

Justin N. Lane
Game On Dude could make his 2012 debut in the $200,000 San Antonio Stakes.

Game On Dude, runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs on Nov. 5, worked a half-mile in 48.20 seconds on Sunday and could make his 2012 debut in the $200,000 San Antonio Stakes, trainer Bob Baffert said.

The winner of the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap here last March and the Grade 1 Goodwood Stakes here in October, Game On Dude has had three workouts since resuming training last month.

Sun, 01/01/2012 - 16:10

Santa Anita: Regally Ready, Caracortado drill for Daytona Stakes

Justin N. Lane
Regally Ready will make his first start since a BC Turf Sprint win in the $100,000 Daytona Stakes on Jan. 8 at Santa Anita.

Regally Ready and Caracortado, first and fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Churchill Downs on Nov. 5, worked Sunday in advance of the $100,000 Daytona Stakes on the hillside turf course on Jan. 8.

Regally Ready, trained by Steve Asmussen, worked five furlongs in 1:02.20. Caracortado, trained by Mike Machowsky, worked the same distance in 57.80 seconds, the fastest of 37 recorded works at the distance.

“He worked a little faster than I wanted,” Machowsky said.

Sun, 01/01/2012 - 15:16

Santa Anita: Turbulent Descent to get break after disappointing La Brea finish

Shigeki Kikkawa
Turbulent Descent finished sixth in Saturday's La Brea Stakes at Santa Anita.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Turbulent Descent will be rested in coming weeks and will not start in the $300,000 Santa Monica Stakes on Jan. 28 after a sixth-place finish in Saturday’s La Brea Stakes at Santa Anita.

“I’ll evaluate her this week,” trainer Mike Puype said. “It looks like she’ll need a rest.”

Turbulent Descent was the 1-2 favorite in the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes for 3-year-old fillies. Last of nine on the backstretch, she made little impression in the stretch and finished 5 1/4 lengths behind 16-1 upset winner Teddy’s Promise.

Sun, 01/01/2012 - 14:36

Aqueduct: Extra distance no problem for C C’s Pal in Ladies Handicap

Adam Coglianese/NYRA
C C's Pal scores a 2 3/4-length victory in the Ladies Handicap at Aqueduct.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The connections of C C’s Pal felt their 5-year-old mare was doing so well that, if permitted, they would have run her in both the Ladies Handicap and Interborough Stakes on Sunday at Aqueduct.

New York rules don’t permit that and believing the Ladies was an easier spot than the Interborough, trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. chose the longer of the two races and was rewarded when C C’s Pal cruised to a 2 3/4-length victory over Bahama Bound in the $75,000 Ladies.