Sun, 12/18/2011 - 17:45

Hollywood Park: Majestic City will put blinkers back on for Sham

Barbara D. Livingston
Majestic City's future may well be in racing on grass.

Rousing Sermon and Brother Francis, second and third in the CashCall Futurity at Hollywood Park, and Majestic City, 10th as the 3-1 favorite, are bound for stakes at Santa Anita, but are likely for different races.

Majestic City will make his next start $100,000 Sham Stakes over a mile on Jan. 7 or the $75,000 San Pedro Stakes over 6 1/2 furlongs on Jan. 22, trainer Peter Miller said.

Sun, 12/18/2011 - 17:40

Hollywood Park: CashCall Futurity flop relegates Drill to sprints in future

Shigeki Kikkawa
After three straight defeats going 1 1/16 miles, Drill will focus on one-turn races this winter, according to trainer Bob Baffert.

INGLEWOOD, Calif.- Drill, the Grade 1 winner who finished ninth in Saturday’s $750,000 CashCall Futurity at Hollywood Park, will run in one-turn races this winter, trainer Bob Baffert said on Sunday.

The two stablemates who finished in front of him – race winner Liaison and Sky Kingdom, who was fourth, will start in Kentucky Derby preps this winter, as expected.

Sun, 12/18/2011 - 16:39

Aqueduct: Tiz the Argument, San Pablo post near-identical times in stakes wins

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Late-blooming 3-year-olds Tiz the Argument and San Pablo posted impressive victories in $60,000 overnight stakes at Aqueduct on  Sunday, and recorded virtually identical final times.

In the Let Me Linger for fillies, Tiz the Argument ($5.10) stalked 9-5 second choice Love and Pride from the outset, and surged past approaching midstretch to draw away by 7 3/4 lengths. She was the third winner of the day for apprentice Ryan Curatolo.

Sun, 12/18/2011 - 12:28

Charles Town: Navy Chapel resumes winning ways by taking Eleanor Casey Memorial

Mike Montgomery
The 2-year-old filly Navy Chapel secures her third stakes victory of the season in the Eleanor Casey Memorial.

Navy Chapel bounced back from her first career defeat in last month’s Tri-State Futurity to score by 1 1/2 lengths in Saturday night’s $51,100 Eleanor Casey Memorial Stakes for West Virginia-bred 2-year-old fillies at Charles Town.

Sun, 12/18/2011 - 12:12

Gulfstream: Grade 3 winner Little Mike tunes up for comeback

Bob Coglianese
Little Mike, with Joe Bravo, wins the Appleton.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. -   The turf course was open for workouts Sunday morning at Gulfstream Park, the first time the inner strip has been available for training since the 2011-2012 meet began on Dec. 3.

The first horse to take advantage of the opportunity to work on the grass was one of the turf stars of the 2011 session, Little Mike, who won three Grade 3 races over this course last winter. With Joe Bravo aboard, Little Mike worked five furlongs in 58.86 seconds, posting splits of 24.01 and 36.06 seconds while put under some brief but mild encouragement inside the eighth pole.

Sun, 12/18/2011 - 11:53

Turfway: Proceed Bee best by head in Prairie Bayou

Patrick Lang/Lang Photography
Proceed Bee, ridden by Rodney Prescott, captures the Prairie Bayou.

Chicago invader Proceed Bee overtook a pack of tiring leaders turning for home, then barely withstood a late run by Wealth to Me to post a head victory Saturday night in the $50,000 Prairie Bayou Stakes at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky.

Sat, 12/17/2011 - 20:23

Hollywood Park: Liaison holds off Rousing Sermon in CashCall Futurity

Benoit & Associates
Liaison captures his third straight race and second consecutive stakes in the Grade 1 CashCall Futurity.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Trainer Bob Baffert won his record sixth CashCall Futurity on Saturday at Hollywood Park with Liaison, and it couldn’t have come at a more poignant time, because earlier this week, Liaison’s sire, Indian Charlie, died.

Sat, 12/17/2011 - 18:04

Turf Paradise: Hezamazing noses out Forest Mouse in Hank Mills Handicap

Hezamazing took advantage of a sizzling pace and overcame trouble to post a 10-1 upset in Saturday’s $35,000 Hanks Mills Sr. Handicap at Turf Paradise.

Sat, 12/17/2011 - 17:54

Gulfstream: Trickmeister completes five-win day for Castellano in Harlan's Holiday

Bob Coglianese
Javier Castellano collects one of five wins on Saturday's card by guiding Trickmeister to an easy victory in the Harlan's Holiday.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. -  Trickmeister may have been out of sight but he’s no longer out of mind in the handicap division after returning from a 16-month hiatus to dominate Saturday’s $60,000 Harlan’s Holiday Stakes at Gulfstream Park by  5 1/4 lengths over Our Dark Knight. Trickmeister was ridden to victory by Javier Castellano, who posted his fifth win on the card.

Sat, 12/17/2011 - 17:45

Golden Gate: Antares World re-rallies to upset odds-on Halo Dolly in Pacific Heights

Vassar Photography
Antares World gets up in time to win the Pacific Heights under jockey Frank Alvarado after losing position on the far turn.

ALBANY, Calif. - Antares World rallied through the lane on Saturday at Golden Gate Fields to avenge her second-place finish in last year’s Pacific Heights Stakes while scoring her first victory of the year.

Last year's of the race had to be switched to the main track, but this year's edition of the $75,000 Pacific Heights, for older fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles, remained on the turf.