Sun, 12/11/2011 - 19:45

Hollywood Park: Tiz Flirtatious stays unbeaten by taking Cat's Cradle

BENOIT PHOTO
The unbeaten filly Tiz Flirtatious wins her third straight race under Joel Rosario in the Cat's Cradle.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Tiz Flirtatious remained perfect after three starts with a comfortable win in her stakes debut in Sunday’s $85,800 Cat’s Cradle Handicap at Hollywood Park.

Sun, 12/11/2011 - 19:23

Hollywood Park: So Brilliant will miss CashCall Futurity

Benoit & Associates
So Brilliant, (6), with Martin Garcia up, holds off the late run of Brother Francis to win the Hollywood Prevue.

So Brilliant, the undefeated winner of the Grade 3 Hollywood Prevue Stakes on Nov. 24, will miss Saturday’s $750,000 CashCall Futurity because of an elevated temperature, trainer Bob Baffert said on Sunday.

“He left a little feed,” Baffert said.

The absence of So Brilliant still leaves Baffert with three probable starters in the CashCall Futurity, the final Grade 1 race of the year for 2-year-olds.

Sun, 12/11/2011 - 18:04

Gulfstream: Irish filly Thai Haku scores first U.S. victory in South Beach

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla .-  Chad Brown said he had a pretty good teacher when it came to taking European imports and winning races in the U.S.  That teacher was the late Bobby Frankel and he would have been proud of the job Brown has done with Thai Haku, an Irish-bred filly who rallied to a 1 /4-length victory over the 45-1 Hooh Why in Sunday’s $60,000 South Beach Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

Sun, 12/11/2011 - 17:51

Hollywood Park: Some are skeptical P Val's retirement will last long

Benoit & Associates
"I just want to be able to be in good standing in California, so I can ride all over the country, participate in all the big races." - Patrick Valenzuela

ARCADIA, Calif.- Hanging around Clocker’s Corner at Santa Anita over the weekend, jockey agent Tom Knust heard countless theories and predictions regarding jockey Patrick Valenzuela’s decision to retire from riding last Friday.

Put simply, there were not too many believers among the racing flock that Valenzuela would stay retired.

“The bet is who will come back first – Jenine Sahadi or Patrick,” Knust said.

Sun, 12/11/2011 - 15:29

Los Alamitos: Good Reason Sa pulls off 15-1 shocker in Champion of Champions

Good Reason (inside) narrowly defeats Sparky E Boy in the $750,000 Champion of Champions.

LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. - Good Reason Sa ended a wildly-successful career, and may have earned a championship, with a victory in Saturday’s $750,000 Champion of Champions at Los Alamitos for older Quarter Horses.

A 4-year-old, Good Reason Sa will stand at stud in Oklahoma in 2012.

Sun, 12/11/2011 - 15:16

Hollywood Park: Weemissfrankie needs surgery on leg injured in Hollywood Starlet

Benoit & Associates
Weemissfrankie, with Rafael Bejarano riding, wins the Oak Leaf.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Weemissfrankie, one of the nation’s top 2-year-old fillies, was scheduled to undergo surgery on Sunday afternoon after being diagnosed with a non-displaced condylar fracture following a fourth-place finish in Saturday’s Grade 1 Hollywood Starlet Stakes.

Trainer Peter Eurton said that prominent veterinarian Dr. C. Wayne McIlwraith was scheduled to conduct the surgery at an equine clinic in Cypress, Calif., not far from Los Alamitos Racecourse, on Sunday afternoon.

“She did get injured,” Eurton said. “It’s a non-displaced fracture.”

Sun, 12/11/2011 - 14:52

Aqueduct: Sam Sparkle ends 12-racing losing streak in Hunch

Trainer Gary Contessa wasn’t planning on running Sam Sparkle in Sunday’s $60,000 Hunch Stakes for 3-year-olds at Aqueduct and only did so when a first-level allowance race didn’t fill.

Sun, 12/11/2011 - 11:35

Turfway: La Gran Bailadora much the best in My Charmer

Patrick Lang/Lang Photography
La Gran Bailadora scores by three lengths as the heavy favorite under jockey Victor Lebron in the My Charmer.

To the surprise of virtually no one, La Gran Bailadora dominated the $50,000 My Charmer Stakes on Saturday night at Turfway Park, continuing her pattern of excellence over the Polytrack surface at the Florence, Ky., track.

La Gran Bailadora, a 4-year-old Afleet Alex filly bred and owned by central Kentucky banker Tracy Farmer, returned $3.20 as a three-length winner of the 1 1/16-mile race and now has won 5 of 7 starts over the Turfway Poly. Victor Lebron was aboard for trainer Mike Maker.

Sun, 12/11/2011 - 11:28

Remington: Ted's Folly takes Springboard Mile for sixth straight victory

Dustin Orona Photography
Ted's Folly, stretching out around two turns for the first time, takes the Springboard Mile under jockey Jose Medina.

Ted’s Folly unleashed a devastating, six-wide move around the final turn in Saturday night’s $300,000 Springboard Mile at Remington Park, then flew past his rivals in the stretch to notch his sixth straight win. He scored by 1 1/4 lengths  over Reckless Jerry, while it was another head back in third to Pee H Dee.

Sat, 12/10/2011 - 20:31

Sunland: Dominguez's hot hand carries over to new meet in KLAQ Handicap

Henry Dominguez, who last weekend set a Zia Park record for trainer earnings while winning his sixth title at the track, continued his hot pace Saturday when he won the first  Thoroughbred stakes of the Sunland Park meet with Jam’n Jackson.