Passing Game, making his first start since winning his debut May 15 at Hollywood Park, circled the field five wide and rallied through the stretch to edge Chips All In by a neck to win the $62,540 Golden Nugget at Golden Gate Fields on Saturday.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The irony wasn’t lost on trainer Bob Baffert on Saturday at Hollywood Park, winning the Real Quiet Stakes with a colt whose grandfather is Victory Gallop.
“A horse I hate,” Baffert called Victory Gallop, the horse who denied Real Quiet’s quest to win the 1998 Triple Crown.
MIAMI - The well-traveled Turbo Compressor made his first start at Calder a memorable one, dominating Saturday’s $150,000 Carl G. Rose Handicap by 10 1/2 widening lengths over Manicero. Mad Flatter, winner of the Grade 3 Spend a Buck here four weeks earlier, chased the winner to no avail before finishing a tiring third as the 7-5 favorite in a field of six Florida-breds.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Tom Proctor tried to put a reverse jinx on himself this week when talking about how fillies who run well in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland sometimes tend to regress in the Mrs. Revere Stakes at Churchill Downs. Marketing Mix, a terrific second in the QE II last month for Proctor and owner Glen Hill Farm, was the favorite for the 21st Mrs. Revere on Saturday.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario — Straight Story, a 38-1 turf specialist from the United States, got the job done in his first start on synthetics Saturday at Woodbine in the $161,600 Autumn Stakes.
GROVE CITY, Ohio - Catlaunch did not disappoint his backers as the 1-5 favorite in the $50,000 Ruff Kirchberg Memorial Handicap Saturday at Beulah Park.
Trained by Ivan Vazquez, the 10-year-old was kept off the blazing early pace by jockey Luis Gonzalez as 50-1 longshot Key Low set the early fractions. Entering the far turn Gonzalez shook the reins at Catlaunch and he took over, drawing clear by four lengths in upper stretch. Catlaunch drifted out through the stretch - as he has in his last several races - but held on to win by 2 1/2 lengths over a late-closing Raise the Reward.
Art of the Hunt, fifth at the top of the stretch, rallied to overtake Lily Quatorze by a half-length in Saturday’s $60,000 Squan Song Stakes for Maryland-bred fillies and mares at Laurel Park.
An improving 3-year filly trained by Frannie Campitelli for Rosalee Davison, Art of the Hunt ($9.60) was cutting back slightly in distance for the seven-furlong Squan Song after a fourth in the Maryland Million Oaks and a runner-up finish in the Twixt, both at one mile.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Hit It Rich stalked the early pace, wrested command on the third and final turn, and drove clear to win Saturday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Long Island Handicap, completing a sweep of Aqueduct’s graded turf stakes for Shug McGaughey.
Breeders’ Cup winner Musical Romance is also done for the year. Trainer Bill Kaplan said Musical Romance, who skimmed the rail under jockey Juan Leyva to upset the Filly and Mare Sprint, came out of the race perfectly and is already back to the track galloping regularly over her home course at Calder.
“She’s glad to be back home and in her old stall,” said Kaplan.
MIAMI – My Pal Chrisy remained undefeated around two turns while handing Sweet Repent a rare setback over her home course when rallying to a decisive 3 1/4-length victory in Saturday’s $150,000 Elmer Heubeck Distaff Handicap at Calder. The Heubeck was one of eight stakes races on the Florida Million Day program.
