ARCADIA, Calif. - Secret Circle remained unbeaten after two starts, and earned a trip to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint at Churchill Downs next month, with an emphatic victory in Monday's $71,340 Jack Goodman Stakes at Santa Anita.
Ridden by Rafael Bejarano, Secret Circle stalked pacesetters Sweep Swap and A Toe by Three for the first half-mile, took the lead in early stretch and won by a comfortable 5 1/4 lengths. Secret Circle ran six furlongs in 1:08.27.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - By winning the Grade 1 Darley Alcibiades on Friday's opening-day card at Keneland, Stephanie’s Kitten earned an automatic berth into the BC Juvenile Fillies, but owner Ken Ramsey and trainer Wayne Catalano said they are more likely to keep the filly on a familiar surface and run her instead in the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf on the same Nov. 4 card.
BREEDERS' CUP CHALLENGE: Racing schedule, replays, and past winners »
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Gio Ponti, whose rallying triumph in the Shadwell Turf Mile on Saturday at Keeneland was a high point of an incredibly eventful opening FallStars weekend here, returned Sunday evening to Belmont Park in New York, where he will begin preparations later this week for his final career start in the Nov. 5 BC Mile at Churchill Downs.
Owner Shane Ryan of Castleton Lyons and trainer Christophe Clement took part in an emotional celebration as Gio Ponti returned to the winner’s circle afterward, fully aware of the import of the moment.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario—Jenna’s Wabbit ran a hole in the wind on the front end in Monday’s $125,400 Bull Page Stakes, covering six furlongs in 1:09.91 in the race for Ontario-sired 2-year-olds at Woodbine.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Julien Leparoux had his run of good luck extended Sunday, even without winning a race. Leparoux already had enjoyed a sensational first two days of the Keeneland fall meet by riding four winners Friday and another four Saturday, but it was a crashing defeat in the Bourbon Stakes on Sunday that might have yielded the most fortunate result of his entire weekend.
LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. - The 7-year-old Quarter Horse gelding Jess You and I won the seventh Grade 1 race of his 34-race career in Sunday’s $150,000 Los Alamitos Championship, earning a berth to the $750,000 Champion of Champions on Dec. 10.
Owned by the List family’s Double Bar S Ranch and trained by Paul Jones, Jess You and I won the 2008 Champion of Champions, the year he was named champion aged gelding and overall champion aged horse.
STICKNEY, Ill. – Watching three horses – Headache, Where’s Sterling, and Cease – with no Grade 1 credentials slog through the Hawthorne Race Course homestretch in Saturday’s Hawthorne Gold Cup hardly put one in a Breeders’ Cup state of mind. But despite appearances, the Gold Cup, it turns out, could produce several Breeders’ Cup starters.
Prayer for Relief breezed Monday at Santa Anita and later the same morning trainer Bob Baffert said the horse will target the $400,000 Oklahoma Derby. Prayer for Relief will be part of a coast-to-coast cast for Sunday’s 1 1/8-mile race at Remington Park, as a Monday flight that originated in New York and swept through Kentucky has brought in Infrattini, Malibu Glow, Meistersinger, Populist Politics, Redeemed, and Socialsaul.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Trainer Juan Arias believes Atlantic Bull has the pedigree to successfully stretch out on the Keeneland turf Wednesday, but he laughs when relating a cautionary tale.
“I’m bred to be a millionaire, but I’m poor,” he said.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The fields for Woodbine’s three Grade 1 turf stakes on Sunday remained in flux as of Monday morning with a total of 17 candidates for the $1.5 million Canadian International, 14 for the $1 million E.P. Taylor, and 16 for the $500,000 Nearctic.
