Humble Smarty held his ground along the inside to win a three-way photo over Herecomesbert and Native Ruler in the inaugural $100,000 David M. Vance Stakes at Remington Park on Friday night. The three horses hit the wire in a tight finish, with Humble Smarty prevailing by a nose over Herecomesbert. It was another nose back in third to Native Ruler.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Acclamation will start in Sunday’s $150,000 Clement Hirsch Turf Championship at Santa Anita and will be scratched from Saturday’s $250,000 Goodwood Stakes, trainer Don Warren said on Friday afternoon.
Warren and majority owner Bud Johnston discussed options on Friday and decided to keep Acclamation in the turf race. Earlier this year, Acclamation won three graded stakes on turf at Hollywood Park and Del Mar. He then won the $1 million Pacific Classic on a Polytrack synthetic surface at Del Mar on Aug. 28.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Big Drama, the reigning sprint champion, will scratch out of Saturday's Grade 1, $350,000 Vosburgh Invitational at Belmont Park because of a temperature, trainer David Fawkes said late Friday afternoon.
Fawkes said that he will attempt to train Big Drama up to the Breeders' Cup Sprint at Churchill Downs on Nov. 5. Big Drama won the Sprint last year.
"This does not exclude me from the Breeders' Cup," Fawkes said. "Right now my standpoint is we train to the Breeders' Cup."
ELMONT, N.Y. - Owners Anita and Stuart Subotnick have transferred a dozen horses from Todd Pletcher to Eddie Kenneally, who will keep a string of horses in New York on a year-round basis.
The Subotnicks, who race under the moniker Anstu Stables, were among the first clients of Pletcher’s when the trainer went out on his own in 1996. Together they campaigned stakes winners Balto Star, Friendly Island, Irving’s Baby, Ibboyee, Mellow Roll and, most recently, Bay Park Boy.
ELMONT, N.Y. - While he won’t have Fire On Ice to run in next Saturday’s Grade 1 Champagne Stakes, trainer John Kimmel plans to enter his maiden Invocation in the one-mile race for 2-year-olds, which awards the winner an automatic spot in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs on Nov. 5.
BREEDERS' CUP CHALLENGE: Racing schedule, replays, and past winners »
ARCADIA, Calif. – Broken Dreams won her first career stakes in Friday’s $100,000 Sen Ken. Maddy Stakes on the hillside turf course, the feature race on the first day of the Santa Anita Autumn meeting.
Ridden by Garrett Gomez, Broken Dreams ($13.40) closed from fifth in a field of six to win by a half-length over Givine, a 6-1 shot. Tanda, who was third early, finished third, a nose behind Givine.
Unzip Me, the 4-5 favorite, finished fourth. Unzip Me was a length behind pacesetter Separate Forest with a furlong remaining and ran flatly in the final furlong.
Premier Pegasus, the winner of the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita in March, has been cleared to resume racetrack training after being given a five-month break for a hairline fracture of the cannon bone in his left foreleg.
Maria Ayala, the assistant trainer to Myung Kwon Cho, said Premier Pegasus will begin jogging soon for an expected comeback this winter.
Owned by Cho, Premier Pegasus was the morning-line favorite for the Santa Anita Derby in April when the injury was detected.
Crown of Thorns, second in the 2009 Ancient Title and 2009 BC Sprint, may start in next weekend's Ancient Title at Santa Anita, but is also being considered for the $150,000 Oak Tree Mile on turf the same day, trainer Richard Mandella said.
Plagued by injuries through his career, Crown of Thorns won the Grade 2 Mervyn LeRoy Handicap over 1 1/16 miles at Hollywood Park in May, but has lost his last two starts. He was third in the Pat O’Brien behind The Factor.
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Alaura Michele, winner of the P.G. Johnson Stakes at Saratoga on Aug 31, heads a field of 10 entered in the Grade 3, $100,000 Miss Grillo for 2-year-old fillies Sunday at Belmont Park.
Alaura Michele is 2 for 2 on turf. She went gate to wire going six furlongs before showing the ability to rate when rallying from next-to-last to win the P.G. Johnson by 2 1/4 lengths.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Immediately following Currency Swap’s victory in the Grade 1 Hopeful at Saratoga on Sept. 5, trainer Terri Pompay said it would be her wish to train her undefeated 2-year-old colt up to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.
Four weeks later, that remains Pompay’s plan and though Currency Swap is among the 29 nominees for next Saturday’s Grade 1, $300,000 Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park, he will not be running. This even though the field will not include the sharp debut winner Fire On Ice, who is done for the year with a condylar fracture.
