STICKNEY, Ill. – Luck With a Kiss was a precocious juvenile, the kind of horse who came into the world ready to tear through a fast quarter-mile. He won his debut here at Hawthorne last Oct. 9 by four lengths, and three weeks later won a stakes by a similar margin. By contrast, it took the filly Our Lady in Red, whose career started about the same time as Luck With a Kiss’s, seven races even to win her maiden. Now she’s got it.
Baltimore Belle, winner of the Maryland Million Oaks last October, got her first victory in four starts since then when she rallied wide coming off the far turn and drove down the stretch to win Saturday's $65,750 Dahlia Stakes at Pimlico.
Scheduled to be a mile over the turf, the Dahlia was switched to 1 1/16 miles on the main track labeled good after heavy rain in Baltimore Friday night and Sunday morning, and after scratches it went with six fillies and mares.
For a race lacking in depth with only five starters, Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Texas Mile at Lone Star Park was never lacking in excitement.
Graded stakes winners Thiskyhasnolimit and Gladding dueled the length of the stretch, with the former edging clear in the closing yards to notch a hard-fought half-length victory.
Thiskyhasnolimit, who stalked the pace in fourth for nearly three-quarters of a mile, took advantage of front-running Gladding being occupied throughout.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - As he watched the Jerome unfold on television from his home in south Florida and saw Justin Phillip range outside of his 3-year-old Adios Charlie, trainer and part-owner Stanley Hough was going to be happy if his horse could hang on for second.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Once thought of as only a raw sprinter, Amazombie has learned to carry his speed much farther than conventional distances of 6 or 6 1/2 furlongs.
In Saturday's $125,000 Tiznow Stakes at Hollywood Park, Amazombie ($4.20) led throughout 7 1/2 furlongs, winning his third stakes of the year and giving owner-trainer Bill Spawr an excuse to consider a Grade 1 race for the 5-year-old gelding this summer.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Wildcat Marie went to the front and never looked back to notch her first stakes Saturday at Woodbine in the Grade 3, $155,500 Whimsical.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Derby Kitten ended a big afternoon for Ken and Sarah Ramsey when rallying from last to post a 9-1 upset Saturday in the 30th running of the Grade 3, $200,000 Coolmore Lexington Stakes at Keeneland.
KENTUCKY DERBY NEWS: Track all the 3-year-olds on the Triple Crown trail
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Exhi furthered his stature as a Polytrack specialist when returning from a layoff of more than six months to lead all the way Saturday in the Grade 3, $150,000 Ben Ali Stakes at Keeneland.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Ultra Blend won her fourth stakes in her last five starts with a perfect trip in Saturday's $125,000 B. Thoughtful Stakes for statebred fillies and mares.
Ridden by Joel Rosario, Ultra Blend was sixth in the field of seven on the backstretch, moved into contention with a wide rally on the turn and ran down pacesetter Lady Railrider to win by a length. Ultra Blend ($3.60) ran 7 1/2 furlongs in 1:30.40.
A scheduled six-furlong workout for Kentucky Derby hopeful Animal Kingdom didn't exactly work out the way trainer Graham Motion planned at Keeneland on Saturday.
KENTUCKY DERBY NEWS: Track all the 3-year-olds on the Triple Crown trail
