HOT SPRINGS, Ark.- Stephanie Got Even withstood a lengthy objection to win her fifth straight race Sunday in the $50,000 American Beauty at Oaklawn Park. She was making her stakes debut in the six-furlong race for fillies and mares and won by a length over pacesetter Cosmo Girl. It was another three-quarters of a length back to Vertical Vision.
A field of 10, all Florida-breds, was entered Sunday for the $500,000 Sunshine Millions Classic. The Classic is one of three Sunshine Millions races to be run at Gulfstream Park on Saturday, with three others to be run across the country at Santa Anita, headed by the $300,000 Turf,
The Sunshine Millions, which offers a total of $1.8 million in purses, is restricted to Florida-breds and California-breds but no Cal-breds were entered for the Classic.
Taptam launched what promises to be another strong season of racing Saturday night at Sam Houston Race Park, when she left a nice group of male rivals in her wake to win the $100,000 Star of Texas by 4 1/4 lengths.
The 1 1/16-mile race was the highlight of a seven-stakes program for horses bred in Texas. The races were worth a cumulative $400,000, and the Texas Champions Day card made for the richest program of the Sam Houston meet that opened on Friday.
ARCADIA, Calif.- Jockey Patrick Valenzuela took off his mounts on Sunday, complaining of body soreness from a spill on Saturday.
Valenzuela was unseated when She’ll Heir clipped heels at the start of the Sweet Life Stakes on the hillside turf course. Valenzuela rode under his own power, but did not ride the last race.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - It was a busy day on the workout front all around south Florida on Sunday.
Topping the long list of workers at Gulfstream Park were First Dude along with prospective Holy Bull starters Mucho Macho Man and Black n Beauty.
First Dude, the likely favorite in Saturday’s Sunshine Millions Classic, breezed five furlongs in 1:01.80 under exercise rider Alfonso Ramirez, completing his final furlongs in 12.20 seconds before double galloping out a mile in 1:40.60.
Angelica Zapata overtook the leaders with a rail bid in the turn and steadily drew away to post a 5 1/2-length triumph Saturday in the 29th running of the $50,000 Cincinnati Trophy at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky.
With Ben Creed riding for Lexington-based trainer Ron Pelligrini, Angelica Zapata returned $7.80 as second choice after finishing 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:17.51 over Polytrack. Golden Phoenix, the 6-5 favorite, finished second in a field of eight 3-year-old fillies, another five lengths before Bach Hamilton.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Bloemer Girl was the fortunate winner on Saturday of the roughly run $94,150 Sweet Life Stakes, in which She’ll Heir lost her rider at the start, then appeared to hinder the progress of runner-up Cloneylass in the final furlong over the downhill turf course at Santa Anita.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Bob Baffert has been in the Thoroughbred world for more than 20 years now, but that old Quarter Horse mentality sure came in handy on Saturday at Santa Anita. Baffert thought his best chance against heavily favored Smiling Tiger in the Grade 2, $150,000 Palos Verdes Stakes was to take the track from Smiling Tiger with the speedy Euroears, then hope Euroears could outrun him, or stablemate Ventana would run them all down.
NEW ORLEANS – The Lecomte Stakes is a race for 3-year-olds. It should come as no surprise that Neil Howard won it.
Beau Wizer outdueled 4-5 favorite Russian Lane, then held off It’s Tera for a neck win in the $120,000 Pepsi Cola at Sunland Park on Saturday. It’s Tera held second, a half-length in front of Capitol Guy.
Russian Lane, who had won 4 of 5 starts heading into the Pepsi Cola, finished seventh.
Beau Wizer ($40.80) dueled through a half-mile in 45.20 seconds before going on to cover the six furlongs on a fast track in 1:11.53.
“We had a good trip,” said Casey Lambert, who rode Beau Wizer for trainer Ray Ashford Jr. “He broke really sharp and was cruising along.”
