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.”
HOT SPRINGS, Ark.- Satans Quick Chick ran down the entire $75,000 Pippin Stakes field through the stretch on Saturday to indicate her intent to be a player in the deep filly and mare ranks this meet at Oaklawn Park.
“Our long-term goal will be the Apple Blossom,” winning trainer Eric Reed said of the Grade 1, $500,000 race here April 15.
Satans Quick Chick won by three-quarters of a length over She’s All In, while it was another length back in third to Stage Magic.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Kathmanblu asserted her class through the stretch, outfinishing Excited by 1 1/4 lengths to register a popular victory in Saturday’s $100,000 Sweetest Chant at Gulfstream Park. What was even more encouraging for trainer Ken McPeek was jockey Julien Leparoux’s comment after the race.
“She can do better than that!”
NEW ORLEANS - About this time last year, the Gran Estreno wave seemed to have crested. Claimed for $20,000 late in the spring of 2009, Gran Estreno earned a rich payday later that summer winning the Grade 3 Washington Park Handicap, and he held his form admirably for months. But by last March, Gran Estreno could be found finishing a distant ninth while racing for a $62,500 claiming tag in a Fair Grounds turf race.
