ARCADIA, Calif. – The winning trainer in Saturday’s 10th race at Santa Anita had a good excuse for being absent.

Blake Heap is at home this weekend, recovering from injuries suffered last Sunday during his morning job as an outrider during training hours at Santa Anita.

On Saturday, Heap watched on his television as Circa’sgoldengear ($16.40) won an optional claimer for statebreds with a late rally. He was surrounded by a few friends during the race, Heap’s second win of the meeting.

“Everybody was hollering,” Heap said.

ARCADIA, Calif. – His trainer describes him as “the best horse in the country.” The jockey calls him “unbelievable.”

Those accolades aside, this much is certain: Twirling Candy scored an easy win in Saturday’s $200,000 Strub Stakes for 4-year-olds at Santa Anita. Twirling Candy won the Grade 2 race by 4 1/2 lengths over Tweebster, a margin that could have been much greater if jockey Joel Rosario had urged the colt at all in the final furlong.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Losing streaks ended emphatically for Fluke and his trainer Humberto Ascanio in the Grade 3, $100,000 Thunder Road Handicap at Santa Anita on Saturday.

For the 6-year-old horse and his 63-year-old trainer, the win was their first since 2009. Fluke won the Grade 1 Citation Handicap at Hollywood Park in 2009 but was winless in three starts last year. Ascanio won the Grade 2 San Gabriel Handicap here in December 2009 but lost with his next 46 starters until Saturday.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Teaks North, who needed three starts before winning his maiden at Calder 13 months earlier, gave Justin Sailusto the first Grade 1 win of his training career when rallying down the center of the course to register a shocking nose victory over Smart Bid in Saturday’s $300,000 Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Giant Oak, whose career had consisted of a series of close calls and near misses in graded stakes until he was placed first via disqualification in the Grade 1 Clark Handicap in his 2010 finale, finally won a big one outright when rallying to a two-length victory over a dead-game Morning Line in Saturday’s $500,000 Donn Handicap at Gulfstream Park.

Turns out all Trubs needed was a turn-back in distance from two turns to one in order to return to the winner’s circle. And there he was after the $58,200 Black Gold Stakes on Saturday at Fair Grounds, victorious by a neck over Divine Music in one of two 3-year-old sprint stakes on the card.

Red’s Round Table ran her winning streak to three and improved her record to 5 for 6 lifetime, with a 4 3/4-length victory in Saturday’s $50,750 Marshua Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Laurel Park.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Zazu beat the heavily favored, and previously unbeaten, Turbulent Descent in Saturday’s Grade 1, $250,000 Las Virgenes Stakes at Santa Anita, a race that winning rider Joel Rosario thought was his with a quarter-mile remaining.

Rosario kept Zazu inside going into the turn and held off a brief threat from Turbulent Descent, who raced three-wide on the turn, to win the race for 3-year-old fillies by 1 1/4 lengths.

“We won the race right there,” Rosario said of his ground-saving trip.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Toby’s Corner passed his two-turn and stakes debut with aplomb Saturday at Aqueduct and may have put himself on the Triple Crown trail with a two-length victory in the $100,000 Whirlaway Stakes over a muddy inner track.

OLDSMAR, Fla. – Capt. Candyman Can, making his first start since finishing eighth in the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Sprint, justifed his role as the 2-1 favorite by rallying down the middle of the stretch and wearing down longshot Legal Move in the late stages to post a half-length win in then 21st running of the $75,000 Super Stakes.