Sat, 11/20/2010 - 16:35

Ravalo relinquishes lead, but fights back to take Kennedy Road

ETOBICOKE, Ontario — The Maryland-based Ravalo outgamed Signature Red in the final strides to take Grade 3, $153,500 Kennedy Road Stakes on Saturday at Woodbine Racetrack.

Ravalo ($16.20) was the surprising early leader in the six-furlong sprint. He got the opening quarter in 22.26 seconds while being pressed by favored Fatal Bullet.

Sat, 11/20/2010 - 16:24

Well Positioned gets the nod in three-horse photo


OCEANPORT, N.J. - Well Positioned edged Gone Astray and Chirac in the tight three-way finish of the $70,000 Frisk Me Now Stakes on Saturday at Monmouth Park.

Trained by Rick Dutrow, Well Positioned ($4.20) earned his first stakes win, getting up by a head to improve to 5 for 10. A 4-year-old son of Awesome Again, Well Positioned ran the mile and 70 yards in 1:41.28 as the even-money favorite.

Gone Astray nosed out Chirac for second.

Sat, 11/20/2010 - 14:44

Azpurua mulls whether to keep or sell Manicero

MIAMI – As is generally the case in south Florida at this time of year, several of the top local 2-year-old prospects have been snapped up, privately purchased by outside interests and moved off the grounds. Awesome Feather, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner and Eclipse Award favorite, and the promising High Level Jeff are the most notable examples from the 2010 Calder juvenile crop to have changed both ownership and barns over the past several weeks.

Sat, 11/20/2010 - 14:00

Amazed by Grace continues comeback

Barbara Weidl/EQUI-PHOTO
Amazed by Grace, winning last year's Cornucopia, makes her second start following a knee injury in Tuesday's $75,000 Cornucopia.

Exactly a year ago, Amazed by Grace solidified her status as the best 3-year-old filly in Pennsylvania by winning her fifth consecutive race in the $75,000 Cornucopia Stakes. She looked headed for even bigger and better things by leading for the first six furlongs of the seven-furlong La Brea Stakes on opening day at Santa Anita before weakening slightly to finish third in that Grade 1.

Unfortunately for Amazed by Grace and her owners, West Point Thoroughbreds, she emerged from that race with a knee injury that kept her on the sidelines for nearly 10 months.

Sat, 11/20/2010 - 13:00

Dirt a concern for He's Bonafide

Four-Footed Fotos
He's Bonafide (10), winning the Buck's Boy for the second straight year, ships to West Virginia for Monday night's allowance feature at Mountaineer.

He’s Bonafide, who upset the restricted Buck’s Boy Handicap at Hawthorne at odds of 10-1 or better each of the last two years for his only two wins on dirt in his 20-race career, will try to prove those performances were no fluke when he ships from Chicago for Monday night’s featured eighth race at Mountaineer Racetrack.

The no-conditions allowance, with a purse of $33,700, drew a field of seven older horses and will be contested at a mile and 70 yards.

Sat, 11/20/2010 - 12:17

Rosario's five-win night sets him up for holiday week

INGLEWOOD, Calif.– Jockey Joel Rosario had five winners from seven mounts at Hollywood Park on Friday evening, including a sweep of the early pick four, to vault to a clear lead in the jockey standings at the fall meeting.

“I had a lot of good chances to win,” Rosario said on Saturday morning.

The five-win evening left Rosario with 13 for the meeting, four more than Corey Nakatani and Joe Talamo.

The 50-cent Joel Rosario early pick four returned $33.75, following wins by Spring Style ($6.80), Dave’s Ruler ($3.20), Tweebster ($4.20), and Jairzihno ($8.20).

Sat, 11/20/2010 - 10:16

Fayette winner Successful Dan likely Clark Handicap highweight

Keeneland/Coady Photography
Successful Dan has been assigned 121 pounds for the Clark Handicap.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Successful Dan is expected to be the starting highweight for the Grade 1, $500,000 Clark Handicap on Friday at Churchill Downs. An impressive winner of the Fayette Stakes last out at Keeneland, Successful Dan will carry 121 pounds, including jockey Julien Leparoux, in the 136th running of the 1 1/8-mile race.

Dakota Phone, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, actually is listed as the Clark highweight with 124 pounds but will not be returning from California to run.

Sat, 11/20/2010 - 10:02

Night card attendance exceeds 15,000 despite cold weather

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - An ontrack crowd of 15,583 turned out Friday for the only night racing card of the 21-day Churchill Downs fall meet. Track officials said beforehand they did not know what to expect, and although they were prepared for as many as 25,000, they said they were very pleased with how the evening went, considering that temperatures dipped into the low 40s. The attendance nearly tripled the 5,363 that turned out for the comparable Friday afternoon card held in 2009.

Sat, 11/20/2010 - 08:14

Quarter Horse records fall on Challenge Championship night

There were two records set in Friday night’s Grade 1, $350,000 Challenge Championship for Quarter Horses at Fair Grounds. The first was by Feature Jess Rockin, who won the 440-yard race in a track-record time of 21.26 seconds. The other came from Stolis Winner, whose third-place finish pushed him past Refrigerator’s all-time earnings mark.

Fri, 11/19/2010 - 19:49

Golden Gate cancels Wednesday card

ALBANY, Calif. – Golden Gate Fields canceled it scheduled card for Wednesday, Nov. 24, because of insufficient entries.

The track will be open that day for simulcast wagering from Churchill Downs, Aqueduct, Hawthorne, Portland Meadows, Penn National and Woodbine.

Racing will be conducted on Thanksgiving Day Thursday with a first post of 11:15 a.m.