VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Senor Rojo was named the Horse of the Year and top older horse in British Columbia at the annual awards dinner held at Hastings last Friday.
A 4-year-old Kentucky-bred gelding, Senor Rojo closed out his year with wins in the Sir Winston Churchill and Grade 3 Premiers. The only time he went unplaced in nine starts was in the Grade 3 Longacres Mile at Emerald Downs. Senor Rojo is trained by Dave Forster and owned by the Tres Hombres Stable.
OLDSMAR, Fla. – Two-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Carl Nafzger will have a string of 14 horses here at Tampa Bay Downs this winter.
Nafzger won the 1990 Kentucky Derby with Unbridled and the 2007 Derby with Street Sense, a horse he shipped here to win the Tampa Bay Derby in a prep that set him up perfectly for his success in Kentucky.
It was his experience with Street Sense and other horses he has shipped to Tampa over the years from the East Coast of Florida that prompted Nafzger to apply for stalls here this season.
Shame On Rosie, who won the Janet Wineberg in last year’s Oregon Championship Day at Portland Meadows, won her second title Sunday, capturing the $13,300 Oregon Hers.
The 3-year-old Seattle Shamus filly paid $2.40 for a 1 3/4-length, wire-to-wire victory over Rockhill Gold at one mile for trainer Ben Root.
Root also saddled favored Shamundi ($3.80), who rallied from midpack to capture the $23,350 Bill Wineberg for 2-year-olds by 1 3/4 lengths over Tomcat Jake, covering six furlongs in 1:11.60.
Quiet Giant found the off track and the weak competition to her liking Sunday as she took control in midstretch and splashed home to an 8 3/4-length victory in the $60,000 Cheap Seats Stakes at sloppy Aqueduct.
It was the third victory in six starts and first in a stakes race for Quiet Giant, a daughter of Giant’s Causeway who is also a half-sister to 2005 Horse of the Year Saint Liam. Quiet Giant is owned and bred by Edward P. Evans and trained by Todd Pletcher.
Cali Baby kept Glory Be Mine from winning her eighth straight race on Sunday, when she rallied for a 1 1/2-length win in the $120,000 New Mexico Racing Commission Handicap at Sunland Park. Happy Me finished second, three lengths clear of Glory Be Mine in third.
LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. - Apollitical Jess made a compelling argument for the 2010 title of World Champion Quarter Horse with a track-record performance in Saturday’s $750,000 Champion of Champions at Los Alamitos.
Apollitical Jess caught early leader A Tempting Dash in the final 40 yards to win the 440-yard race by a half-length in 20.93 seconds, lowering the previous record of 20.94 seconds set in the 2008 Champion of Champions by Jess You and I.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Ultra Blend won her third stakes of 2010 in Sunday’s $80,400 Cat’s Cradle Handicap at Hollywood Park, a comfortable victory that left trainer Art Sherman looking forward to the winter.
Ridden by Joel Rosario, Ultra Blend ($4.60) won the race for statebreds by 3 1/4 lengths, closing from fifth in a field of six fillies and mares. Ultra Blend ran 7 1/2 furlongs in 1:29.76. She reached a prominent position on the turn after being urged into contention by Rosario.
Jockey Cliff Berry closed out his historic Remington Park meet on Saturday night by guiding Grant Jack to an upset in the season’s richest race for 2-year-olds, the $250,000 Springboard Mile. The victory came on the heels of Berry going 7 for 7 with his mounts Friday night to tie a North American riding record that was last achieved in 2006 by Russell Baze, when he went 7 for 7 on a card at Bay Meadows.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Turbulent Descent has made a smooth ascent to the top of the California 2-year-old filly division this fall.
Saturday, Turbulent Descent stretched her unbeaten streak to three races in her first start around two turns in the $412,250 Hollywood Starlet Stakes at Hollywood Park. The style of the win left jockey David Flores delighted at the way she handled her Grade 1 debut and longest race of her career.
ALBANY, Calif. – Positive Response, coming off an easy wire-to-wire victory in a starter allowance race, used the same tactics to score an even easier victory in the $75,900 Gold Rush Stakes at Golden Gate Fields on Saturday.
Under jockey Julien Couton, Positive Response ($7.60) took command immediately and was never pressured in scoring his first stakes victory. It was also Couton’s first stakes victory, which he said felt “awesome.”
