Violon Sacre rallied strongly from well off the pace under Pablo Fragoso to win Sunday’s Grade 3, $100,000 Knickerbocker Stakes at Belmont Park by one length.
Whatsthescript, who set a leisurely pace on the front end, held second by 1 1/2 lengths over Baletti. He was followed in the order of finish by War Hoot, Wesley, Operation Red Dawn, and Interpatation. Presious Passion, Midnight Mischief, and Leading On scratched.
Just a Lion ($12) gave trainer Juan Serey his 1,000th career victory Sunday in the sixth race at Monmouth Park.
“It represents a lot of hard work,” said Serey, 51. “That’s really what this means to me. It’s very exciting and nice to have won my 1,000th race. It’s taken a long time and a lot of long, long days.”
A native of Santiago, Chile, Serey moved to the United States in the early 1980s and galloped horses for Oscar and Laz Barrera, John Tammaro, and Frank Martin before taking out his trainer’s license in 1991.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario— Celtic Conviction, the longest shot in the 10-horse field of Canadian-bred 2-year-olds, won the $252,000 Cup and Saucer Stakes at 43-1 Sunday at Woodbine.
Celtic Conviction led the way on the backstretch of the 1 1/16-mile turf route, setting the opening fraction in 24.15 seconds. The favored Say No More joined him on the lead on the turn, through a half in 48.54, before assuming command early in the stretch.
Five days before Researcher won the $1 million Charles Town Classic for the second time last April, he was sold to Kinross Corp., leaving trainer Jeff Runco without the best horse in his barn. It hasn’t taken Runco long to reload, however.
Runco saddled three stakes winners on Saturday night’s 24th West Virginia Breeders’ Classic program for West Virginia-breds at Charles Town, highlighted by a 57-1 upset by the 4-year-old colt Sea Rescue in the featured $500,000 Classic.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Fantastic Pick, the winner of a $50,000 claiming race at Del Mar in July, is worth much more now.
Saturday, Fantastic Pick won for the third time in his last four starts in the $150,000 Oak Tree Derby. He also won an optional claimer on Aug. 15 in which he was eligible to be claimed for $80,000. The only loss in that sequence was a fourth behind Twirling Candy in the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby on Sept. 5.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - The Aidan O’Brien-trained Joshua Tree barely held off two other European raiders, Mores Wells and Redwood, to capture the Grade 1, $2 million Canadian International at Woodbine Saturday.
MIAMI - Reprized Halo, the longest price on the board at 45-1, pulled off one of the biggest shockers in the long history of the Florida Stallion Stakes when he finished full of run under apprentice jockey Jose Alvarez to register a 1 1/2-length victory over Gourmet Dinner, foiling his bid to sweep the open division of the Stallion series, in Saturday's In Reality Stakes at Calder.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The betting public expected Harmonious to win Saturday’s Grade 1, $400,000 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup, making her the favorite over the likes of Evening Jewel and Check the Label. But even her most fervent backer would have had difficulty envisioning the ease in which she would take Saturday’s race before a crowd of 23,659 at Keeneland.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - Todd Got Even swept to a two-length victory Saturday in the $76,650 Eillo Stakes at Monmouth Park. A 5-year-old trained by Scott Volk, Todd Got Even angled six wide turning for home and continued that rally down the center of the track for his first stakes victory.
Written in Stone, who had taken the lead with an inside move on the turn, was second with Evenings End third.
Todd Got Even ($7) posted his second straight win, and fourth in nine starts this year. Omar Figueroa was aboard as Todd Got Even, who ran the six furlongs in 1:10.97 on the fast track.