Neither a long layoff nor a sloppy track bothered Etched as he launched his comeback with a one-length victory in Sunday’s $75,000 Formal Gold Stakes at Monmouth Park.
Making his first start since finishing far back in last November’s Clark Handicap, Etched ($3.20) battled head to head with Chirac from about the three-eighths pole to the eighth pole until finally pulling clear late under jockey Alan Garcia.
Perfectly Candid set a stakes record for the 51/2-furlong, $70,000 City of Anderson at Hoosier Park on Saturday evening by completing the distance in 1:04.60.
The previous mark of 1:05.40 was shared by Free Bonus and Queen of Tee.
Trained by Bob Gorham, Perfectly Candid ($6.60) kept her unbeaten record intact when she defeated five other Indiana-bred 2-year-old fillies.
Cherokee’s Goal, who had finished second two starts back in the Manitoba Derby, was an easy winner of the $25,000 Saskatchewan Derby at Marquis Downs on Saturday night.
With regular rider Juan Crawford in the irons, Cherokee’s Goal stalked the pace of Dubla Gold before taking charge and drawing off to a six-length victory.
Judge Bred closed from last in the field of five to finish second in the 1 1/16-mile stakes for 3-year-olds which is the highlight of the Marquis Downs meeting.
After stumbling soon after the start, Informed Decision needed every inch of the Presque Isle Downs stretch to get up and win the Grade 3 $400,000 Presque Isle Masters on Saturday evening.
Informed Decision trailed the 11-horse field until the stretch, and on the turn it appeared she might finish out of the money.
ALBANY, Calif. - Trainer Richard Mandella said one reason he entered maiden Acaffella ($4.80) in the $52,150 Angel Island Stakes at Golden Gate Fields on Saturday was to make an assessment of where he might run him later in the year.
After Acaffella's sensational six-length victory in the 1 1/16-mile stakes race for 2-year-olds, Mandella may be ready to set his sights pretty high.
FRANKLIN, Ky. - Rezif launched a devastating run approaching the eighth pole and went on to a convincing 6 1/4-length upset as an 18-1 outsider in the 14th running of the Grade 3, $150,000 Kentucky Cup Turf on Saturday, opening day of the four-day Kentucky Downs meet.
Secret Gypsy escaped a tight spot and survived a claim of foul to earn a third straight stakes win on Saturday in the Grade 3, $150,700 Endine Stakes for fillies and mares at Delaware Park.
It was another amazing chapter for the 5-year-old who has returned from multiple surgeries in the best form of her career.
Eldaafer outlasted the opposition and earned a ticket to the Breeders’ Cup Marathon when proving best as the favorite Saturday in the Grade 3, $100,000 Turfway Park Fall Championship in Florence, Ky.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Alan Garcia literally and figuratively fell into a Grade 2 stakes winner Saturday at Belmont Park.
One race after he was dumped following a winning ride in an allowance race, Garcia, overcoming what he admittedly said was not one of his better rides, got Al Khali switched to the outside in the final furlong and the colt came with a flying finish to win the $150,000 Bowling Green Handicap by a neck over 3-5 favorite Winchester, who got second by a head over Simmard.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - Eye of Taurus reeled in the front-running Giant Mover by one length on Saturday to capture the $76,650 Revidere Stakes for fillies and mares on the turf at Monmouth Park.
The Revidere was the main event on the first card of Monmouth's fall meet. The track is running on a Saturday-and-Sunday schedule through Nov. 21.
Eye of Taurus got her first win of the season in five starts, with the last four coming at Monmouth. A 4-year-old trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, Eye of Taurus had been close in every race without being able to break through until the Revidere.