VANCOUVER, British Columbia – The $100,000 Jack and Sadie Diamond futurities highlight the closing-day, nine-race card at Hastings on Monday. Adding class to the closing ceremonies is the return of Russell Baze, who will ride both races.
If indeed two heads are better than one, it stands to reason that three horses must be better than two.
So many fillies and mares were entered for Monday’s Rosenna Stakes at Delaware Park that the 1 1/16-mile turf race had to be split into two divisions, each worth $50,000 with a field of 11 runners.
Caliente Roja inherited the win in the $50,000 Freedom of City Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at Northlands Park on Friday night when heavily favored Embellished was disqualified from first and placed third for interfering with Spirited Winner in the late stretch.
Ridden by Ruben Lara, Caliente Roja was making his move along the rail in the one-mile race when Embellished, with Heribert Martinez riding, drifted out and bumped Spirited Winner. Spirited Winner was moved up to second. It was the third win on the card for Lara.
Su Casa G Casa backed up his 12-length maiden romp a month ago with a clear win in Friday night’s $50,000 Kip Deville for 2-year-olds at Remington Park. He cruised home by 4 1/4 lengths over Smiles Ahead, while it was another four lengths back in third to Behold de Buy.
The Kip Deville was the first leg of a new 2-year-old series at Remington that continues with the $100,000 Clever Trevor at seven furlongs on Nov. 6. The program wraps with the $250,000 Springboard Mile on Dec. 11.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – California invader Wickedly Perfect turned back all challengers after setting a moderate pace when proceeding to capture the 59th running of the Grade 1, $400,00 Darley Alcibiades Stakes before a sun-splashed crowd of 17,148 Friday, opening day of the Keeneland fall meet.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Wise Dan, a 3-year-old previously eligible for a second-level allowance condition, might well have run himself right into the Breeders’ Cup Sprint when he defeated older horses Friday in the 158th running of the Grade 3, $173,000 Phoenix Stakes on opening day of the Keeneland fall meet.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – They had just run the first race of the Keeneland fall meet, and yet a calm-and-cool Jesus Castanon was acting like he had been in the winner’s circle a couple thousand times.
And he had. Castanon lent a ceremonial touch to the fall opener when he put a textbook ride on Secessionist in the first race, giving the 37-year-old jockey the 2,000th victory of his career.
“A great way to start, especially in the very first race,” said Castanon.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Three-year-old fillies have a solid record versus older mares in Juddmonte Spinster Stakes history, having accounted for 21 of the 54 previous runnings. Rusty Arnold, with a filly named It’s Tea Time, is the only trainer with a 3-year-old in the 55th running Sunday.
“Only one dumb enough to do it, I guess,” joked Arnold.
No Such Word was a good filly when she won the Grade 3 Honeybee at Oaklawn Park back in March. Now, she’s one of the better members of her division and that status will make her a strong favorite Sunday in the $200,000 Remington Park Oaks.
The 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-old fillies is one of the main events on an Oklahoma Derby card of five stakes worth a cumulative $825,000. Other races on the program include the $150,000 Remington Green and the $50,000 Flashy Lady.
