ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Sid Attard had saddled the last two winners of the Play the King Stakes, with Jungle Wave prevailing last year after Just Rushing turned the trick in 2008. On Sunday, Attard completed a Play the King triple with Smokey Fire, who outfinished Jungle Wave to score by a neck under new rider Jono Jones in the Grade 2, seven-furlong turf race for 3-year-olds and up.

COLUMBUS, Neb. - Sweet Violet and Bumper posted mild upsets in their respective divisions of the Columbus Breeders' Special Stakes for Nebraska-bred 3-year-olds at Columbus on Sunday afternoon.

Sweet Violet gained her first stakes win as she rallied past a tiring Miss Affair, the 4-5 favorite, then held off Zena's Affair to win the fillies division. Miss Affair set the early pace in the 6 1/2-furlong race and opened up by four lengths at the top of the stretch. She faded to third, beaten 1 3/4 lengths.

AUBURN, Wash. – Couldabenthewhisky won the $50,000 WTBOA Lads Stakes, and a maiden, Lady Golightly, scored a $42.40 upset in the $50,000 Barbara Shinpoch Stakes as Emerald Downs’ 2-year-old division further sorted itself out with a pair of stakes races Sunday.

Couldabenthewhisky, winning for the third time in four career starts, prevailed by a half-length over Winter Warlock in the Lads. The Bonnie Jenne trainee ran one mile in 1:38.80 and paid $11.20.

DEL MAR, Calif. -- Champ Pegasus did not get to the races until last December, then took until April to win his first race. But he’s
certainly making up for lost time now. On Sunday at Del Mar, he rallied powerfully to win the Grade 2, $200,000 Del Mar Handicap, which earned him an automatic berth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf on Nov. 6 at Churchill Downs.

“It gives us something to dream about,” said his trainer, Richard Mandella. “He acts like he’ll run all day.”

SHAKOPEE, MINNESOTA – Trainer Mac Robertson saddled five winners and jockey Ry Eikleberry rode four winners on the closing day of the meet Sunday as Canterbury Park celebrated Minnesota Festival of Champions day for statebreds.

Slides Choice and Pay the Man, the two top Ohio-bred females, turned the final mile of Sunday's nine-furlong, $50,000, Rose DeBartolo Memorial Stakes at Thistledown into a match race with very little separating them.

Slides Choice ($4.60), under a energetic ride by Jason Lumpkins, proved best by a neck. Squeezer’s Palace was steadily gaining ground to be third, two lengths farther back.

Unreachable Star came from near the back the back of the pack early and wore down the leaders in the stretch to capture the $88,600 Brickyard Stakes for the second straight year at Hoosier Park on Sunday.

Trained by Tim Glyshaw, Unreachable Star ($4.20) was sixth in the field of 12 Indiana-breds going down the backstretch. Jockey Leandro Goncalves swung the 6-year-old Unreachable Star out into the stretch and rallied to draw clear late to a one-length victory in the six-furlong sprint.

DEL MAR, Calif. - Rafael Bejarano, the second-leading rider at Del Mar this summer, escaped serious injury but will not ride the remainder of the card Sunday at Del Mar following an accident in the day's third race in which he was thrown from his mount.

Bejarano was released from Scripps La Jolla Hospital around 5 p.m. Pacific on Sunday after being taken there for evaluation.

"He's fine. No breaks, nothing. He's been cleared to ride, but he won't ride again until Wednesday," said Joe Ferrer, Bejarano's agent.

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Just Jenda went out a winner, decisively beating 3-5 favorite Malibu Prayer by 3 1/2 lengths on Sunday in the Grade 2, $294,000 Molly Pitcher Stakes at Monmouth Park.

Owners Larry and Cindy Jones announced before the race that the Molly Pitcher would be last race for their 4-year-old filly.
Just Jenda departed in style with yet another win at her favorite track. Eight for 17 in her career, Just Jenda was 4-0-1 in 5 races at Monmouth.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Approaching the quarter pole of Sunday’s Grade 1 Personal Ensign Stakes at Saratoga, Rachel Alexandra, who had led throughout, edged away from her pace-pressing rival Life At Ten. Still, her jockey, Calvin Borel was worried.

And, as it turned out, for good reason.