ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Mesa Cielo upset 3-10 favorite Sand Cove in the first of six $125,000 yearling sales stakes at Woodbine Monday in the 1 1/16-mile Elgin for older males.
Mesa Cielo ($14.50) went right to the front and set slow fractions under Jim McAleney, en route to a 2 1/2-length score over Mobthewarrior, in a time of 1:43.98. After tracking the front-runner, Sand Cove faded in the stretch to finish a distant third in the five-horse field.
Bug Juice, ridden by John Davila Jr., shot to the front at the start of Monday’s $128,975 Aspirant Stakes for New York-bred 2-year-olds at Finger Lakes and cruised to a seven-length victory.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Trying to beat J P’s Gusto, trainer Jerry Hollendorfer has found out, is difficult with just one bullet. So when the Grade 1, $250,000 Del Mar Futurity is run on Wednesday’s closing-day card here, Hollendorfer will put a couple of rounds in the chamber, hoping either Indian Winter or Western Mood can knock off the pro-tem leader of the 2-year-old division in California.
Saturday’s $50,000 Angel Island could make up for the disappointment of the cancellation of Monday’s $50,000 Rosie the Riveter at Golden Gate Fields.
The Angel Island is a 1 1/16-mile race for 2-year-olds. The unbeaten Luckarack is the probable favorite after capturing the Everett Nevin at Pleasanton and Cavonnier at Santa Rosa. Also expected to run are King Cola and Kingsford Drive, who were second and third in the Cavonnier; Bluegrass Reward, who won a one-mile maiden race at Santa Rosa; and El Gaucho.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Dancing in Silks can restore his reputation as one of the nation’s leading sprinters in Wednesday’s $75,000 Pirate’s Bounty Stakes at Del Mar.
Last year, Dancing in Silks won the Pirate’s Bounty, the second victory of a four-race win streak that ended with a surprise win at 25-1 in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Santa Anita.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Patrick Valenzuela does not get very far around Del Mar without someone shouting at him.
These aren’t the stereotypical racetrack fans, barking at a jockey after losing a race. What Valenzuela hears are shouts of encouragement as he walks the path from the jockeys’ room to the paddock, or from the racetrack back to the jockeys’ room.
“I’ve got so many people saying, ‘P. Val, it’s great to have you back,’ ” he said on a recent afternoon. “I feed off that. It makes you feel so much better. It keeps you working.”
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Paul Buttigieg already had been enjoying a career year as a trainer, owner, and breeder. On Sunday, Buttigieg added the exclamation mark with his first stakes winner of the meeting as Officeinthevalley captured the $125,800 Vice Regent for Ontario-sired 3-year-olds.
“It feels great,” Buttigieg said after watching Officeinthevalley prevail by 2 1/4 lengths in the stakes that was run over one mile of turf rated firm but undoubtedly was a touch less so after heavy rainfall in recent days.
Catlaunch led every step of the way en route to a handy two-length win over his six Ohio-bred rivals in the $75,000 Governors Buckeye Cup Stakes at Thistledown on Saturday afternoon. Smarmy trailed for five furlongs then rallied steadily to be second in the 1 1/4-mile srace, 5 3/4 lengths in front of O'Rian, who was third.
Catlaunch, a 9-year-old gelding by Noble Cat, is owned by his breeder, Scioto Farm and is trained by Ivan Vasquez. He got the 10 furlongs in 2:07.10 over the fast track and returned $3. Luis A. Gonzalez was the rider.
Double Down Special won the most prestigious, and richest, race of his career in Sunday’s $1,548,076 All American Derby at Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico.
The 440-yard All American Derby was the richest derby in Quarter Horse racing history.
Double Down Special ($4) finished a neck in front of Apollitical Jess in 21.23 seconds. Apollitical Jess was 1 1/4 lengths clear of third-place finisher Smokey Stone.