Mon, 06/21/2010 - 00:00

Pay the Man three-peats in Petro Memorial

Pay the Man had survive a claim of foul by the rider of second-place finisher Slides Choice before being awarded a neck victory in in the $50,000 Wm. J. Petro Memorial at Thistledown on Saturday. Honey Be Fleet was third in the field of seven Ohio-bred fillies and mares.

It was the third consecutive win in the Petro for Pay the Man.

Pay the Man gained a slight advantage coming out of the first turn of the 1 1/16-mile race. She was joined by Slides Choice at the three-eighths pole and those two raced on near even terms the balance of the trip.

Mon, 06/21/2010 - 00:00

Noosa Beach powers to Budweiser score

AUBURN, Wash. - Favored Noosa Beach rolled to an easy victory Sunday in the one-mile, $50,000 Budweiser Handicap at Emerald Downs, running his 2009 record to 3 for 3 and stamping himself as the leading local contender for the Grade 3, $250,000 Longacres Mile on Aug. 22.

Ridden by Ricky Frazier for trainer Doris Harwood, Noosa Beach ($6.60) led from start to finish on a sloppy track, drawing away late to win by 9 1/4 lengths in 1:35. Gallon rallied from last to finish second, and Rooster City was another length behind in third.

Sun, 06/20/2010 - 00:00

Leroy's Dynameaux wins Will Rogers by neck

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Leroy's Dynameaux arrived at trainer Mark Glatt's stable last winter with strict instructions from owner Alan Klein.

"I told Mark, 'I don't want to see this horse on dirt or [synthetic tracks],'" Klein said at the time.

Klein had a hunch Leroy's Dynameaux would thrive on turf. His assessment has been a spot-on.

Making his fourth career start Sunday, Leroy's Dynameaux won his first stakes in for 3-year-olds at Hollywood Park.

Sun, 06/20/2010 - 00:00

Friend or Foe pulls away in Mike Lee

A seemingly deep division of New York-bred 3-year-olds welcomed a new member to the fold Sunday, when Friend or Foe surged past General Maximus at the eighth pole and drew clear to a 2 1/2-length victory in the at Belmont Park.

General Maximus, who set the pace under Javier Castellano, held second by 1 3/4 lengths over even-money favorite Ibboyee, who was compromised by a bad start. Make Note and Raynick's Jet completed the order of finish. Fenway Faithful was scratched.

Sun, 06/20/2010 - 00:00

Evenings End surprises in Dowd

Alyssa Spakowski/Equi-Photo
Evenings End captures the $100,000 Bernie Dowd at Monmouth Park on Sunday.

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Evenings End pulled off the upset in the for New Jersey-breds at Monmouth Park before a Father's Day crowd of 24,262.

Except for the Haskell Invitational or the Breeders' Cup, it was Monmouth's largest crowd since 2005.

A sprinter for most of his career, Evenings End ($32.20) was stretching out for the one mile and 70 yards in the Dowd. He had run once this season, scoring a pacesetting win at six furlongs against open company in a second-level allowance at Penn National.

Sun, 06/20/2010 - 00:00

Tasty Temptation rallies in Hill 'n' Dale

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Tasty Temptation wore down the front-running La Rocca in the final sixteenth to win her fourth consecutive race Sunday at Woodbine in the .

Tasty Temptation ($3.60) raced four-wide throughout the 1 1/16-mile event as La Rocca set honest fractions of 24.34 and 48.29 seconds.

Sun, 06/20/2010 - 00:00

Breakdown mars First Down Illusion's upset

First Down Illusion pulled an upset in Saturday's $1,024,000 Ed Burke Million Futurity for 2-year-old Quarter Horses at Los Alamitos, a race marred by a fatal breakdown to 3-1 favorite Leave the Scene after the finish.

First Down Illusion ($60.80) ran 350 yards in 17.24 seconds, finishing a half-length in front of the well-regarded Flying Fig, the 4-1 second choice. Personal Glory finished third in the field of nine.

Sun, 06/20/2010 - 00:00

Nayborhood Affair upsets Matchmaker

LINCOLN, Neb. - Nayborhood Affair grabbed a clear lead after a half-mile, then gamely held off Plaer's Trump to register a $15.80 upset in the $20,800 Matchmaker Stakes at Lincoln Race Course on Saturday afternoon.

Sun, 06/20/2010 - 00:00

Super Saver, Quality Road put in work

ELMONT, N.Y. - Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver and Metropolitan Handicap winner Quality Road topped a star-studded list of horses trainer Todd Pletcher put through workouts on a warm, humid Sunday morning at Belmont Park.

Super Saver, working for the second time since his eighth-place finish in the Preakness on May 15, went an easy half-mile in 50.66 seconds early Sunday. Super Saver is preparing for a start in the $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on Aug. 1.

Sun, 06/20/2010 - 00:00

Bet Your Boots easily takes Golden Boy

Bet Your Boots, another invader from Canterbury Park trained by Charlie Smith, proved to be too much for the locals in Saturday night's $30,000 Golden Boy at Assiniboia Downs.

With Rohan Singh in the irons, Bet Your Boots forced the pace on the inside before assuming command and then holding sway to score by 1 3/4 lengths as the 1.65-1 favorite.

Cherokee's Gold finished second in the field of eight 3-year-olds for the six-furlong Golden Boy, another 1 3/4 lengths before third-place Socks Are Up.