OPELOUSAS, La. - Category Seven successfully defended her title in the $50,000 Matron Stakes at Evangeline Downs Saturday night, rallying from off the pace under Richard Eramia to narrowly prevail in the one-mile test on the turf for fillies and mares. Clear Sailing finished a stubborn neck back in second and 5 1/4 lengths in front of Warrior Maid in third.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - On a morning when most horsemen opted not to work their stakes horses due to wet track conditions, trainer Nick Zito sent out Kentucky Derby runner-up Ice Box for a half-mile breeze in 48.82 seconds Sunday morning at Saratoga. Ice Box is preparing for a start in the $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on Aug. 1.
ALTOONA, Iowa - Proceed Bee stretched his win streak to three by winning the $100,000 Prairie Meadows Handicap on Saturday. The 1 1/4-mile handicap went with five starters after the scratch of Country Flavor because of a licensing issue.
Proceed Bee went off as the second choice at 7-5 off victories in an allowance race at Indiana Downs, and the Illinois Owners Stakes at Arlington Park. He took the lead from the gate and went through the early fractions in a pedestrian 24.72, 49.69, 1:14.89, and 1:39.03.
"He was going slow and very comfortably," said jockey Michael Baze.
OMAHA, Neb. - Reach One More had no problem with his 128-pound weight assignment as he claimed a third straight stakes victory with a 1 3/4-length win over four other older Nebraska-bred rivals in the $28,000 Who Doctor Who Handicap at Horsemen's Park on Saturday afternoon.
DEL MAR, Calif. - St Trinians, who gave the undefeated champion Zenyatta a scare in the Grade 1 Vanity Handicap at Hollywood Park in June before losing by a half-length, will miss an expected start in the $300,000 Clement Hirsch Stakes at Del Mar on Aug. 7 because of soreness, trainer Mike Mitchell said on Saturday.
St Trinians will be turned out and pointed for a 2011 campaign, Mitchell said. The decision was reached on Saturday after consulting with owners Dan Capen and Laura Chavers.
DEL MAR, Calif. - The Usual Q.T. had a six-race winning streak in the second half of 2009 that featured four stakes wins. He may be in the midst of another late-season streak this year.
Saturday at Del Mar, The Usual Q.T. rallied from just off the pace to win the $300,000 Eddie Read Stakes by two lengths, his first stakes victory since December and his first stakes win against older horses. The Grade 1 Read was The Usual Q.T.'s second consecutive win, preceded by an allowance race at Hollywood Park on June 27.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Sam-Son Farm and trainer Mark Frostad ran one-two in Saturday's Grade 2, $312,400 Nijinsky Stakes at Woodbine, with Windward Islands and Grand Adventure. Grand Adventure, the 6-5 favorite in the nine-furlong turf route, dueled with Southdale through honest fractions, over a course labeled yielding. Grand Adventure took control early in the stretch, but was overhauled in the final sixteenth by Windward Islands, who went on to prevail by 3 1/2 lengths. Southdale faded to finish third, in a field reduced to six with the scratches of Spice Route and Utterly Cool.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Lilly Fa Pootz, claimed for $16,000 at Golden Gate Fields last December, won her first stakes in Saturday's $82,500 Osunitas Handicap at Del Mar.
Ridden by Joe Talamo, Lilly Fa Pootz ($15.20) rallied wide through the stretch and ran down leader Burg Berg in the final sixteenth, winning by a head. Theodora, a workmate of two-time champion Zenyatta in recent weeks, finished third in the field of nine, a nose behind Burg Berg
Lilly Fa Pootz ran 1 1/16 miles on turf in 1:42.27.
The style of the win surprised trainer and co-owner Jerry Hollendorfer.
SHAKOPEE, Minn. - Shane Sellers was late to ride Saturday at Canterbury Park because of a travel delay from Chicago. But once on the grounds, the veteran jockey was as punctual as ever, coaxing Never Retreat to the lead in midstretch and drawing clear to capture the $100,000 Lady Canterbury Breeders' Cup Stakes.
"We sat on a plane for a long time before the good Lord finally got us over here safely," said Sellers, who earlier missed riding two earlier winners because of the snafu.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - A cool and collected Rachel Alexandra, the reigning Horse of the Year, captured the $400,000 Lady's Secret Stakes for fillies and mares in the oppressive heat Saturday at Monmouth Park.
It was her second straight stakes win following a pair of narrow losses to start the 2010 season.
Rachel Alexandra beat the pacesetting Queen Martha by three lengths. It was another 7 3/4 lengths back to Ask the Moon in third.