Rachel Alexandra emerged from her easy victory in the Fleur de Lis Handicap in good shape, while the connections of the 2009 Horse of the Year mull her next start en route to their stated long-term goal, the Nov. 5-6 Breeders Cup at Churchill Downs.
Ridden by Calvin Borel, Rachel Alexandra won the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis on Saturday at Churchill by 10 1/2 lengths, her first victory after starting the season with back-to-back losses.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Mike Smith had been in this situation too many times in the past to panic. Zenyatta ran past the eighth pole of Sunday's $250,000 at Hollywood Park, seeking to extend her unbeaten streak to 17 races, but still trailed St Trinians by 2 1/2 lengths.
"I turned for home and I said, 'I got it easy,' " Smith said.
Then, Smith realized that the thought went through his mind too soon. St Trinians was not stopping. But St Trinians is no Zenyatta.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - Starfish Bay broke the track record for 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf as she romped in the $102,000 for fillies and mares on Sunday at Monmouth Park.
She zipped home in 1:00.76. Smart Enough held the old mark of 1:00.81, set on June 2, 2007.
Starfish Bay and jockey John Velazquez bounded right to the front from the inside post, and the race was over. The 4-year-old Starfish Bay ($3.80), trained by Todd Pletcher, was never threatened, scooping up her sixth win in 12 starts.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Roan Inish punched her ticket to the $1 million Queen's Plate with a gritty victory over 24-1 shot Moment of Majesty and 2-5 favorite Embur's Song in Sunday's $501,200 .
Embur's Song went right to the front, and was rank in the early going while setting quick fractions under Garret Gomez in the nine-furlong race for Canadian-bred 3-year-old fillies.
LINCOLN, Neb. - Bach's Homebrew registered his second straight stakes win with a hard-earned three-quarter-length victory over his entrymate, Bingosablumin, in the $20,600 Lincoln Breeders' Special at Lincoln Race Course on Saturday afternoon.
Indiana Downs canceled the remainder of its 13-race card after the sixth race Saturday night, due to a severe thunderstorm that passed through the Indianapolis area.
The $70,000 Snack Stakes will be rescheduled, but no new date has yet been announced.
OPELOUSAS, La. - Classic Cascade ($32.20), the second longest shot in Saturday night's $50,000 Acclaim Stakes at Evangeline Downs, kicked clear in the final stages of the seven-furlong race for Louisiana-bred 3-year-olds to record his first stakes victory.
Mr. Wildee, the early pacesetter, finished 3 1/4 lengths back in second, followed by Smitty's Moonshine. Canon Man, the 6-5 favorite, tired late and finished sixth in a field of seven.
Preservata continued her winning ways at Assiniboia Downs on Saturday night by capturing the $30,000 La Verendrye Stakes by a neck.
Under regular rider Tyrone Nelson, Preservata stalked the pace and then prevailed in a prolonged duel with Golden Stripe, who finished second in the six-furlong stakes for fillies and mares.
Preservata, owned and trained by Clint Willson, was repeating in the La Verendye while winning her seventh race in succession and her eighth in as many starts at Assiniboia.
ALTOONA, Iowa - Kate's Main Man held off the determined charge of Tiger Lake to win the $75,000 Cyclones, a handicap for older Iowa-bred males, by a head on Saturday at Prairie Meadows.
Kate's Main Man ($16.60) cleared from the outside post in the field of nine and went to the lead with 2-1 favorite Frozen Angel, who was quickly pulled up after taking a bad step entering the first turn. Racing in the two path, Kate's Main Man set early fractions of 23.64 seconds, 47.82, and 1:11.90. He quickened his pace on the far turn and dispatched early challenger Cainam. .
ALBANY, Calif. - First-time starter Road Ready was almost more than jockey Russell Baze could handle in the post parade, but he justified his favoritism by winning the $50,000 Lost in the Fog Stakes at Golden Gate Fields on Saturday.
A $300,000 March Barretts purchase, Road Ready ($6.80) broke a step slowly but settled nicely behind Ammunition, a colt who won his career debut impressively for Baze. He chose to ride the untested but highly regarded Road Ready rather than Ammunition in the Lost in the Fog.
