Sun, 05/30/2010 - 00:00

Red Lead swoops past to win Rasmussen

ALTOONA, Iowa - Red Lead took advantage of a fast pace, rallying to win the $60,000 Jim Rasmussen Memorial at Prairie Meadows on Saturday.

Shadowbdancing set the pace in the 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds and up, prompted early by T.C. Champ. He set early fractions of 23.73 and 46.68 and was three lengths clear at the top of the lane. Jockey Ramsey Zimmerman steadily advanced Red Lead from the third position and they rallied strongly down the middle of the track to catch Shadowbdancing and win by 2 1/2 lengths in 1:43.33.

Sat, 05/29/2010 - 00:00

Tuscan Evening's roll continues in Gamely

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Tuscan Evening's perfect 2010 campaign continued with her first Grade 1 win in Saturday's at Hollywood Park. This time, it was not just the same California-based locals who were chasing her home.

Tuscan Evening held off a late threat from Forever Together, the 2008 champion turf female, to win the Gamely by a half-length.

"It was the same old gang and one new [runner] in there in Forever Together," said winning owner William de Burgh. "For her, this was very important. It was very exciting."

Sat, 05/29/2010 - 00:00

Tizaqueena goes all the way in Matron

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Probably no human has spent more time on the back of the mare Tizaqueena than Hilary Pridham, assistant to trainer Mike Stidham. Five-year-old Tizaqueena came onto the racetrack late in 2007, and Pridham has been riding her during morning exercise - not galloping every single day, but always aboard for workouts - ever since. Tizaqueena is Pridham's favorite horse in the stable, and it is not hard to see why. With a two-length victory Saturday in the Tizaqueena won for the eighth time in just 15 starts.

Sat, 05/29/2010 - 00:00

Unwritten takes measure of Joey P.

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Unwritten was unyielding, beating Joey P. by three lengths in the for New Jersey-breds on Saturday at Monmouth Park.

In the supporting event, Thunder Brew rallied from far back to win the $94,500 Lamplighter Stakes for 3-year-olds on the turf as Monmouth kicked off the Memorial Day weekend.

Sat, 05/29/2010 - 00:00

All goes according to plan for Hour Glass

ELMONT, N.Y. - Coming to the quarter pole of Saturday's Grade 2 at Belmont Park, the race looked exactly like trainer Todd Pletcher thought it could when he examined the past performances.

There were four speed horses across the track and his filly, Hour Glass, was sitting right behind them. In the stretch, jockey David Cohen was able to slide Hour Glass through an opening along the rail and she persevered to the wire to defeat a stubborn Rightly So by one-half length in the $140,000 Vagrancy. Rightly So, who set hot early fractions, held second by a neck over Tar Heel Mom.

Sat, 05/29/2010 - 00:00

Lebron takes off weekend mounts

Victor Lebron will be off all mounts Saturday and Sunday, according to his agent, Steve Elzey.

Lebron broke a tooth Thursday evening and complications have arisen.

"They were horsing around in the jocks' room and he caught an elbow in the mouth and broke off a front tooth," Elzey said. "It was right at the root, and the nerve is infected."

Lebron is the leading rider at Indiana Downs by 19 wins going into Saturday. He will return to riding Monday at Churchill.

Sat, 05/29/2010 - 00:00

Encaustic goes wire to wire in Joe French

Encaustic got away with leisurely fractions early, then repelled a stretch challenge from Alma d Oro to win Saturday s $50,000 Joe French Memorial Stakes at Delaware Park.

A 6-year-old based in Maryland with trainer Mark Shuman, Encaustic ($9.20) had done his best work in West Virginia last season, winning the Labor Day and the Mountaineer Mile at Mountaineer Racetrack. This year, he won back-to-back optional claimers in front-running fashion at Laurel Park before he was checked and never able to display his customary early speed in last month s $1 million Charles Town Classic.

Sat, 05/29/2010 - 00:00

Busha' overcomes trouble in Green Carpet

Busha' overcame trouble at the start to win Saturday's $50,000 Green Carpet at River Downs. Leading rider Perry Ouzts had to steady the Mercer Mill colt at the start after That's A Heckofacat bore out. Ouzts bided his time in midpack before rallying into the stretch and splitting horses. Busha' responded and got up in time to win by three-quarters of a length.

Trained by Mike Rone, Busha' ran third in the Green Carpet prep two weeks ago.

Almighty O, who finished second after leading in the stretch, was 1 1/2 lengths in front of third-place Nehru.

Sat, 05/29/2010 - 00:00

Ailalea, Riley Tucker take Churchill stakes

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Once again, a horse wearing saddlecloth No. 4, trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Calvin Borel won the Saturday feature at Churchill Downs.

Indeed, four weeks after Super Saver did all that in the 136th Kentucky Derby, it was Ailalea racing to victory under considerably less dramatic circumstances Saturday in the at Churchill Downs.

"Lightning struck a second time today, huh?" joked Pletcher assistant Michael McCarthy.

Sat, 05/29/2010 - 00:00

Heart Ashley proves uncatchable in My Juliet

Heart Ashley ultilized her speed to get the jump on her eight rivals and rolled to a 1 1/4-length victory in Saturday's $250,000 at Philadelphia Park.

A two-time Grade 3 stakes winner as a 3-year-old last season, Heart Ashley ($18.80) returned from an eight-month layoff to win a high-priced optional claimer on Keeneland's Polytrack last month. Ridden for the first time by Stewart Elliot in the My Juliet, Heart Ashley outgunned the rail horse, One Smokin' Lady, and set fractions of 21.82 and 44.01 seconds en route to completing six furlongs in 1:08.68.