PLEASANTON, Calif. - Perfect Curls ($6.20) showed continued improvement as she used new tactics to win the $67,850 Juan Gonzalez Memorial at the Alameda County Fair on Saturday.
After running second to Cata Mia in her debut, Perfect Curls came back to score a wire-to-wire maiden victory at Golden Gate Fields on June 11. She was content to sit back early before making a strong move into the stretch, pulling clear of the field.
INGLEWOOD, Calif.- A few days before Saturday's $250,000 , trainer John Shirreffs questioned whether the race was too much of an "ambitious spot" for Harmonious, who was set to make her stakes debut.
Circumstances the day before the race, and during the first half of the Grade 1 over 1 1/4 miles on turf for 3-year-old fillies, made it seem that Harmonious belonged all along.
Danzip passed the distance test and remained perfect in five career starts when he won his two-turn debut in the $35,805 Colorado Thoroughbred Breeders Association Derby at Arapahoe Park on Saturday.
Danzip ($2.60) controlled the pace in the 1 1/16-mile race for Colorado-breds, as he led the field through an opening half-mile in 48.23 seconds. He continued to dictate terms through six furlongs in 1:12.79 before going on to a 1 1/4-length win in 1:46.38.
Turf or dirt, Aces N Kings has been an unbeatable 2-year-old. He ran his record to 4 for 4 on Saturday at Louisiana Downs, when he pulled away by 2 1/2 lengths in the $50,000 Minstrel.
The five-furlong race was one of four turf stakes on the card.
Aces N Kings ($13.40) had raced exclusively on dirt leading up to the Minstrel. He won a maiden special weight, a trial race, and the $60,000 colts and geldings division of the Texas Thoroughbred Association Sales Futurity, all at Lone Star Park.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - The old Gone Astray was back Saturday, pulling away to five-length win in the Grade 3, $250,000 at Monmouth Park.
This was a vintage Gone Astray moment, a throwback to his dominant wins last year in the Ohio and Pennsylvania derbies.
Winless in three starts this season coming into the Salvator, Gone Astray picked an ideal moment for a return to form.
The Salvator was a Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" Challenge stakes, insuring Gone Astray a berth in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.
Salt Flat Speed broke on top and never was seriously threatened en route to a 2 1/2-length victory over Shem in the $50,000 Spangled Jimmy at Northlands Park on Saturday.
Setting honest fractions of 24 seconds, 47.40, and 1:11.40 in the one-mile race, Salt Flat Speed took a 4 1/2-length lead into the stretch and under strong urging from Anthony Selgado, he was able to comfortably hold off Shem. Footprint made a late move to finish third. The final time was 1:37.40.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - Talk about an international moment.
Chinchon, a horse bred in Ireland and raced primarily in France, flew through the lane Saturday to win the Grade 1, $750,000 , capping the weekend that celebrates America's birthday at Monmouth Park.
This was one of the deepest recent editions of the U.N. with a field that contained five Grade 1 winners. Now there is a sixth, as Chinchon joined that select company with a breath-taking rally from last in the nine-horse field with Garrett Gomez aboard.
LINCOLN, Neb. - Another Bumper made his career debut a stakes-winning effort, scoring by a length as the 4-5 favorite in the $21,000 Lincoln Futurity for Nebraska-bred 2-year-olds at Lincoln Race Course on Saturday afternoon.
Ridden by Jake Olesiak, Another Bumper challenged early leader Perfect One after a quarter-mile of the 4 -furlong dash, moved clear, and then held Miss Stryker safe in the lane. Mis Stryker rallied outside in the stretch to gain second while Perfect One faded to third, another 3 3/4 lengths back.
ELMONT, N.Y. - It was March 2009 when Haynesfield's Triple Crown dreams were dashed with a disappointing performance in the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes, a race won by a then unheralded 3-year-old named I Want Revenge.
Sixteen months later, it was Haynesfield, under Ramon Dominguez, ruining the return to the races of I Want Revenge with an impressive-looking 2 3/4-length victory in Saturday's at Belmont Park.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The father sang the national anthem before the races. The son won the first stakes of the afternoon. For Earl Baze, and his son, Tyler, Saturday was a memorable afternoon at Hollywood Park.
Tyler Baze guided Gotta Have Her ($4.20) to a come-from-behind win in the $150,000 for older fillies and mares. It was the 6-year-old mare's fifth stakes and Baze has been aboard for four of those victories.
