Officials with Del Mar and Hollywood Park have informed the Oak Tree Racing Association that their racetracks are available for a race meeting in October if Oak Tree is unable to reach an agreement with Magna International Development on a lease at Santa Anita later this year.
Last week, MID, the parent company of Santa Anita's owner Magna Entertainment, voided its lease with Oak Tree, which hosts an annual fall meeting at Santa Anita.
Fans had a hard time separating fast fillies Twelve Pack Shelly and Final Mesa, betting them both down to even money in Saturday's Polly Drummond Stakes at Delaware Park.
But when Twelve Pack Shelly went to her knees coming out of the gate, the race belonged to Final Mesa.
A New York-bred daughter of Sky Mesa ridden by Jose Valdivia Jr., Final Mesa ($4.20) cruised to her second straight victory, drawing off to a 4 3/4-length victory in the 4 1/2-furlong sprint for 2-year-old fillies.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Kentucky Oaks winner Blind Luck, the nation's leading 3-year-old filly, will make her next start in the $150,000 Hollywood Oaks at Hollywood Park on June 6, trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said on Sunday.
Hollendorfer considered sending Blind Luck to the $250,000 Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont Park on June 26, but said he wants to keep the filly in California for her next start to reduce travel.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Mission accomplished with Made for Magic.
In recent months, trainer A.C. Avila has been angling to make Made for Magic a graded stakes winner, and finally did so in Sunday's $150,000 at Hollywood Park. Made for Magic ($21.60) rallied from third in a field of six fillies and mares and fought off a stubborn challenge from 6-5 favorite Wynning Ride to win the Grade 2 Milady by a half-length.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Tribal Belle, last year's Canadian female champion sprinter, wore down favored Dr. Zic in the stretch to take the Grade 3, $155,500 at Woodbine on Sunday.
Dr. Zic, who was coming off a victory in the Grade 1 Vinery Madison at Keeneland, hooked up with Silver Z on the lead and set fractions of 22.42 and 45.18 seconds in the 6 1/2-furlong sprint.
Tribal Belle ($5.50) stalked in third through the turn before moving into serious contention early in the stretch, and she went on to prevail by 1 1/4 lengths 1:15.34.
West Coast Hawk remained unbeaten after three starts, and upset the heavily favored All N the Jeans, in Saturday's $362,300 Kindergarten Futurity at Los Alamitos. The Kindergarten was the first futurity of the year at Los Alamitos.
Ridden by Juan Andrade, West Coast Hawk ($30.60) finished a head in front of 13-1 Kool Cowboy, with 2-5 favorite All N the Jeans finishing third, beaten a half-length by the winner. West Coast Hawk ran 300 yards in 15.21 seconds despite drifting to the outside in the first 100 yards.
Los Alamitos track owner Ed Allred announced his resignation as president and chairman of the board of the racetrack on Saturday.
Allred has had a controlling interest in the racetrack since 1998 and has overseen the Orange County track as an exclusive Quarter Horse venue since 2000. He has owned the track or been part of a horsemen's organization that operated a race meeting there since the 1970s.
LINCOLN, Neb. - Burn Card got the jump on the field after a roughly run opening quarter-mile, then was able to preserve his lead in the stretch to post a half-length upset win in Saturday's $15,000 Speed Stakes for older horses at Lincoln Race Course.
CINCINNATI, Ohio - Billy Hays is known throughout the Midwest as somebody who has acquired hundreds of horses through claims, private sales, or the sales ring. He will most be remembered around River Downs for the horse he gave away Saturday.
Hays, a Louisville, Ky., car dealer who ranks first in the nation in number of wins for an owner, purchased a hunter/jumper for $3,500, just to give the horse away to Taylor Rhodus.
ALTOONA, Iowa - Frozen Angel, making his third start within 30 days, scored a 1 1/2-length victory in Saturday's $70,000 John Wayne Stakes at Prairie Meadows. It was the third time owner Sandra Rasmussen of River Ridge Ranch has won the stakes.
"When you planned a mating, foaled a horse, and raised them, and then this, this is really something," said Rasmussen of Frozen Angel, a 5-year-old homebred son of Devil His Due.