ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Grand Adventure certified his credentials as a top-notch turf runner here Sunday, registering his second stakes win in as many starts at the meeting in the $307,100 King Edward Stakes.
The Grade 2 King Edward, for 3-year-olds and up, was run over one mile of turf after being contested at 1 1/8 miles in recent seasons.
Golden Gate Fields showed a 12 percent decrease in daily live ontrack handle for its 105-day 2009-10 race meeting. Live ontrack handle was $193,468 per day this year compared with $219,839 for the 114-day 2008-09 meet.
The all-sources handle declined 11.3 percent from a $4,378,851 daily average in 2008-09 to $3,885,374 in 2009-10 as simulcast wagering fell 7.4 percent (from $1,093,540 to $1,012,807) and out-of-state wagering fell 7.5 percent (from $1,419,498 to $1,312,589).
The Golden Gate meet began on Dec. 26, 2009 and ended June 12, 2010.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Zenyatta, the two-time champion and undefeated winner of 17 races, breezed a half-mile in 49.60 seconds at Hollywood Park on Sunday, her first workout since the Grade 1 Vanity Handicap here June 13.
But trainer John Shirreffs is still not ready to commit the popular 6-year-old mare to her next race. On Sunday, Shirreffs stopped short of committing Zenyatta to the $300,000 Clement Hirsch Stakes over 1 1/16 miles at Del Mar on Aug. 7, a race that could feature a rematch between Zenyatta and St Trinians who were separated by a half-length in the Vanity.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The 2009 Horse of the Year and the 2009 Kentucky Derby winner were sent through solo five-furlong breezes two hours apart Monday morning at Churchill Downs when Rachel Alexandra went in 1:03 and Mine That Bird went in 59.80 seconds.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - My Summer Slew won his first stakes in Sunday's at Hollywood Park, defeating a field that included a game pacesetter in the filly Unzip Me and the three-time Group 1 winner Scenic Blast.
My Summer Slew ($9.20) benefited from an ideal ride from jockey Alonso Quinonez, who had his mount well-placed throughout.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - Way With Words, the only New Jersey-bred in the field, rallied to beat Saarlight by a neck on Sunday in the for fillies and mares at Monmouth Park.
It was the second straight stakes win here for the 6-year-old trained by Maryland-based Mary Eppler. Way With Words beat statebreds in her previous race, the Open Mind Handicap. The Blue Sparkler, at the same six-furlong distance, was a stiffer test against open company.
Once again, Way With Words was up to the challenge at the track where she is 8-3-0 in 15 races.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Grand Adventure put away favored Get Stormy in the stretch en route to a handy score in the at Woodbine on Sunday.
Grand Adventure pressed a moderate pace on the outside under Patrick Husbands, before taking control early in the stretch. He held off a closing Rahy s Attorney in the final 70 yards prevail by a length, in a time of 1:36.40, over a soggy course labeled as good. Ice Bear finished third, and Get Stormy faded to fourth in the nine-horse field.
ALTOONA, Iowa - ALTOONA, Iowa - Concord Point ended the Iowa Festival of Racing undercard with an exclamation when he scored an impressive 8 1/2-length victory over five rivals in the at Prairie Meadows Saturday night.
Concord Point ($6.80) entered the race off a second-place finish to Smiling Tiger in the seven-furlong Laz Barrera at Hollywood Park. The added distance and second turn of the 1 1/16-mile Iowa Derby seemed to work in his favor.
