Sat, 06/05/2010 - 00:00

Acclamation wires Whittingham

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - He did it again.

For the second consecutive graded stakes, Acclamation was allowed to set his own pace in a distance race on turf, and left the trailing pack in his wake. Last month, Acclamation pulled a 14-1 upset in the Grade 2 Jim Murray Handicap over 1 1/2 miles on turf on May 15.

Saturday, Acclamation won the over 1 1/4 miles on turf from the front at Hollywood Park, giving jockey Christian Santiago Reyes, the champion apprentice jockey of 2009, his first Grade 1 stakes win.

Sat, 06/05/2010 - 00:00

Lady Giacamo remains perfect

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Lady Giacamo might be headed to Del Mar later this summer after she improved her record to 3 for 3 on Saturday with a 1 3/4-length win over Fastation in the $66,090 fillies division of the Texas Thoroughbred Association Sales Futurity at Lone Star Park.

Trainer Allen Milligan said plans are to freshen Lady Giacamo and that she could return to action in August in the Grade 3, $150,000 Sorrento for 2-year-old fillies at 6 1/2 furlongs at Del Mar.

"We'll give her a little time off right now," he said.

Sat, 06/05/2010 - 00:00

Zito hoping for better

ELMONT, N.Y. - For Nick Zito, great expectations brought great disappointment in Saturday's 142nd Belmont Stakes, as the Hall of Fame trainer had to settle for a second and an eighth-place finish with Fly Down and Ice Box.

Though Fly Down ran well to be second, three-quarters of a length behind Drosselmeyer, Zito was excruciatingly disappointed in Ice Box, the Kentucky Derby runner-up who finished ninth - but was moved to eighth via disqualification - in the Belmont as the 9-5 favorite.

Sat, 06/05/2010 - 00:00

Graham guides Hot Cha Cha to victory

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Hot Cha Cha got a terrific trip under Jimmy Graham Saturday in winning the 34th running of the at Churchill Downs, giving the filly her fourth graded stakes win.

Owned and bred by Nelson McMakin, Hot Cha Cha paid $5.20 as second choice in a field of six filly-mare turf runners.

Sat, 06/05/2010 - 00:00

Bim Bam wins by a head in Lord Juban

MIAMI - Bim Bam survived a late run from longshot Saint Jude to post a popular head victory in Saturday's $55,000 Lord Juban at Calder.

Sat, 06/05/2010 - 00:00

Winchester tops Gio Ponti in Manhattan

Barbara D. Livingston
Winchester defeats Gio Ponti by a half-length in the Manhattan Handicap.

ELMONT, N.Y. - That trainer Christophe Clement won Saturday's at Belmont Park was not a surprise. That he won it with Winchester and not Gio Ponti was.

While Gio Ponti, the 6-5 favorite, ran a remarkable race having to weave through traffic, Winchester, under Cornelio Velasquez, had a clear run on the outside and stormed down the center of Belmont Park's inner turf course to run down Gio Ponti in the final strides to win the $400,000 Manhattan by one-half length.

Sat, 06/05/2010 - 00:00

Cost of Freedom wires Los Angeles Handicap

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Cost of Freedom's win in an optional claimer at Hollywood Park on May 6 left trainer John Sadler thinking that the race was the best of the 7-year-old gelding's career. He may want to reassess that ranking after Saturday's .

Sat, 06/05/2010 - 00:00

Bopolene gets up at Colonial Downs

Bopolene put in a strong late run to win the $50,000 Oakley for Virginia-bred or -sired fillies and mares at Colonial Downs on Saturday.

Bopolene ($20.60) defeated the 16-1 Shaunna by 2 1/2 lengths, with pacesetter Argent Affair another half-length back in third. Bopolene covered the 5 1/2 furlongs on turf in 1:02.73 under Julian Pimentel. A Bop mare, she is owned and trained by Donna Lockard.

Sat, 06/05/2010 - 00:00

No Such Word wins a close one at Delaware

No Such Word outgamed Havre de Grace in the $75,000 Go for Wand at Delaware Park on Saturday.

The Go for Wand, a 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-old fillies, turned into a two-filly race down the stretch. Havre de Grace took a short lead under Jeremy Rose, but No Such Word and Terry Thompson pulled even in early stretch and the two battled to the wire. No Such Word, the 3-5 favorite, edged Havre de Grace, sent off at 9-5, by a neck in 1:46.11. Hot Trip finished third in the five-horse field, another six lengths farther back.

Sat, 06/05/2010 - 00:00

Bribon takes True North going away

ELMONT, N.Y. - Who says you can't teach old horses new tricks? Don't tell it to Bribon, an erstwhile miler who looped the field to win the six-furlong, going away.

Last of eight into the far turn, as his stablemate Checklist slugged it out with Formidable through fractions of 22.29 and 45.60 seconds, Bribon swung widest while gathering a head of steam near the quarter pole, and finished with a flourish to win the Grade 2 sprint by 1 1/2 lengths under Garrett Gomez.