Mon, 05/31/2010 - 00:00

Southern Fireball promoted to first

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Southern Fireball was placed first in Sunday's at Hollywood Park after race winner Repo was disqualified from first to second for causing interference in the stretch.

Repo led by a half-length with a furlong remaining, but drifted to the inside, forcing Martin Garcia on Southern Fireball to check his mount. Repo finished a half-length in front of Southern Fireball ($6.80), finishing six furlongs on turf in 1:10.72. After a brief inquiry, the stewards demoted Repo and placed Southern Fireball first.

Mon, 05/31/2010 - 00:00

Zenyatta breezes at Hollywood

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Zenyatta breezed six furlongs in 1:14.80 at Hollywood Park on Monday, a workout that was slower than some of her recent drills.

Zenyatta will make her next start in the $250,000 Vanity Handicap on June 13. Monday's work was her second-to-last workout before that race, when she will attempt to stretch her unbeaten streak to 17 races.

Mon, 05/31/2010 - 00:00

Grand Adventure sets sights on Woodbine Mile

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Sunday's Grade 3 Connaught Cup, the first turf stakes of the meeting, was shaping up as a hotly contested affair and did not disappoint. When the field of 10 crossed the finish line in the seven-furlong Connaught Cup, only 2 1/4 lengths separated the first- and sixth-place finishers, but the clear winner was Grand Adventure, who scored by a length under Patrick Husbands.

"He sat back pretty nicely, and he was drawing away at the end," said Mark Frostad, who trains the homebred Grand Adventure for Sam-Son Farm.

Mon, 05/31/2010 - 00:00

Rachel works for fourth straight Monday

Audrey C. Crosby
Shaun Bridgmohan works Rachel Alexandra at Churchill Downs on Monday morning. Her next race has not been decided.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - As a possible decision nears in regard to a next race, Rachel Alexandra went through a fourth straight Monday workout at Churchill Downs when breezing six furlongs in 1:11.20 early on the Memorial Day holiday.

With Shaun Bridgmohan aboard at about 6:30 a.m. Eastern, and over a fast track, the 2009 Horse of the Year went in fractions of 12.20 seconds, 23.80, 35.40, 47.40, and 59.20 before galloping out seven furlongs in 1:23.80 and a mile in 1:38, according to Churchill clocker John Nichols.

Sun, 05/30/2010 - 00:00

$187K Memorial Day carryover at Belmont

ELMONT, N.Y. When Holy Blitzer went gate to wire to win Sunday's nightcap at Belmont Park, it created a pick-six carryover of $187,283 into Monday's Memorial Day card.

Monday's card has 11 races, meaning the pick six will start with race 6. The sequence includes the Grade 2, $150,000 Sands Point for 3-year-old fillies on turf and the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap featuring the return to the races of Quality Road.

There was a pick-six carryover of $45,507 entering Sunday's card after the wager went unhit on Saturday.

Sun, 05/30/2010 - 00:00

Minnie Punt breaks through in Kingston

ELMONT, N.Y. - Minnie Punt announced his presence as a potential force in the New York-bred male turf division this year with an explosive stretch kick that carried him past the entire field and into the winner's circle in Sunday's at Belmont Park.

Meanwhile, the 6-year-old mare Chestoria displayed some of her early career form by splitting horses in midstretch and drawing clear to a 1 3/4-length win in the for statebred fillies and mares on the turf.

Sun, 05/30/2010 - 00:00

Grand Adventure sharp in Connaught Cup

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Grand Adventure ($11.10) came close to the seven-furlong course record while defeating a quality field Sunday at Woodbine in the

Sun, 05/30/2010 - 00:00

Northlands cancels Sunday card

Unseasonable weather wrecked havoc on western Canadian tracks this weekend. Northlands Park became the fourth track to call off the races when it cancelled Sunday's card due to heavy snowfall that caused unsafe track conditions.

On Saturday, Kamloops canceled its races due to flooding. Marquis Downs and Assiniboa Downs also called off their races on Saturday.

Sun, 05/30/2010 - 00:00

Bach's Homebrew starts slow, finishes fast

LINCOLN, Neb. - Bach's Homebrew overcame a slow start to post an 8 1/4-length win in the $16,350 Journal Star Stakes at Lincoln Race Course on Saturday afternoon.

Ridden by Armando Martinez, Bach's Homebrew was shuffled to last at the start of the six-furlong race and quickly dropped to the inside to stalk the pace set by Beloit Kan Too. As Bingosablumin challenged the leader from the outside after a half-mile, Bach's Homebrew quickly rallied inside the pair to draw clear by four lengths turning for home, then drew off under energetic hand urging from Martinez.

Sun, 05/30/2010 - 00:00

Elusive Gift opens Colonial meet with bang

Elusive Gift came from slightly off the pace to open a 2 1/2-length lead with a furlong remaining, then withstood fast-closing Frisky Thunder to prevail by a neck in Saturday's opening-day feature at Colonial Downs, the $50,000 John D. Marsh Stakes.

The 5-year-old Elusive Gift ($3.20), ridden by Horatio Karamanos for trainer Tony Dutrow, has been first or second in 6 of 10 lifetime starts. In winning the 5 1/2-furlong race for Virginia-breds, Elusive Gift covered the distance on firm turf in 1:02.58.