LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Once again, a horse wearing saddlecloth No. 4, trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Calvin Borel won the Saturday feature at Churchill Downs.
Indeed, four weeks after Super Saver did all that in the 136th Kentucky Derby, it was Ailalea racing to victory under considerably less dramatic circumstances Saturday in the at Churchill Downs.
"Lightning struck a second time today, huh?" joked Pletcher assistant Michael McCarthy.
Heart Ashley ultilized her speed to get the jump on her eight rivals and rolled to a 1 1/4-length victory in Saturday's $250,000 at Philadelphia Park.
A two-time Grade 3 stakes winner as a 3-year-old last season, Heart Ashley ($18.80) returned from an eight-month layoff to win a high-priced optional claimer on Keeneland's Polytrack last month. Ridden for the first time by Stewart Elliot in the My Juliet, Heart Ashley outgunned the rail horse, One Smokin' Lady, and set fractions of 21.82 and 44.01 seconds en route to completing six furlongs in 1:08.68.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Kentucky shipper Exhi dominated a quality field under Robby Albarado in the 55th running of the Saturday at Woodbine.
Essence Hit Man set moderate fractions of 24.80 and 49.14 in the 1 1/16-mile route for 3-year-olds, with Exhi stalking him in second.
Exhi drew alongside Essence Hit Man early in the stretch before kicking clear to prevail by 4 1/2 lengths over a closing Hotep in 1:43.80. Essence Hit Man held on for third in a field reduced to five with the scratch of Giant's Tomb.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Zardana, who beat 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra in the New Orleans Ladies in March, is likely to make her next start in the $250,000 Ogden Phipps Stakes at Belmont Park on June 12, owner Arnold Zetcher said.
Zetcher said a start in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps Stakes gives Zardana a chance at a leading race for older fillies and mares on dirt and keeps her away from Zenyatta, the undefeated two-time champion who is scheduled to make her next start in the $250,000 Vanity Handicap at Hollywood Park on June 13.
BOSSIER CITY, La. - If you like playing horses for courses, Monday's turf feature at Louisiana Downs offers plenty of opportunities. No fewer than eight of the 10 veteran claimers have won over the local lawn and are hoping that a homecoming of sorts will reverse some marginal recent form.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- If Spaghetti Mouse is going to get back on track and be one of the top stakes horses at Hastings again, he is going to have to run a big race on Sunday. The all-time leading money-earning British Columbia-bred with over $893,000 in earnings, Spaghetti Mouse didn't win a race last year. The way Sunday's race shapes up, a 1 1/16-mile classified allowance race for 3-year-olds and up, he should win if he is anywhere near his old self.
One heavy favorite delivered, but two others failed to even satisfy show bettors in Friday night's stakes tripleheader at Penn National Race Course.
Liam's Dream ($2.40), taking a steep drop in class after winning the Grade 3 Cicada in March, cruised to a 2 1/2-length win in the $75,000 Wonders Delight Stakes for Pennsylvania-bred 3-year-old fillies.
Trainer Derek Ryan offered no alibis for Schoolyard Dreams in the Preakness.
Ryan said he thought Schoolyard Dreams, the tough-luck loser of the Tampa Bay Derby, had a shot in the middle jewel of the Triple Crown. Instead, Schoolyard Dreams got shot down - finishing ninth behind Lookin At Lucky.
"He got beat," Ryan said. "No excuse. He made a little move and flattened out. You take your ball and go home. That's the worst race he's run all year."
Schoolyard Dreams will now be pointed to the Grade 3 Pegasus Stakes here on June 19.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Woodbine's decision to cut back the Connaught Cup from 1 1/16 miles to seven furlongs has had a predictable impact on the composition of the field for Sunday's renewal.
And among those who will benefit from the shortening of the Grade 3, $150,000 turf race is Grand Adventure, a Kentucky-bred bred 4-year-old who is trained by Mark Frostad.
"If it was still run at a mile and a sixteenth, he wouldn't have been in it," said Frostad, who trains the homebred Grand Adventure for Sam-Son Farm.
Awesome Gem drew a prime post for the Grade 3, $300,000 Lone Star Park Handicap when entries for the 1 1/16-mile race were taken on Friday. He will break from post 3 in a field of eight in what is the richest of seven stakes making up the Lone Star Million Day card on Monday.
"I like the inside post," said Craig Dollase, who trains Awesome Gem. "He'll save some ground and make his run. And he's been lucky with post 3. He won the Hawthorne Gold Cup with post 3. Hopefully, we can continue that."