Researcher remains the king of the hill at Charles Town.

Facing a talented field that included Grade 2 winners Gone Astray and Awesome Gem, Researcher came close to matching the track record for 1 1/8 miles he set last year while winning the for the second straight time Saturday night.

Sent off as the 7-2 second choice, Researcher ($9.80) surpassed the million-dollar milestone in earnings by collecting the $600,000 winner's share of the $1 million purse in the richest ever run in West Virginia.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Mr Gruff has made winning on Santa Anita's hillside turf course look easy this spring.

After winning an optional claimer on March 19 on the hillside turf course by 2 3/4 lengths, Mr Gruff scored an easy win in Saturday's , the second consecutive year he has prevailed in the Grade 3 race over about 6 1/2 furlongs.

Ridden by Joel Rosario, Mr Gruff ($3.60) stalked Trumpet Player Jay through an opening quarter-mile in 22.52 seconds, took the lead after a half-mile in 43.98 seconds and won by 2 1/4 lengths over Victor's Cry. Mr Gruff was timed in 1:11.53.

STICKNEY, Ill. - Four in a row for Life At Ten, who won her graded stakes debut on Saturday, wearing down favored Jessica Is Back through the long Hawthorne stretch to win the by one length.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Sea Road capped off a big day for trainer Stanley Hough by rallying to a neck victory over pacesetter Worstcasescenario in Saturday's $50,000 Boynton Beach at Gulfstream Park. Hough also won Aqueduct's Grade 2 Distaff Handicap earlier in the afternoon with Tar Heel Mom.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Tuscan Evening finished a perfect season at Santa Anita's winter-spring meeting with her fourth stakes win of the year on turf in Saturday's .

The Grade 2 Santa Barbara was Tuscan Evening's first start over 1 1/4 miles on turf, a distance she that proved to be no problem. Ridden by Rafael Bejarano, Tuscan Evening ($2.60) was timed in 2:00.22 and finished a length in front of General Consensus in the field of four fillies and mares.

"She relaxed really well," said Tuscan Evening's trainer, Jerry Hollendorfer. "She had plenty left when Rafael asked her."

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - After coming close in a couple of graded stakes events in south Florida this winter, Tar Heel Mom finally broke through in a big event, scoring a 2 1/2-length, front-running victory in Saturday's at Aqueduct.

Hour Glass finished second by two lengths over Matchless Orinda. Justwhistledixie and Thunders Dove completed the order of finish.

The win was the seventh from 19 starts for Tar Heel Mom, a 5-year-old daughter of Flatter owned by Alex Rankin and trained by Stanley Hough. It was her fourth stakes win, but first in a graded event from six tries.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Todd Pletcher won the for the third straight year when Exhi led all the way Saturday at Keeneland to render the results of the Grade 2 race moot toward the May 1 Kentucky Derby.

Exhi, a 19-1 shot under Robby Albarado, earned $180,000 of the $300,000 Lexington purse and surely will not make the 20-horse cutoff for the Derby. Pletcher, watching from Gulfstream Park in Florida, said Exhi, a Maria's Mon colt, would not be pointed toward the Derby, regardless. Exhi held off Bushwacked by a length in the 1 1/16-mile Polytrack race.

ALBANY, Calif. - Antares World ($3.20) sat behind pacesetting Kaloula early, moved on her own, and was never seriously challenged as she won the $60,000 Golden Poppy at Golden Gate Fields on Saturday.

A 3-year-old Decarchy filly, coming off a troubled trip in the Grade 2 Providencia at Santa Anita two weeks ago in her last start, Antares World got a dream trip in the 1 1/16-mile turf race.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Injury prevented Tyler Baze from having anything close to a meaningful meeting at Hollywood Park last fall. He is determined to make up for that when the track opens its spring-summer meeting on Wednesday.

"I think I have a lot of momentum and a lot of good business," he said on Friday.

Baze, who through Friday was tied for sixth in the standings at the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting, had three wins at Santa Anita on Friday, including the $58,300 Santa Lucia Handicap on Devine Actress.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Jockey Alex Solis is relocating to Kentucky this weekend, he said on Saturday.

Solis's final day at Santa Anita was Saturday. He is booked to ride at Keeneland on Sunday.

Solis said the move is likely to be permanent and gives him a chance to try a different circuit. Through Friday, Solis was tied for 12th in the standings at the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting with 18 wins from 200 mounts. He has been based in Southern California since relocating from Florida in 1985.