HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Decelerator picked up the third stakes win of her career Saturday at Oaklawn, when she held off Vertical Vision by a neck to take the $75,000 Instant Racing. It was another length back in third to Bell's Shoes.
The Instant Racing for 3-year-old fillies supported the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby on the meet's closing-day card. Saturday attendance at Oaklawn was 61,531.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Stately Victor emerged from the pack to run off to the biggest upset in the 86-year history of the , scoring by 4 1/4 lengths at 40-1 on Saturday at Keeneland and putting himself in the gate for the May 1 Kentucky Derby.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Way With Words , a three-time stakes winner last season, got back on the winning track in impressive fashion when rallying to a 4 3/4-length victory over 4-5 favorite Akilina in Saturday's $50,000 South Beach Stakes at Gulfstream Park.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Horses based in California race on synthetic surfaces, but in this year's 3-year-old preps for the Kentucky Derby, they have shown there's nothing artificial about them.
Twice earlier this meet at Oaklawn Park, a horse shipped in from California to win an important 3-year-old stakes race. But while Conveyance (Southwest Stakes) and Lookin At Lucky (Rebel) were favored, it was 17-1 longshot Line of David who stole the race, and the show, on Saturday at Oaklawn Park, leading every step of the way in the before a crowd of 61,531 on a sun-splashed afternoon.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Trainer Jimmy Jerkens isn't convinced that one mile is going to ultimately be a distance at which Touching Beauty will excel. But in Saturday's it was ideal.
Benefiting from a perfect ride from Mike Luzzi and some major trouble for odds-on-favorite She'll Be Doggone in upper stretch, Touching Beauty scored a half-length victory over Speightful Affair in the Comely. It was another half-length to back to C.C.'s Pal in third. They were followed in the order of finish by Indian Burn, Volare Cantare, Anchorage, She'll Be Doggone, and Roman Chestnut.
Winless in four starts on dirt since a victory in an Oct. 2 optional claimer on turf, My Main Starr found her way to the winner's circle again with a switch back to grass in Saturday's $52,200 Dahlia Stakes at Laurel Park. The victory in the 1 1/16-mile race for fillies and mares was the 5-year-old's first in a stakes and seventh in 28 career starts. She is now 2 for 2 on turf.
Thats a Heckofacat was extremely impressive in winning the $50,000 Howard B. Noonan at Beulah Park. The 2008 Ohio champion 2-year-old was making his seasonal debut in the six-furlong Noonan.
Jockey John McKee kept Thats a Heckofacat just off the early pace and to the outside of pacesetting stablemate Almighty O. McKee shook the reigns in upper stretch and the Doug Cowans charge responded, drawing off to win by 2 1/4 lengths in ridden-out fashion.
Almighy O, also trained by Cowans, finished second under Dean Sarvis, a length in front of late running Tsunaami Stu in third.
Biofuel, Canada's co-champion 2-year-old filly last year along with Negligee, won her season debut with an impressive wide rally at Woodbine in the s.
Biofuel ($4.80) trailed the five-horse field heading into the turn as favored Wild Forest Cat set moderate fractions of 22.90 and 46.02 seconds in the six-furlong sprint for 3-year-old fillies.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Champion Forever Together had a near-perfect trip in Saturday's at Keeneland. Front-running Wasted Tears just had a slightly better one, and that proved the difference as Wasted Tears gamely turned back Forever Together, the 2008 champion female turf horse, to win the Jenny Wiley by a half-length.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Pure Clan, who is arguably the top turf female in training, is coming right along in her preparations for her season debut. She worked a bullet five furlongs in 59.60 seconds on dirt at her Oaklawn base last week and remains on schedule for an intended start in the Grade 2, $200,000 Churchill Downs Distaff Turf Mile on May 1, trainer Bob Holthus said.
