Sun, 12/06/2009 - 00:00

Kinsale King goes wire to wire in Underwood

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The stakes debut of Kinsale King in Sunday's gave trainer Carl O'Callaghan his first stakes win.

Ridden by Martin Garcia, Kinsale King led throughout the Grade 3 race over six furlongs and held off a stretchlong threat from Delta Storm to win by a neck.

The milestone came on the eve of O'Callaghan's 34th birthday. O'Callaghan has a 35-horse stable at Hollywood Park.

Kinsale King ($16.40) set a moderate pace of 23.23 and 46.53 seconds, shook loose by a length with a furlong remaining, and won by a neck over Delta Storm.

Sun, 12/06/2009 - 00:00

Cloudy's Knight rerallies in Valedictory

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Cloudy's Knight ($3.60) battled back along the rail after surrendering the lead on the final turn and captured Sunday's , the closing day feature of the 167-day Woodbine meet.

Cloudy's Knight was rank in the early stages of the 1 3/4-mile race before jockey Rosemary Homeister Jr. let him have the lead the first time they crossed the wire, with a mile left.

Sun, 12/06/2009 - 00:00

Ibboyee recovers to take Damon Runyon

Ibboyee and Opus A overcame adventurous trips Sunday to take a pair of two-turn stakes for New York-bred 2-year-olds at Aqueduct.

In the for colts and geldings, Ibboyee stumbled badly at the start and got shuffled back on the turn before coming with a four-wide rush in the stretch under Ramon Dominguez to win by 2 1/2 lengths over City Trooper. It was two lengths back to Shrimp Dancer in third.

Sun, 12/06/2009 - 00:00

Calhoun wins four Champions Day stakes

HOUSTON - There was one constant in the winner's circle during the $500,000 Texas Champions Day program Saturday night at Sam Houston Race Park: trainer Bret Calhoun. He sent out the winners of four of the eight stakes that made up the track's richest program.

"It was a very, very good night," said Calhoun. "The horses stepped up for us tonight."

Sun, 12/06/2009 - 00:00

Rule to winter in Florida

Jeff Coady/Coady Photography
Rule picks up his third straight victory in a hard-fought Delta Jackpot.

VINTON, La. - Rule will be freshened in Florida following his gutsy win Friday night in the and is expected to return to action in either February or March, said his trainer, Todd Pletcher. For the victory, Rule picked up $450,000 in graded earnings, which all but ensures him a spot in the starting gate for next year's Kentucky Derby.

Sat, 12/05/2009 - 00:00

Salty Fries gets revenge in Corte Madera

Salty Fries ($7.80) turned the tables on Antares World, who had just defeated her in an allowance race, rallying along the rail to capture the $64,400 Corte Madera Stakes by a head at Golden Gate Fields on Saturday.

The two had just met in a Nov. 18 one-mile race, with Antares World winning by a half-length after a stretch-long duel that included contact between the two several times.

There were no similar incidents in the Corte Madera, also run at one mile.

Sat, 12/05/2009 - 00:00

Miss McCall makes it look easy

PHOENIX - Southern California raider Miss McCall never had an anxious moment as the 3-year-old filly dominated Saturday's $50,000 City of Phoenix Handicap at Turf Paradise.

Owned by Scott Anastasi, Jimmy Ukegawa and Mike Mitchell, and trained by Mitchell, Miss McCall bounced out of the gate to a clear early lead in the six-furlong event for fillies and mares and extended her margin. She was five lengths clear in midstretch and was then geared down by jockey Glenn Corbett to win easily by 4 3/4 lengths.

Sat, 12/05/2009 - 00:00

Zardana makes the grade in Bayakoa

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Zardana's first start on a synthetic track in 22 months produced a milestone victory in Saturday's at Hollywood Park.

Zardana won the Grade 2 race by 1 1/4 lengths over Silver Swallow, the first graded stakes victory of her 17-race career. Zardana had won three minor stakes in Brazil and California before Saturday's race, her sixth start in a graded stakes. She was fourth in the Grade 1 Santa Maria Handicap on a synthetic track in February 2008 when trained by Ron McAnally.

Sat, 12/05/2009 - 00:00

Sweet Lemon Chello powers home in Whitworth

STICKNEY, Ill. - Sweet Lemon Chello started her racing career in a short 4 1/2-furlong sprint. Her lone win had come at six furlongs, and until Saturday, Sweet Lemon Chello never had raced around two turns. But Sweet Lemon Chello's sire is Belmont Stakes winner Lemon Drop Kid, and she had no problem seeing out the 1 1/16-mile Pat Whitworth Illinois Debutante, winning the $100,600 race for Illinois-bred 2-year-old fillies by 8 1/2 lengths.

Sat, 12/05/2009 - 00:00

Exotic Bloom rallies to My Charmer victory

Exotic Bloom rallied in the final furlong to spoil the return of a former Brazilian champion, Celtic Princess, posting a neck victory Saturday in the $50,000 My Charmer Stakes at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky.

With Miguel Mena riding for trainer Fred Seitz, Exotic Bloom split horses inside the furlong pole after tracking the pace from a few lengths behind. Celtic Princess, making her first start in more than two years after being the top 2-year-old filly in Brazil in 2006-07, had wrested command with a sustained rail run, but Exotic Bloom nailed her in the final yards.