Akilina must be a traveling fool. She raced Nov. 18 at Belmont, was shortly thereafter shipped to trainer Christophe Clement's winter base in south Florida, and then came on to New Orleans late this week to start Saturday in the .
Sign her up for a FedEx route - Akilina can ship.
Despite making a couple of mistakes in the stretch, Akilina ran to her short price and won the Pago Hop by a head. She paid just $4.20 to win, and was timed in 1:40.03 for one mile on a soft turf course.
Sterling Vow, who hadn't crossed the finish line first all year, outfinished 7-10 favorite Fascinatin' Rhythm to upset Saturday's $50,000 Squan Song at Laurel Park. Sterling Vow paid $74.80 in defeating 10 other Maryland-bred fillies and mares in the seven-furlong stakes, run over a sloppy track that had been sealed.
Sterling Vow, ridden by Alberto Delgado, finished three-quarters of a length in front of Fascinatin' Rhythm, with Heaven's Voice a neck back in third and Lucky You another head back in fourth. She covered the seven furlongs in 1:25.54.
MIAMI - Test results on the horse in Barn 78 at Calder that had exhibited symptoms of a possible neurological disorder earlier in the week came back negative for equine herpesvirus on Saturday, allowing track officials to lift restrictions imposed on the horses stabled in that barn.
Despite the negative test, the entire Calder barn area remains quarantined, with horses not allowed in or out, and three barns continue under restriction. The horses in those barns must train separately from the rest of the population and are not allowed to race.
VINTON, La. - WinStar Farm won its third graded 2-year-old stakes in three weeks on Friday night, when Rule drove to a gutty neck win over Uh Oh Bango in the at Delta Downs. It was another 2 3/4 lengths back in third to Oak Motte.
Rule's win came on the heels of Super Saver's victory in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes and American Lion's score in the Grade 3 Hollywood Prevue. The three colts race for the WinStar operation of Bill Casner and Kenny Troutt.
Jockey Justin Stein will serve a suspension of seven calendar days, beginning with the opening card of 2010 at Woodbine on April 2, but had another 18 days of a suspension stayed following an Ontario Racing Commission hearing on Wednesday.
The racing commission's ruling, released late Friday afternoon, states that the stay of the suspension will remain in effect through the 2010 season in Ontario and the days then will be dropped provided that Stein has kept the peace.
David Willmot, chairman and chief executive officer of the Woodbine Entertainment Group, has announced his intention to step down as CEO at the company's next annual general meeting on June 4, 2010.
Nick Eaves, the company's president, will succeed Willmot in the CEO position, which involves all the day-to-day concerns of Woodbine operations.
Eaves, 41, took over the president's role from Willmot late in 2006 and will retain that title, along with that of chief operating officer.
MIAMI - When it rains, it pours.
That was the case at Calder Race Course on Friday when early morning downpours compounded the track's problems, which began earlier in the week when the barn area was quarantined due to a case of equine herpesvirus.
Arlington Park on Friday named Chris Polzin its new director of racing and racing secretary. Polzin is a veteran Chicago racing official, but never has held the head job in a racing office.
Polzin takes over for Kevin Greely, who left the position in October. Greely had served for three years, coming from Dubai to take over as Arlington's director of racing.
