ELMONT, N.Y. - In a result only slightly less likely than death and taxes, the Godolphin-owned Music Note ($2.50) ran down 5-2 second choice Unbridled Belle to win Saturday's 70th running of the by 2 1/4 lengths under Rajiv Maragh. Unbridled Belle was second by better than nine lengths, and Copper State was third by almost 14 lengths in the strung-out field of five fillies and mares.
ARCADIA, Calif. Century Park won her first stakes since January in the $75,000 California Cup Distance, a race that she would not have been eligible for in past years.
Century Park is a Florida-bred, but the Matron and the other California Cup races on Saturday were opened this year to horses sired by California-based sires. Century Park is by California sire General Meeting.
Ridden by Tyler Baze, Century Park ($10.20) ran 1 1/4 miles on turf in 1:59.72. Catsalot finished second, edging pacesetter and 2-5 favorite You Lift Me Up in the final sixteenth.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Lady Railrider has proven to be effective in short and long races, and against competition in Northern and Southern California.
Saturday, she handled a return from a five-month layoff to win the $100,000 California Cup Matron Handicap at Santa Anita. Plagued by foot problems at times during her career, Lady Railrider showed no rustiness in beating four female rivals in the Matron, the first of eight stakes for horses bred in California or by a California-based sire on California Cup Day.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - The favored Oistins shook loose on the lead and kept on going to take the 13th running of the at Woodbine Saturday.
Oistins ($6.10) set moderate splits on a clear lead, and then held off Nocookiesforpapa and Shezadozer in the stretch to prevail by a length, in a time of 1:10.62 for the six furlongs.
Nocookiesforpapa wound up a length in front of Shezadozer, the third-place finisher in the eight-horse field.
Jim McAleney rode Oistins for trainer Terry Jordan, who said he expected to see more front-runners in the race.
When Rockin Zola was passed late in the stretch by Edmond in Friday's $50,000 Luke Kruytbosch, the opening-day feature at Turf Paradise, everyone assumed his day was done and he was now running for second. Everyone, that is, except his rider, Scott Stevens, and perhaps his trainer, Molly Pearson.
"Molly had him as fit as can be," said Stevens. "It wasn't easy, but I never doubted this horse's heart to win it."
Rockin Zola, rerallied to nip Edmond by a nose to capture the Kruytbosch as the Phoenix track kicked off its 155-day meet, its 54th season.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Fatal Bullet, last year's Breeders' Cup Sprint runner-up, breezed five furlongs in 59.80 under regular rider Eurico Rosa da Silva at Woodbine Saturday morning in preparation for Friday's Grade 3 Phoenix at Keeneland.
"It was exactly what we wanted," said Reade Baker, who conditions Fatal Bullet for the Bear Stable of Danny Dion. "He had his fast work last week."
ELMONT, N.Y. There were two early scratches from Saturday's $600,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational at Belmont Park, but Presious Passion wasn't one of them.
With only light rain having fallen as of late Saturday morning, trainer Mary Hartman remains hopeful of running the speedy Presious Passion in the Hirsch, but only wants to do so on firm turf. The turf courses were labeled good as of Saturday morning.
"As long as it doesn't rain anymore I'll run," Hartmann said at 11:15.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Informed, the winner of two graded stakes this year in California, and the English import Gitano Hernando will start in the $350,000 Goodwood Stakes at Santa Anita next Saturday, a major prep for the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic here on Nov. 7.
The Goodwood, which is run over 1 1/8 miles on the main track, is expected to draw Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird and Pacific Classic winner Richard's Kid. Other probable starters include Chocolate Candy, Colonel John, Monzante, Parading, Tiago, and Tres Borrachos.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas is not normally seen around these parts for extended periods of time in the fall. But Lukas arrived in town Thursday night and will be here through next weekend to prepare Hopeful winner Dublin for a start in the Grade 1 Champagne here Saturday.
Dublin and Lukas arrived Thursday from Kentucky, where Dublin had been stabled since winning the Grade 1 Hopeful at Saratoga on Sept. 7. He has worked twice at Churchill, and Lukas planned to give him one more breeze here either Sunday or Monday.
