That's a Heckofacat went to the head of the statebred 2-year-old class with a convincing 4 1/2-length win over his seven rivals in the six-furlong, $50,000 Cleveland Kindergarten Stakes at Thistledown on Saturday. Infatuation finished second, a nose better than Busha.
The Hold That Tiger gelding is owned by Barbara G. Johnson and was ridden by John Mckee. He got the six furlongs in 1.11.6 and returned a $7.60 win mutuel.
AUBURN, Wash. - Knight Raider romped to a 6 3/4-length victory Saturday in the $50,000 Angie C. Stakes at Emerald Downs. In winning her third consecutive start, the 2-year-old filly ran six furlongs in a stakes-record 1:09.40 and paid $3.40 as the heavy favorite in the field of 10.
Ricky Frazier rode Knight Raider for trainer Doris Harwood, who tied the state and Emerald Downs record with five victories Saturday. Jim Penney saddled five winners in one day at Emerald in 1998, and the feat was accomplished four times at Longacres and Yakima Meadows.
AUBURN, Wash. - Without chief nemesis Forener in the field, Hollywood Harbor made short work of five rivals in the $50,000 Premio Esmeralda on Sunday at Emerald Downs, coasting to a 5 1/4-length victory in the season's first open stakes race for 2-year-old colts and geldings.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Zenyatta ran her perfect record to 12 races by rallying belatedly to win the Grade 1, $300,000 Clement Hirsch Stakes, overcoming a dawdling pace and an admittedly overconfident ride from her jockey, Mike Smith, to satisfy an adoring crowd on Sunday at Del Mar.
Mamoose, the lone Kentucky-bred in the field of 10 juveniles, took the $79,818 Iowa Stallion Futurity on Saturday evening. Mamoose, one of six maidens who entered the starting gate, made a five wide rally in the stretch to swoop past pacesetting favorite Hot Frank Hank, who held on for second. The winning margin was 2 3/4 lengths.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Unbeaten Lookin at Lucky has trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Garrett Gomez buzzing about how far the colt can progress this fall.
Lookin at Lucky certainly moved closer to the top of the nation's 2-year-old male division with a victory in his stakes debut in Sunday's $150,000 Best Pal Stakes at Del Mar.
The win gave Baffert a record seventh win in the Best Pal. Lookin at Lucky will be his hope to win a record ninth Del Mar Futurity when the $300,000 race is run on Sept. 7.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Trainer Todd Beattie and his horse Fabulous Strike's first victory at Saratoga was well worth the wait.
Fabulous Strike, forced to scratch from last year's $250,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap due to a foot injury, needed most of the stretch to wear down a stubborn pace-setting Go Go Shoot to win Sunday's by one length. Go Go Shoot, a 15-1 longshot, finished second by 1 1/4 lengths over Kodiak Kowboy. Benny the Bull, Eaton's Gift, and Fatal Bullet completed the order of finish.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - The only surprising thing about Game Face winning Sunday's at Saratoga was the manner in which she did it.
Expected to stalk the hot early pace, Game Face instead was part of it, dueling between horses before wearing down Keep the Peace inside the eighth pole on her way to a 1 1/2-length victory. Keep the Peace held on for second by three-quarters of a length over P.S.U. Grad. Porte Bonheur, Lady Chace, and All Giving completed the order of finish.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Favored Ghost Fleet crushed a good field of 2-year-olds Sunday at Woodbine in the $151,600 Vandal Stakes, scoring by 4 3/4 lengths in the six-furlong dash.
Ghost Fleet raced on the outside in midpack on the backstretch, as Bold Canadian and Who's Big Daddy dueled through fractions of 22.48 seconds and 45.63.
