POMONA, Calif. - The 71st racing season at the Los Angeles County Fair was not the best in Fairplex Park's history, and it comes to a quiet end on Monday.
Battling an economic slog and soft product, Fairplex will end the 15-day meet down in handle and significance. Other tracks might envy the $5.3 million daily handle (through Friday), but at Fairplex it represents a 7.6 percent decline from 2008.
Fairplex and its bettors were challenged by a shortage of good horses.
Less than a year ago, True to Tradition was good enough to win the Grade 2 Nearctic at Woodbine and earn a berth in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint.
Early in 2008, Lord Snowdon was second in the Grade 2 General George Handicap at Laurel and third, beaten less than four lengths, in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park.
Owner-trainer Butch Cave clearly knew what he was doing when he chose to scratch Sumacha'hot from a $50,000 starter handicap early on Saturday's all-stakes card at Laurel Park to take a shot at the $200,000 purse up for grabs in the featured .
The 4-year-old Sumacha'hot, who would have been an odds-on favorite in a race for Maryland-sired runners who had started for a claiming price of $15,000 or less, instead stormed from far back under jockey Grant Whitacre to pull clear in the day's nine-furlong feature.
On a unique day of racing Saturday at Monmouth Park, in which the track ran six National Steeplechase Association races and five traditional flat races, speed dominated in the track s four stakes races.
The day s two flat stakes divisions of the $200,000 NATC Futurity for 2-year-olds, one for males, the other for females horses that pressed the pace scored swift victories, and in the two co-featured steeplechase races, the $70,000 Metcalf Memorial Novice Hurdle Stakes and the $50,000 Helen Haskell Sampson Memorial Hurdle stakes, the two winners led from start to finish.
POMONA, Calif. Quindici Man only needed a class drop Saturday at Fairplex Park, where he won the $50,000 by three-quarters of a length over favorite All Saint.
In the supporting feature at the Los Angeles County Fair, the $50,000 for fillies and mares, the former claimer Made for Magic sprang a $17.60 upset.
The victory by Quindici Man ($8) in the 1 1/16-mile Pomona Derby for 3-year-olds ended a season of futility. Quindici Man had battled graded stakes company throughout spring and summer.
Runnning Brook Gal finished second by a neck in her first start since winning the Grade 1, $1.9 million All American Futurity during a trial race at Zia Park on Saturday, but still still qualified for the track's Grade 2, $302,440 Hobbs America Futurity on Oct. 11.
Runnning Brook Gal encountered some trouble at the start in her trial, which went as the fifth race, and she rallied for second to wire-to-wire winner Eye of an Episode ($64.20). Runnning Brook Gal ran the 400 yards in 19.44 seconds to rank as the fourth fastest qualifier for the Hobbs. She was the 1-5 favorite.
MIAMI - Joanie's Catch, whose progress has been hampered by gate issues throughout an already busy 2-year-old campaign, showed off her true talent on Saturday by cruising to an easy 4 1//2-length decision over The Isabella Angel in the at Calder. The Brave Raj highlighted the Festival Preview card that featured four stakes.
Trainer Linda Rice picked the right horse to bring to Philadelphia Park for Saturday's $200,000 .
After entering an uncoupled pair for the five-furlong turf sprint, Rice scratched Ahvee's Destiny and shipped in the 4-year-old filly Canadian Ballet.
Ridden by locally based jockey Stewart Elliott, Canadian Ballet ($8.60) dueled up front early, gave up the lead briefly in the stretch, but fought back to prevail by a head over Southern California invader Queen Ofthe Catsle.
Rumor Control and Positive Prospect, a pair of fillies who have primarily campaigned on turf this season, could play prominent roles in a dirt sprint for fillies and mares that serves as the Tuesday feature at Philadelphia Park.
The 3-year-old filly Rumor Control, who has run well in Kentucky and New York, figures to be part of a contested battle for the early lead, which could provide an ideal setup for Positive Prospect in the six-furlong eighth race, a second-level allowance worth $47,000.
