Catlaunch won the $50,000, nlne-furlong George Lewis Memorial Handicap for the second straight year at Thistledown on Sunday. He raced on near even terms for the lead with Pyrite Personal until the top of the stretch, then asserted his authority to draw off to a two-length win. Cold Trial rallied steadlly to be second, a neck better than Pyrite Personal.

Catlaunch is owned by his breeder, Scioto Farm, is trained by Ivan Vasquez and was ridden by Hector Rosario Jr. He got the distance in 1:53.34 over the sloppyacing strip and returned a $3 win mutuel as the public's choice.

PLEASANTON, Calif. - Christmas Ship ($4.80) responded to a confident ride with a strong stretch run to score her first stakes victory, winning the Alameda County Fillies and Mares Handicap by two lengths at the Alameda County Fair on Sunday.

It was her first victory since a two-length allowance victory here last year.

Jockey Frank Alvarado, who rode Christmas Ship to the allowance victory, said he knew the 4-year-old Montbrook filly would win "when I saw the overnights."

Miss Blue Tye Dye used her early speed to good advantage when the Ligature Stakes was shifted from the turf to a wet main track, cruising to an 11 3/4-length victory Saturday night at Penn National Race Course.

The $75,000 Ligature was the feature on a 10-race program with inflated purses worth a collective $475,000. The extra money was put up by the Pennsylvania Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association as a reward for local trainers who supported the track before revenue from slot machines pumped up the purse structure dramatically.

FORT ERIE, Ontario - Gallant, the only horse in the field who did not compete in the Queen's Plate, was a 15-1 upsetter in a thrilling renewal of the Prince of Wales here Sunday.

With Corey Fraser in the irons for the first time, Gallant was running a close fourth through the opening quarter but shot to the lead as the field entered the backstretch.

"He carried me to the front, into the first turn," said Fraser, who was recording the biggest win of his career. "They were kind of dawdling along, so I let him go."

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Take that, boys.

Necessary Evil, the only filly in a field of males, won her stakes debut in Sunday's at Hollywood Park, remaining unbeaten after two starts. The relative ease of the victory, a three-length win on the front, left her as the leader of California's 2-year-old filly division as the circuit moves to Del Mar on July 22.

Later on Sunday's program, Repo won the $98,000 Landaluce Stakes for 2-year-old fillies.

CINCINNATI, Ohio - Drummond Island had a perfect trip winning the $50,000 Hoover Stakes at River Downs on Sunday.

Trained by Doug Cowans, the 2-year-old proved best of seven Ohio-breds when winning the 5 1/2-furlong event. Jockey Rodney Prescott took advantage of a speed duel that set up with the two favorites, Infatuation and Busha', and kept Drummond Island in behind them. Prescott angled Drummond Island to the outside and dueled briefly with the leaders before drawing clear to win by a length. Infatuation held on for second, a neck in front of Busha' in third.

OCEANPORT, N.J. - In Summation ($3.80) squeezed out a nose victory Sunday in his season debut, winning the $60,000 John McSorley Stakes on the turf at Monmouth Park.

Ridden by Joe Bravo, the Grade 1 winner angled to the outside at the top of the lane and responded willingly to get up in the final strides over Duffy's Tavern with Atticus Kristy another nose back in third.

The victory gave trainer Christophe Clement turf- stakes victories on consecutive days, following Gio Ponti's victory Saturday in the $500,000 Man o' War Stakes at Belmont Park.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Maritime Passion extended her unbeaten record to two races Sunday at Woodbine with a decisive score in the $150,000 Shady Well Stakes, for Ontario-bred 2-year-old fillies.

Chantal Sutherland got Maritime Passion off the rail shortly after breaking from post 1, and she dueled with Shesadozer on the lead through the turn.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Sea Chanter, as expected, scored a convincing victory Sunday in the $64,950 Pearl Necklace Stakes at Belmont Park.

The race conditions perfectly suited the 4-year-old trained by Todd Pletcher. The stakes was restricted to fillies and mares "which have not won a graded sweepstakes in 2008-2009."

Her lone previous win over the past two seasons was an allowance victory at Belmont last fall.

Hilton's Cherokee ($4.90), making his local and seasonal bow and his first start for trainer Emile Corbel, thrust himself into the Manitoba Derby picture by recording his first lifetime win in Saturday's $30,000 Harry Jeffrey at Assiniboia Downs.

The Harry Jeffrey, a 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds, is the major local prep for the Manitoba Derby, a 1 1/8-mile race which will be run on Aug. 3.

Hilton's Cherokee, ridden by Alan Cuthbertson, stalked the pace before moving to the lead on the first turn and then going on to score by 1 3/4 lengths.