INGLEWOOD, Calif. - It's easy to put a label on a horse.
When Rail Trip entered training in 2007, trainer Ron Ellis thought he'd be a Derby horse in 2008. That ended when the colt was diagnosed with a bone chip in an ankle. Earlier this year, after Rail Trip won three two-turn races but was beaten in two stakes, it looked like was a miler.
It turns out that Rail Trip is a Gold Cup horse, as in Saturday's .
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Emerald City upset heavily favored Vying Ty Grr to win the inaugural running of the $54,716 Boulevard Casino Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at Hastings on Saturday.
Emerald City broke sharply and then chased Vying Ty Grr until she gained the lead in the late stretch to win by three-quarters of a length. Vying Ty Grr set fractions of 22.15 and 45.97 seconds before tiring late. Bella Aviva finished third, five lengths behind Vying Ty Grr. Final time for the six-furlongs was 1:12.58. Emerals City paid $27.80.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Two Saturdays, two graded stakes at Arlington Park for Pennsylvania-based trainer Jonathan Sheppard.
On July 4, Sheppard won the Chicago Handicap with George Strawbridge's Informed Decision, and this time, Sheppard won the with Just as Well, whose soundness issues a couple years ago led Strawbridge to sell the horse to Sheppard himself.
Just as Well, a 6-year-old A.P. Indy horse, won the first stakes of his career - but he'll be back for more. Sheppard said Just as Well was likely to return to Chicago next month of the Arlington Million.
Robo Willie just held on to beat 3-2 favorite Cool Diablo by three-quarters of length in the $58,750 Ky Alta Handicap for 3-year-olds going a mile at Northlands Park on Saturday.
With leading rider Rickey Walcott on board, Robo Willie stalked the pace set by It's Good to Be Me for the first six furlongs. Robo Willie went to the front on the stretch turn, and after opening up a two-length lead at the top of the stretch he was all out to hold off Cool Diablo in the final strides. Tease the Tiger made a late move to finish a nonthreatening third.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Back in April, the management of Lone Star Park began making plans to honor the track's all-time winningest trainer, Steve Asmussen, at the meet that was upcoming. Saturday, things came together in a big way. Asmussen was feted as Lone Star's man of the year during a card in which he set a record for trainer wins in a meet and swept half of the four stakes that made up the $375,000 Stars of Texas Day.
MIAMI - Game Face became a Grade 1 winner for the first time when she drew off to a convincing 6 3/4-length victory over Keep the Peace in Saturday's at Calder.
Game Face, who dominated the filly and mare sprint division last winter at Gulfstream Park, had tried Grade 1 competition on two previous occasions in her career. She was a distant third in the Acorn at 3 and finished sixth over a sloppy track this spring in the Humana Distaff.
Jake Rattle N Roll ($9.80) returned quick dividends for trainer Mike Pino when he rallied from fourth in the stretch to run down favored A Reel Buster by a neck in the $50,000 Punch Line Stakes at Colonial Downs.
Ridden by Horatio Karamanos, the 4-year-old Jake Rattle N Roll hopped after being squeezed at the start, but saved ground and finished fast along the rail to deny A Reel Buster his second win in the five-furlong turf race restricted to Virginia-bred and Virginia-sired horses.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - The dream of making the Grade 1, $1 million Haskell Invitational on Aug. 2 at Monmouth Park seemingly left town for owners George and Lori Hall and trainer Kelly Breen with the sale of West Side Bernie to Godolphin in May.
The Haskell dream is still alive, thanks to Atomic Rain, who stepped up boldly to fill the void left by his departed stablemate.
Atomic Rain ($7) powered to a decisive win Saturday in the $175,000 Long Branch Stakes for 3-year-olds, Monmouth's traditional prep for the Haskell.
Gio Ponti extended his Grade 1 winning streak to three with a 1 3/4-length win over Musketier on Saturday in the on the turf at Belmont Park.
The run of Grade 1's started with the Frank Kilroe, going one mile at Santa Anita.
Back at Belmont, where he is now 4 for 5, Gio Ponti rallied from last in a 12-horse field to take the Manhattan Handicap at 1 1/4 miles on the Belmont Stakes undercard.
The Man o' War at 1 3/8 miles was the most decisive victory of the trio for Gio Ponti, a 4-year-old colt who has emerged as the nation's leading grass runner.
