MIAMI - Eaton's Gift, who hadn't won a race in nearly 14 months, registered a shocking upset when outlasting reigning Eclipse Award winner Benny the Bull by 1 1/2 lengths in Saturday's at Calder. The Smile highlighted the 13-race Summit of Speed program along with the Grade 1 Princess Rooney Handicap.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Points of Grace led most of the way to upset a quality field Saturday at Woodbine in the , a nine-furlong race for fillies and mares.
Points of Grace ($28.10) went a slow opening quarter of 24.12 seconds, while being pressed by Ginger Brew. She went on to set middle fractions of 47.03 and 1:10.24 over turf course labeled good.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Julien Leparoux won his second graded stakes on the Million Preview card Saturday at Arlington, guiding Reb to an improbable victory in the .
Reb, in from Keeneland for trainer Rusty Arnold, won his maiden in April by a head, and won an entry-level allowance in May by a nose. Turning for home in the American Derby, his stakes debut, it did not seem possible that Reb would win at all. Reb ran in last place much of the race, and was last at the head of the homestretch, locked inside and blocked by a wall of horses.
Brickyard will make his first start in his home state when he attempts to win the final stakes of the Indiana Downs season, the $70,000 Governor's, on Tuesday.
Brickyard campaigned in New York earlier this year for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. Ronny Werner now has the 3-year-old, who is owned by Vision Racing LLC.
Werner is confident about Brickyard's chances in the Governor's, a mile turf race for Indiana-bred 3-year-olds.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Julien Leparoux basically rode Pure Clan like she could not lose the Modesty Handicap, and the filly did not let him down.
Leparoux quickly took Pure Clan off the fence in the first quarter-mile of the Modesty. Why risk getting stopped, stuck, impeded or otherwise when you are riding a 4-5 shot in a five-horse field?
"I just wanted to be in the clear," Leparoux said when the dust had cleared, and Pure Clan had won the by 2 1/2 lengths in a dominant performance.
Monsoon Rain ($2.80) continued his domination of Manitoba's older male ranks with a two-length victory in Friday night's one-mile Wheat City at Assiniboia Downs.
After pressing the pace early, Monsoon Rain took charge into the final turn under regular rider Carlos Marquez and was never seriously threatened en route to his second consecutive Wheat City score.
No Reply closed from last in the field of five to finish second, three lengths ahead of The Max. Brinello and early leader Arthurlooksgood rounded out the order of finish.
Dixie Chip came from just off the pace to win the $50,000 Edmonton Juvenile Stakes at Northlands Park Friday evening.
With Quincy Welch in the irons, Dixie Chip was in a striking position early before he made his bid to catch Tiny Giant, who set the pace, in the upper stretch. After getting past Tiny Giant in midstretch, Dixie Chip drew off to win by 3 3/4 lengths. Tiny Giant, who was sent off as the 6-5 favorite, tired to finish third, a neck behind Judge Brew.
ELMONT, N.Y. - While trainers with designs on running in the $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park await word on whether they will have to contend with the superstar filly Rachel Alexandra, there is another 3-year-old potentially headed that way they probably don't want to face either.
The Inglewood, Calif., city council approved on Wednesday zoning amendments that will permit eventual development of Hollywood Park's 238-acre property.
Backers of the proposed $2 billion project would like to launch construction within a year to build a retail and entertainment space, hotel, homes, and office space. The development company Wilson Meany Sullivan is working with Hollywood Park's owners, Stockbridge Real Estate Funds, on the project.
Kirk Ziadie, who has won the last two Calder training titles and two of the last three Tropical at Calder championships, has been issued a 60-day suspension by the Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering after one of his horses, Not Acclaim, tested positive for the tranquilizer acepromazine on March 19, 2007, at Gulfstream Park.
