Turf Paradise felt the pinch of a troubled economy like most other tracks as the Phoenix facility saw some handle declines at its recently concluded meet.

According to track figures, overall handle on Turf Paradise races fell 12.3 percent from the 2007-08 stand - $205,054,318 this meet compared to $233,906,130 last year. The 154-day meet (originally set for 156 days with two cards lost to weather) saw a smaller decline in average daily handle of 8.9 percent, $1,331,522 this meet compared to $1,462,999.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Smart Surprise took the long way home en route to capturing the Grade 3, $158,600 Hendrie Stakes over Kentucky shipper Proud Heiress at Woodbine on Sunday.

Smart Surprise raced about four lengths off the lead in a four-wide position, as Bear Lahaina set fractions of 22.77 seconds and 44.53. Smart Surprise rallied wide in unison with Proud Heiress in the final furlong, and got home on top by neck, in a final time of 1:16.01. Authenicat finished another two lengths back in third in the nine-horse field of fillies and mares.

Lone Star Park near Dallas announced on Sunday that overnight purses would be cut 6 percent beginning May 22 due to a "downward trend" in handle figures at the meet that runs through July 26. The move will put purses, which are averaging $179,000 a day, at $169,000 a day, according to Drew Shubeck, president of Lone Star.

Great Love dueled on the turn before drawing clear in the stretch and then held off a late charge to win the $100,000 Tom Ridge at Presque Isle Downs on Saturday night.

Trained by John Robb, Great Love was kept just off the early pace before rallying at the half-mile pole to take the lead. Jockey Erick Rodriguez then asked Great Love for his best and he responded by drawing clear in midstretch. He was all out to hold off a hard-charging He Ain't Right to win by a half-length. Perfect Officer was another length back in third.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Ball Four led throughout Saturday's $150,000 Mervyn LeRoy Handicap at Hollywood Park to record his third career stakes win, and give the heavily favored Rail Trip the first loss of his career.

Ball Four ($34) set a reasonable pace of 24.38 and 47.94 seconds and held off a sustained threat from Rail Trip to win the Grade 2 race by 1 1/4 lengths. Ball Four ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:41.58.

Dakota Phone finished third in the field of six, 1 3/4 lengths behind Ball Four.

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Mythical Power was a dominating 7 1/2-length winner of the Grade 3, $400,000 Lone Star Derby on Saturday, one start after finishing in front of future Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird in last month's Sunland Park Derby.

The Lone Star Derby was one of three stakes worth a cumulative $650,000 at Lone Star Park on Saturday. Valid Stripes, who also came out of the Sunland Derby, won the $125,000 colts division of the Texas Stallion Stakes, while the $125,000 fillies division went to City Tone.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Soft turf at Arlington: Snapphok likes that.

At 23-1, Snapphok was the longest shot among seven horses in the $53,900 Chester House Stakes on Saturday at Arlington, but he won fairly easily, slipping between horses after straightening for home and dashing clear to win by 1 3/4 lengths.

Snapphok scored a narrow allowance win over a soft Arlington course last summer, finishing fast behind a slow pace, just as he did Saturday.

"Obviously he does like it," said winning trainer Jim Gulick. "It worked out pretty well."

Stuck in Traffic ($11.50) closed from just off the pace en route to a handy victory in Saturday's $126,600 New Providence Stakes at Woodbine.

Stuck in Traffic, normally a front-runner, assumed a stalking position on the outside, as favored Drunken Love set wind-aided fractions of 21.87 seconds and 44.57 in the six-furlong dash.

Secretintelligence and Marie Soleil, a pair of 6-1 shots, captured the first two stakes of the season at Philadelphia Park on Saturday.

Secretintelligence ($14.40) prevailed by a neck over Movin' Out in the Lyman Handicap, while Marie Soleil beat defending champion Jet Away Jane by 1 3/4 lengths in the Foxy J.G. Stakes. The stakes for Pennsylvania-breds were each worth $75,000.

Acting Zippy, emerging as a leading sprinter in the Mid-Atlantic region, captured Saturday's $74,200 Decathlon Stakes, the opening-day feature at Monmouth Park. The Oceanport, N.J., track drew a crowd of 10,292 for its first of 94 days.

It was the second straight stakes win for Acting Zippy, a 4-year-old chestnut gelding trained and co-owned by William Bennett.

In his previous start, Acting Zippy pulled off a 24-1 stunner in the Vincent Moscarelli Memorial at Delaware Park. The Decathlon price was 5-2, but the outcome, and the trip, were identical.