Trust or Bust ($7.80) proved his win two weeks earlier in the $100,000 Webb Snyder Stakes at Charles Town was no fluke when he came back to capture the $75,000 Panhandle Handicap at Mountaineer Racetrack.
Ridden by Gerald Aldmodovar for trainer Paul McClelland, Trust or Bust broke on top in the five-furlong race for older sprinters and romped to a 3 1/4-length win over Halton, part of an even-money entry for trainer Scott Lake. It was another three-quarters of a length back to Bernie Blue.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - There was a stakes race for jockey Corey Nakatani to win on Saturday after all.
After missing out on a ride in Saturday's Kentucky Derby when Square Eddie was withdrawn earlier this week, Nakatani found a substitute mount with Gorgeous Goose in the $100,000 Wilshire Handicap at Hollywood Park.
Nakatani made the most of the opportunity, guiding Gorgeous Goose from sixth on the turn to a victory in her first graded stakes. Gorgeous Goose ($25.80) ran a mile on turf in 1:34.54, beating 9-10 favorite Diamond Diva by three-quarters of a length.
Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas, canceled the final three races of its 12-race card on Saturday after a lightning storm moved into the area after 6 p.m. Central. Horses were caught in the paddock for the 10th race when the storm hit, the second heavy rain of the afternoon. Earlier on the card, the fifth race was delayed because a sudden rainstorm. Lone Star is scheduled to race on Sunday.
The $100,000 Richard Radke Illinois Owners Stakes was all but over after a quarter-mile. The speedy Voy Por Uno Mas had made a clear lead, cruising along through an opening fraction in 25.15 seconds. That slow pace was going to make the front-runner tough in the 1 1/16-mile race under any condition, and on Saturday, speed was king at Arlington. Voy Por Uno Mas became the seventh straight front-end winner on the card, scoring a two-length victory over Tony Terrific.
Hesa Big Star ($12.40) returned from a long layoff to win the $50,000 Tony Gatto Big Dream Stakes at Atlantic City for the second straight year.
Ridden for the first time by Harry Vega and making his first start since Sept. 1, the 7-year-old Hesa Big Star led wire to wire to defeat Atticus Kristy by 1 1/4 lengths while covering five furlongs on firm turf in 57.37 seconds. Atticus Kristy, a Grade 3 stakes winner, outfought Duffy's Tavern by a head for second.
It was the 10th win in 30 starts for Hesa Big Star, who is based in Maryland with trainer Howie Wolfendale.
Call Me Collect rallied from off the pace to win the $50,000 Need for Speed Stakes on Friday night at Evangeline Downs.
Brother Bean, the pacesetter, gave ground grudgingly in the lane to finish three-quarters of a length back in second followed by Southern Style.
Ridden by Dustin Dugas, the 6-year-old Call Me Collect ($23.60) won for the 11th time from 41 starts. Trained by Keith Bourgeois, Call Me Collect covered the five furlongs in 56.89 seconds over a fast strip.
Left on Base ($12.40) proved extremely game under jockey Edgar Paucar and won the $50,000 Babst/Palacios at Beulah Park.
Trained by Donn Rowe, Left on Base led the 10 older horses to the turn in the six-furlong race, but relinquished his lead while drifting out entering the stretch to Royal Nemesis. Paucar straightened Left on Base out in the stretch and the 5-year-old got up in the final stride to win by a nose. Royal Nemesis was second, a length in front of the favorite, Catlaunch.
Left on Base covered the distance on a fast track in 1:09.96.
Dinner in Odem ($31.40) made a four-wide move into the final turn and then ran down the leaders in the final strides to prevail in a three-horse photo in the $75,000 Chris Thomas Turf Classic at Tampa Bay Downs.
Sir Dave, a 6-1 shot ridden by James Lopez, moved from third to briefly gain a short lead inside the eighth pole, but had to settle for second, a neck behind Dinner in Odem and a neck in front of Sporting Art, the 6-5 favorite.
Ridden by Phil Teator for trainer Peter Wasiluk Jr., Dinner in Odem covered about 1 1/8 miles over a firm turf course in 1:46.68.
El Brujo ($2.80) put away a determined Shut It Down in the stretch during a workmanlike victory at Woodbine in the $150,800 Queenston Stakes, a prep for next month's $1omillion Queen's Plate.
Shut It Down set very slow fractions in the seven-furlong race, as El Brujo stalked in second. El Brujo joined Shut It Down on the lead at the quarter pole, and took a slim lead early in the stretch before edging away for a 1 1/4-length win in 1:22.17. Active Duty finished another 2 3/4 lengths back in third in the seven-horse field of Ontario-bred 3-year-olds.
Miner's Escape needed six starts to finally win his maiden at Gulfstream Park last month. But he put himself in consideration for a berth in the Preakness by dominating Saturday's $75,000 Federico Tesio Stakes at Pimlico.
Part of a coupled entry for trainer Nick Zito that was bet down to 7-2 in a field of eight 3-year-olds, Miner's Escape ($9.60), who pressed a modest pace of 48.93 and 1:13.18 set by eventual third-place finisher Tone It Down, drew off in the stretch of the 1 1/8-mile Tesio to defeat 9-1 Hehasnosay by 4 1/2 lengths in a time of 1:51.23.