GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Jonesboro became a millionaire in style on Saturday when he overcame trouble on both turns and then closed with determination down the middle of the track to register the richest win of his career in the Grade 3, $300,000 Texas Mile at Lone Star Park. The score came before a crowd of 16,389, on a card of four stakes worth a cumulative $450,000.
"It's nice to have a millionaire in the family," said Michael Langford, who owns Jonesboro.
Disfunction ($8.50) overtook the leaders in deep stretch to capture the $158,850 Jacques Cartier Stakes at Woodbine on Saturday.
Disfunction, normally a front-runner, followed Stradivinsky through an opening quarter-mile in 22.46 seconds, before dropping back to fifth on the turn. Jockey Emile Ramsammy angled Disfunction wide exiting the turn, and he edged by Field Commission and Shadowless late to prevail by a neck, in a time of 1:08.62 for the six furlongs.
Brickell apparently can't tell the difference between modestly priced claimers and stakes horses.
Moved up substantially in class after winning four in a row for claiming prices ranging from $10,000 to $16,000, along with a $7,500 starter allowance, the 8-year-old Brickell connected for a $102.40 upset in the $75,000 Henry Clark Stakes at Pimlico.
STICKNEY, Ill. - Stonehouse left no doubt: If there's another Illinois-bred route horse better than he, that horse has not yet made it to Chicago.
Stonehouse pressed the slow pace of 50-1 shot Gathering Kings, took the lead at the top of the stretch, and cruised to a 5 3/4-length victory in the $90,975 Milwaukee Avenue Handicap on Saturday at Hawthorne. That gave Stonehouse victories in three straight stakes races - two of them of the open variety - and wins in the last two Illinois-bred route stakes here at Hawthorne.
INGLEWOOD, Calif.- Rafael Bejarano, the leading rider at all major meetings in Southern California since the start of 2008, stole the spotlight from the statebreds on Saturday's California Gold Rush program at Hollywood Park.
Bejarano won the first three major stakes of the day for California-breds, including the $200,000 Melair Stakes aboard Pretty Unusual.
Making her stakes debut, Pretty Unusual ($20) rallied from off the pace to win by a length in the race for 3-year-old statebred fillies. She ran 1 1/16 miles on the main track in 1:42.88.
STANTON, Del. - A Midwest-based trainer who followed racing secretary Pat Pope to Delaware Park landed the bulk of the $75,000 purse in Saturday's Vincent Moscarelli Stakes. But instead of Cody Autrey, Mike Stidham, or Ronny Werner, it was relatively unknown William Don Bennett who was smiling in the winner's circle following a four-length victory by Acting Zippy.
Criticism once again made the most of a favorable pace situation, duplicating her wire-to-wire triumph two months earlier in The Very One at Gulfstream Park with a one-length victory over Long Approach in Saturday's Grade 2, $150,000 La Prevoyante Handicap at Calder.
OLDSMAR, Fla. - As the days dwindle down to a precious few at the Tampa Bay Downs meeting, it's time to reflect on some of the noteworthy events and accomplishments at the meet that began in mid-December.
Topping the list of things we'll remember from this meeting are the development and emergence of Musket Man and General Quarters. Both earned their way onto the national stage as prospective starters for the Kentucky Derby.
STICKNEY, Ill. - Hawthorne's brief spring meet comes to a close Monday, a little battered perhaps, but certainly not knocked out as racing shifts to Arlington Park this Friday.
With racing business trending down across the country, Hawthorne held its own this spring, according to assistant general manager Jim Miller.
"We'll be down slightly overall, but we're going to do better than the national trend," Miller said Saturday morning.
Miller said he expects the track to post a narrow increase in average daily ontrack handle on live racing, which is a plus.
