Vannacide defended her title in the $31,145 Ingrid Knotts Handicap at Arapahoe Park in Aurora, Colo., on Saturday, when she closed from next to last for a 2 1/4-length win over Creek Woman. It was the 10th local win for Vannacide from 26 starts at Arapahoe.
Vannacide ($7.20) covered the six furlongs for Colorado-bred fillies and mares in 1:10.65. Adrian Ramos was aboard for Bill Vanlandingham and trainer Kenneth Gleason.
You could have moved all the king's horses and all the king's men through the hole that Nursery Rhyme and jockey Jesse Campbell found just before the eighth pole in the Fit for a Queen Stakes late Saturday afternoon at Arlington Park. Just as Dee's Rose leaned in and Sly Storm drifted slightly out, Campbell took Nursery Rhyme off the fence and on to a neck victory in the $52,400 Fit for a Queen.
Canyon Yodeler, who two starts ago had raced for a claiming price of $10,000, became a stakes winner Saturday with a sharp, front-running effort in the $50,000 Aspen Cup at Ruidoso Downs. She won by three-quarters of a length over Collection Plate.
Canyon Yodeler ($17.80) dueled with favorite Shining Moment through fractions of 22 seconds for the opening quarter and 44.80 for the half-mile, then went on to cover six furlongs for 3-year-old fillies in 1:11.80.
Joe Martinez rode Canyon Yodeler for Desert Sun Stables and trainer David Wolochuk.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Horsemen planning to run in the Belmont Stakes can rest easy. Trainer Tom Albertrani doesn't have anything for that race.
On Saturday, Albertrani continued his uncanny stakes success this year as Gozzip Girl, uncharacteristically racing on the lead, won Saturday's Grade 2, $150,000 Sands Point Stakes at Belmont Park.
It was the 13th stakes win of the year for Albertrani and his third graded win at this meet. Earlier, Albertrani won the Grade 2 Nassau County and the Grade 2 Sheepshead Bay. For the year, Albertrani is batting 40 percent in stakes races.
Halmi, under jockey Pablo Tolentino, came from off the pace and prevailed by a half-length in the $50,000 Green Carpet at River Downs.
Trained by Jeff Greenhill, Halmi saved every inch of ground until the far turn of the 1 1/16-mile turf event. Tolentino angled the 3-year-old gelding off the hedge and to the outside into the stretch and they took aim at the leaders. In midstretch, it looked as though Halmi would win by many, but second-place finisher Hurley's Way would not yield easily. Raise the Reward was two lengths back in third.
Marina Ballerina figured to have an easy time once the $55,000 Cool Air Stakes was switched from the turf to a sloppy main track and two-time defending champion Charlie Papa scratched out of the overnight stakes. But that was not the case. Marina Ballerina stumbled leaving the gate and had to overcome a nightmare trip to post a brave half-length decision over Bereba in the five-furlong Cool Air.
Rutherienne ($3.60) vaulted over the $1 million mark in career earnings with a decisive score in the Grade 2, $301,600 Nassau Stakes at Woodbine on Saturday.
Rutherienne stalked the leaders along the inside on the turn in the 1o1/16-mile turf event. She found room approaching the eighth pole and scooted home on top by three lengths over a closing Callwood Dancer, who had a troubled trip.
Meadow Saffron dueled through moderate fractions with Remarkable Remy before fading to third in the nine-horse field of fillies and mares. Dance to My Tune was scratched.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - Lord Justice set the pace in the Wood Memorial, carrying the day until I Want Revenge and five others swept past in the lane.
The colt's next start was Saturday at Monmouth Park in the $70,000 Spend a Buck Stakes for 3-year-olds. Same tactics, but a much different outcome for the Stronach Stables homebred.
Emerging with the lead on the first turn, Lord Justice ($15.60) was never headed the rest of way, holding off Santana Six by a half-length with It Happened Again, the 2-1 favorite, third.
Jockey Chris Emigh won the 3,000th race of his career Saturday at Arlington, when he captured the fourth race, a $5,000 claimer, with a mare named Thanks Lord.
Emigh, 38, wasn't originally scheduled to ride Thanks Lord but picked up the mount when Inez Karlsson, injured a spill Monday, was not able to fulfill her riding engagements Saturday. Win No. 3000 came gift-wrapped, too. As Emigh hugged the rail with Thanks Lord, pace-setting Michalina drifted out to the middle of the racetrack, taking much of the field with her, and leaving Thanks Lord all by her lonesome at the fence.
