LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. - Royal Proclamation and Alice K White won major stakes for 3-year-old Quarter Horses at Los Alamitos over the weekend, the first career graded stakes win for both.
Royal Proclamation ($10.40) won Friday's $192,300 El Primero Del Ano Derby by a head over A Tempting Dash, the winner of the Los Alamitos Winter Derby in February. Royal Proclamation ran 400 yards in 19.475 seconds, setting a stakes record under jockey Ramon Sanchez.
Relaxing comfortably under rider Ken Tohill, Cape of Bradford ($6.80) cruised to a wire-to-wire win in Saturday s $50,000 Czaria Handicap at Sunland Park. Sailor s Sister finished three-quarters of a length back in second and was followed by Testify to Love.
"She was certainly on top of her game today," Tohill said. "We were a little worried about the wind. I tried to get her to relax down the backside. In the end, I didn t have to ask her. She did it all on her own."
Jockey Diego Saenz recorded a stakes riding double this weekend at Evangeline Downs, following up his Friday night win in the Inaugural Stakes on Code of Honour with a runaway victory Saturday night aboard Southern Yankee in the $50,000 Hallowed Dreams Stakes.
Longshot Scared Psalm finished second in the 5 1/2-furlong sprint for 3-year-old fillies, nine lengths behind Southern Yankee. Reckon finished third.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - The first two finishers in Saturday's Arkansas Derby are both headed to Kentucky, but only the victorious Papa Clem will go to Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby on May 2. Runner-up Old Fashioned will go to Lexington for knee surgery.
Papa Clem "looks perfect," his trainer, Gary Stute, said Sunday morning here at Oaklawn Park as Papa Clem walked the barn's shedrow. "Last night, he was trying to bite everybody. He was feeling like a million bucks."
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Old Fashioned is out of the Kentucky Derby after emerging from his second-place finish in the Grade 2, $1 million Arkansas Derby on Saturday with a non-displaced slab fracture to his right knee, said his trainer, Larry Jones. The horse is scheduled to ship Monday to Lexington, Ky., where he could have surgery at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital.
"It's not life-threatening, it should be okay," Jones said. "Career-ending is a possibility just because of the type of horse he is. But we'll see. We'll let them make that call."
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Papa Clem, who in his last two starts played runner-up to Kentucky Derby candidates Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire, picked up a major prep win of his own on Saturday when he drove past pacesetter and even-money favorite Old Fashioned to win the Grade 2, $1 million Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park.
ARCADIA, Calif. - First, he conquered California's turf sprinters in the Grade 3 Baldwin Stakes on March 1. On Saturday, Battle of Hastings showed his dominance against 3-year-old turf milers in the La Puente Stakes at Santa Anita.
Overcoming an outside post in a field of 10, Battle of Hastings rallied wide through the final quarter-mile to remain unbeaten this year.
Ridden by Tyler Baze, Battle of Hastings ($4.80) was timed in 1:34.38.He finished 1 1/4 lengths clear of Smokey Lonesome, who was a half-length clear of Wall Street Wonder.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Up until entry time Wednesday, the connections of Dream Play were still wrestling with whether or not to run their 3-year-old filly in Saturday's Grade 2 Comely Stakes at Aqueduct.
After post time Saturday, there was no question they made the right decision to run.
After breaking a step slowly - which she often does - Dream Play sped to the front and kept right on going as she splashed her way to a 5 1/2-length victory in the $150,000 Comely at sloppy Aqueduct.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - The 135th Kentucky Derby got its most lovable underdog Saturday when General Quarters - the one-horse stable of 75-year-old owner-trainer Tom McCarthy, a retired high school teacher and principal from Louisville - ran off to a 14-1 upset under Eibar Coa in the 85th running of the Grade 1, $750,000 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland.
Racing near the early pace, General Quarters stormed to the lead from the outside after turning for home, then proceeded to a 1 1/2-length score over Hold Me Back, the 2-1 favorite in the field of 11 3-year-olds.
STICKNEY, Ill. - In vain, trainer Terrel Gore waited all fall and part of this spring to run Shadowbdancing in a two-turn dirt race at Hawthorne. Finally, the opportunity presented itself Saturday in the $52,500 Bonasera Stakes, and Shadowbdancing made the most of it, leading from start to finish under veteran reinsman Randy Meier to post a comfortable 1 3/4-length victory.
