Access Fee ($3.60) remained unbeaten in the four starts she has made at her home track when she cruised to a 4 3/4-length score in the $50,000 What a Summer Stakes at Laurel Park.
A 4-year-old daughter of Menifee owned by Sondra Bender and trained by Larry Murray, Access Fee sprinted to the front under her regular rider, Jose Caraballo, and was never seriously challenged while completing six furlongs on a fast track in 1:10.31.
Blind River Fox ($25.20) notched his 22nd career victory when he ran down Ruby's Red Socks in the final strides for a neck victory in the $65,000 Pelican Stakes before 3,862 fans at Tampa Bay Downs.
Under a well-judged ride by Willie Martinez, the 7-year-old Blind River Fox sat off a torrid pace set by Ruby's Red Socks of 22.17 and 44:50 seconds, then went after the leader in the stretch and gamely wore down his rival.
Duke's Flying Tiger finished third, 1 3/4 lengths farther back. The favorite, Bold Start, finished sixth.
Odds-on favorite Ultra Blend scored her fourth straight victory as she won her stakes debut with ease in the $75,000 Tiburon Stakes, a six-furlong race for 3-year-old fillies at Golden Gate Fields on Saturday.
Content to sit behind pacesetting Joe'sgirlisgolden, who was hustled to the lead early, Ultra Blend ($3.60) easily took control of the race as she rallied from the three path midway around the turn. She pulled even with the leader leaving the quarter pole and increased her advantage through the lane despite veering in slightly in midstretch.
OLDSMAR, Fla. - It was another workmanlike victory for Luis Gonzalez when he piloted Pepperup Notion ($17.60) to an upset in Friday's third race at Tampa Bay Downs. But the manner in which he got the job done was a perfect example of the "new" Luis Gonzalez.
NEW ORLEANS - A sick horse at Fair Grounds has tested positive for the equine herpesvirus in one of two herpes tests administered on Thursday at the Louisiana State University equine clinic in Baton Rouge, La. The horse, from the barn of trainer Frank Leggio, tested positive for the non-neurological, or so-called "live strain" of the virus, in a nasal-swab test, but a blood test produced a negative result, according to Dr. Tom David, the equine medical director for the Louisiana State Racing Commission.
A winter storm that dumped snow and freezing rain on central Pennsylvania forced Penn National Race Course to call off its Saturday night program of live racing and reschedule the 2009 Winter World Series of Handicapping.
The one-night handicapping contest, which allows players to participate at the track or any of its four offtrack betting facilities in the state, was rescheduled for Jan. 24.
First prize in the World Series of Handicapping is an all-expenses paid trip to the Coast Casinos Horseplayers World Series in Las Vegas from Feb. 19-21.
ARCADIA, Calif.-For the third consecutive day, no one hit the pick six at Santa Anita on Friday, leaving a carryover of $1,210,707 for Saturday's nine-race program.
Interest should be extremely high on Saturday's pick six, which covers the fourth through ninth races. Bettors could add another $2 million to the carried over pool.
Here are the early scratches for Saturday's pick six races.
Jockey Francisco Torres, who is in the midst of a strong meet at Fair Grounds, will be out of action approximately four weeks after suffering a broken collarbone.
Torres was injured during training hours Thursday when the horse he had just guided through a five-furlong gate workout collapsed while she was pulling up from the work. The filly fell on Torres, who was taken to University Hospital in New Orleans, where a set of X-rays revealed no broken bones.
Jockey Victor Lebron won three races from 38 mounts during the time he rode over the Aqueduct inner track this winter. Thursday at Turfway, he surpassed that total in a single evening, winning four races from six mounts.
The 24-year-old jockey, whose family resides in the Florence, Ky., area near Turfway, is back where he calls home, and back winning races. So much so that Lebron entered Friday night's card at Turfway as the leading rider of the winter/spring meet, which began Jan. 1, following the holiday meet in December.