ARCADIA, Calif. - Jibboom's success in the first six weeks of 2009 at Santa Anita has earned the mare a brief vacation.
Monday, she won her second stakes of the meeting in the $150,000 Buena Vista Handicap, a race scheduled for the turf but switched to the main track because of significant morning rain. Last month, Jibboom won the Grade 3 Monrovia Handicap on the hillside turf course on Jan. 4 and was later second to stablemate Ventura in the Grade 1 Santa Monica Handicap on Jan. 31.
NEW ORLEANS - Smart Surprise became the latest horse in Josie Carroll's barn to prove herself in a recent stakes race as she came home 6 1/4 lengths in front of Rolling Sea in Saturday's Chou Croute Handicap.
Smart Surprise joins Good and Lucky, who finished a strong second in the Mineshaft Handicap on Feb. 7. Carroll is considering her options for each of their next starts.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - As if on cue, a day after Old Fashioned was made the individual favorite in Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, he reaffirmed his status atop the division when he proved a commanding winner of Monday's Grade 3, $250,000 Southwest Stakes in his 3-year-old debut at Oaklawn Park. The race was his first since his 7 1/4-length rout of the Grade 2 Remsen at Aqueduct on Nov. 29. He earned a 93 Beyer Speed Figure for his performance in the Southwest.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Evita Argentina won her first start against males, and the most prestigious race of her career, in Monday's $150,000 San Vicente Stakes at Santa Anita.
The Grade 2 San Vicente was the third career stakes win for Evita Argentina. All three have been the same kind of races - sprints between 6 1/2 and seven furlongs.
In the San Vicente, Evita Argentina closed from last in a field of 10 to win by a length. Ridden by Garrett Gomez, Evita Argentina ($6.60) ran seven furlongs in 1:24.30.
ARCADIA, Calif. - From sprints to one-mile races on the main track, Jibboom has conquered nearly everything she has tried this winter at Santa Anita.
Making her third start of the meeting, Jibboom won the Buena Vista Handicap for fillies and mares on Monday, leading throughout and pulling away to win by 2 1/2 lengths. Sent off favored, Jibboom ($4.40) ran a mile on the Pro-Ride synthetic track in 1:38.68.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Old Fashioned received the most support among the 23 individual interests in Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which closed Sunday, and did little to change that opinion on Monday, when he won his 3-year-old debut by a commanding 3 1/4 lengths in the Grade 3, $250,000 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park.
Silver City finished second, while it was another length back in third to Buzzin and Dreamin.
A surprisingly soft easy pace, a 10-pound weight break from the favorite, and some genuine talent helped True Quality upset Fabulous Strike in Monday's Grade 2, $150,000 General George Handicap at Laurel Park.
Able to get away with a half-mile in 47.21 seconds under Chuckie Lopez, True Quality had plenty left to run away from Fabulous Strike - the 127-pound highweight - in the stretch and win the General George by 1 1/2 lengths. It was two lengths back to Malibu Kid in third. Eternal Star, Broadway Producer, and Lord Snowdon completed the order of finish.
Monmouth Park, one of the few tracks in the country to manage an increase in handle in 2008, responded by bumping up the purses for a half-dozen of its major stakes for this season.
"We bucked the national trend in seeing an increase in overall handle last year at Monmouth, and the stakes schedule we're putting forth this year will hopefully allow us to continue that momentum," said Bob Kulina, the track's vice president and general manager, in a statement announcing the 2009 stakes schedule released Monday.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - The prospective starting lineup for the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes on Feb. 28 - a formidable group to begin with - got even stronger after trainer Jimmy Jerkens confirmed he is pointing Quality Road for the one-mile event.
Song of Navarone picked up his third stakes win in a row in Sunday's $50,000 Curribot Handicap at Sunland Park, lowering the track record for 1 1/16 miles in the process. Early pacesetter One Lucky Buck held on stubbornly for the place spot and it was Quiet Again reporting home third.
