OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Ten years after campaigning the champion sprinter Artax, Ernie Paragallo believes he has another of that ilk.
Paragallo, the authorized agent for his family-owned Paraneck Stable, has big plans for True Quality, who withstood early pressure to win Saturday's Paumonok Handicap by 3 1/2 lengths at Aqueduct.
Cherry One ran her career mark to a perfect 3 for 3 for trainer Joel Marr with an impressive 2 1/4-length victory in Sunday's $50,000 El Paso Times Handicap at Sunland Park. A Day for Dancing, the 8-5 second choice, finished second, followed by 6-5 favorite Lady Hi Teck.
Marr, who campaigned the unbeaten Pepper's Pride to 19 consecutive victories and who saw his Lefty Who narrowly suffer his first defeat in six starts in Saturday's Pepsi Cola Handicap, now has another budding star in his stable.
Waymore's Blues got the jump on odds-on favorite Lefty Who turning for home in Saturday's $125,000 Pepsi Cola Handicap at Sunland Park and beat him by a nose. The loss was the first for Lefty Who in six starts. Bewild Hennessy finished 3 1/2 lengths behind the top two in third, followed by Ruff Dome in the six-furlong affair for New Mexico-bred 3-year-olds.
ARCADIA, Calif.-The disappointment surrounding the last-place finish by Johnny Eves in the Grade 3 El Conejo Handicap at Santa Anita has subsided. His win in Sunday's $150,000 Palos Verdes Handicap at Santa Anita took care of that.
Winning the third stakes of his 20-race career, Johnny Eves led throughout the Grade 2 Palos Verdes, setting a modest pace of 22.23 and 45.02 seconds. He held off his six rivals to win by 1 3/4 lengths over 2-1 favorite Devoted Magic. Ridden by Garrett Gomez, Johnny Eves ($7.20) ran six furlongs in 1:08.56.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Big Drama, winner of the Delta Jackpot in his 2-year-old finale and currently among the leading Kentucky Derby contenders, will miss his scheduled start next Saturday in Gulfstream Park's Grade 3 Holy Bull.
The 1 1/8-mile Holy Bull is the first major test of the winter for 3-year-olds stabled in south Florida.
Trainer David Fawkes said that Big Drama kicked himself in the shin. "It's nothing major but it forces me to miss a scheduled work on Sunday," he said. "It's just a little bump in the road."
ARCADIA, Calif. - What a way to end a career.
Leah's Secret, scheduled to be sent to Kentucky to be bred this winter, won her final start in Saturday's $500,000 Sunshine Millions Distaff at Santa Anita.
The Distaff was one of four Sunshine Millions stakes to be run at Santa Anita on Saturday, with the four others in the eight-race series for Florida-breds and California-breds run at Gulfstream.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - It's a Bird completed a sweep of the four Sunshine Million races at Gulfstream Park by Florida-breds on Saturday with a surprisingly easy victory over Dry Martini and 2-1 favorite Delightful Kiss in the $1 million Classic.
Four other Sunshine Million stakes were run at Santa Anita on Saturday, and overall Florida-breds won six of the eight races.
Trainer Greg Gilchrist was the big winner on the day in the stakes at Gulfstream, capturing the Filly and Mare Turf with Wild Promises and the Filly and Mare Sprint with High Resolve.
Stormy West made it three in a row in Fair Grounds stakes, winning the $60,000 Marie Krantz Memorial Handicap by a length over Shytoe Lafeet.
Stormy West, ridden by Patrick Valenzuela, rated behind the fast fractions set by pacesetters Symphony of Psalm and Royal Madame. She made her now routine move at the top of the stretch, then held off Shytoe Lafeet, who finished second for the second race in a row.
"She's very consistent, she gives a good kick every time," said Valenzuela. "I waited until the top of the stretch, and then I turned her loose."
Returning to his home state after shipping to Fair Grounds for the winter, Success Success was up in the final strides to defeat a game Golden Country for a neck victory in the $50,000 Forego Stakes at Turfway Park.
With Rodney Prescott aboard, Success Success ($11.80) raced closer to the pace than normal, stalking Mitigation and Golden Country before edging closer with a quarter-mile to run. Success Success surged past Golden Country in the final 40 yards, finishing 6o1/2 furlongs in 1:19.30 over Polytrack