ARCADIA, Calif. - Garrett Gomez, who leads the nation's jockeys in purse earnings this year, is expected to return to riding on Monday or Wednesday after he was involved in a spill at Santa Anita on Saturday.
Gomez was thrown from Back at You when that 2-year-old attempted to jump the rail in the stretch of the Eddie Logan Stakes. Gomez suffered broken teeth, a gash on his knee and a swollen hand. He was briefly hospitalized, but was released that evening.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Though most of his success had come when on the lead, R Clear Victory demonstrated Sunday that he could win from off the pace as well, overtaking pace-setting South Fourth St. in midstretch en route to a 1 1/2-length victory in the $81,500 Alex M. Robb Handicap for New York-breds at Aqueduct.
Hidden Bounty and Carlsbad were thoroughly dominant, while Czechers was thoroughly professional as those three captured the three stakes at Turf Paradise Saturday.
Hidden Bounty, owned by Wire to Wire LLC and trained by Ken Brown, was far too much for his fellow 2-year-olds in the $50,000 Lost in the Fog. He pressed the early pace under Wilson Dieguez, took over on the far turn and drew off to win easily by seven lengths. Just Jebicah was second, a neck ahead of Spectaculartop in the field of seven. Rockin Zola, the 7-10 favorite, set the pace but gave way badly to finish last.
Goodbye Norma Jean ($21.20), rated just one pound behind 6-5 favorite and 123 pound highweight Stealth Cat, edged away from that foe in the late going to win Sunday's $50,000 Bold Ego Stakes at Sunland Park. Catera, who along with the runner-up is trained by Steve Asmussen, finished third, followed by Magdalena's Chase.
VINTON, La. - Louisiana Lace ($50.60), winless in three previous starts, broke her maiden in surprising fashion Saturday night at Delta Downs in the $60,000 Creme de la Creme Stakes. Fellow longshot Scarlet Rain finished second in the event for 2-year Louisiana-bred fillies to complete a lucrative $1,667.20 exacta, followed by Reckon. Even-money favorite Steam That Kettle gave way in the drive after setting the early pace. La Vie and Rocket Reese were late scratches.
A revised shipping policy instituted at Fair Grounds this weekend after a horse there tested positive for the equine herpesvirus last week resulted in a mass of scratches Sunday, with more of the same likely for Monday's races, too.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Indian Blessing may be a on a championship-per-year pace.
Indian Blessing's win in Saturday's $250,000 La Brea Stakes at Santa Anita was her third Grade 1 win victory of 2008 in a sprint for fillies and mares and sixth stakes win of the year. It may be enough to earn the title of champion female sprinter of 2008. In 2007, she was champion 2-year-old filly.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Santa Anita's Monday program features a pick-six carryover of $156,069.
The nine-race program begins at 12:30 p.m. The pick six covers the fourth through nine races.
The sequence includes one stakes, the $70,000 Impressive Luck Handicap on the hillside turf course. Lucky J.H., unraced since winning the Sensational Star Handicap on the hillside turf course in April, is the 2-1 morning-line favorite.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Proudinsky ended a six-race losing streak in Sunday's $150,000 San Gabriel Handicap, giving trainer Bobby Frankel a record 900th career win at the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting.
Sent off favored, Proudinsky ($4.60) closed from fourth in the final quarter-mile to win the Grade 2 San Gabriel Handicap by three-quarters of a length over 9-1 Ferneley. Medici Code finished third in the field of seven.
Ravallo relished the sloppy surface at Mountaineer Racetrack on Saturday night and easily captured the Christmas Stakes for the second straight year.
Jockey Dana Whitney sat patiently in second with Ravalo ($3.20) as 19-1 longshot Magnus One led by 1 ½ lengths through a half-mile in 44.74 seconds. Whitney asked Ravalo to move up the rail leaving the quarter pole and the 4-year-old gelding responded by drawing off by 6 ¼ lengths while completing six furlongs in 1:10.15.