ARCADIA, Calif. - John Shirreffs, the trainer of Zenyatta, stood just outside the winner's circle following the Grade 1, $245,000 Lady's Secret Stakes on Saturday at Santa Anita's Oak Tree meeting, and as Zenyatta walked past him, Shirreffs could not hold back his admiration.
"Isn't she something?" he said.
STICKNEY, Ill. - Fairbanks can be a tricky horse to ride. Sometimes his stifles bother him and keep him from showing all he might. But when Fairbanks is right, as he was in the Hawthorne Gold Cup on Saturday, he can run pretty darn fast.
"When he's feeling good, he's close to being a hell of a horse," said Barry Irwin, head of Team Valor Stable LLC, Fairbanks' owner.
FLORENCE, Ky. - Just as Curlin was leaving the paddock at Belmont Park on his way to becoming the all-time North American earnings leader Saturday, another 4-year-old colt trained by Steve Asmussen, Zanjero, ran himself right into the picture for the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile by posting a 1 1/2-length triumph in the Grade 2 Kentucky Cup Classic, the anchor event in the 15th annual Kentucky Cup series at Turfway Park.
ELMONT, N.Y. The deep distaff division welcomed a new member to the fold as Cocoa Beach rallied past defending champion Ginger Punch in the final 20 yards to win the Grade 1, $600,000 Beldame Stakes by a half-length, possibly earning a spot in the $2 million Breeders Cup Ladies Classic next month at Santa Anita.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Black Seventeen pulled off a major upset Saturday, winning the Grade 1, $400,000 Vosburgh at six furlongs on a very sloppy track at Belmont Park.
The longest shot in the seven-horse field at 23-1, Black Seventeen outdueled Fabulous Strike for the biggest win of his career.
Those two hooked up in a fierce speed duel, with Black Seventeen ($49.60) prevailing by head.
It was the second graded win for Black Seventeen to go with his Grade 2 victory in the Carry Back Stakes at Calder in July 2007.
ARCADIA, Calif. - After an initial round of positive reviews from horsemen, enthusiasm over the newly installed Pro-Ride racing surface at Santa Anita has been tempered.
And the theme is familiar - the synthetic track is a good surface on which to train, but afternoon races are a whole different story. Two days into the Oak Tree meet at Santa Anita, jockey Garrett Gomez said the difference between morning and afternoon is distinct.
Sugar Bay ($4) cruised to an easy victory under Chantal Sutherland in the $188,200 La Lorgnette Stakes at Woodbine.
Sugar Bay raced four wide in a stalking position, while Victory Romance set moderate fractions in the 1 1/16-mile race. Sugar Bay assumed command exiting the far turn, and then coasted home on top by 3 1/2 lengths, in a time of 1:43.56. Nicki Knew was a distant third in the eight-horse field of 3-year-old fillies.
There was one romp and one squeaker in the NATC Futurities at Monmouth Park, with Forty Thieves dominating the males and even-money R Betty Graybull just getting up among the fillies.
Both futurities were run at six furlongs for purses of $200,000 in races restricted to horses registered with the National Association of Two-Year-old Consignors and sold this year.
Forty Thieves, with Rafael Mojica Jr, aboard, emerged from the dense fog at Monmouth the winner by 5 1/2 lengths over favored Valiancy.
Hungarian Boatbaby looked the best on paper and she proved it with a front-running win in the $75,000 Delaware Certified Distaff Stakes for fillies and mares at Delaware Park. The Distaff was one of four stakes on the card for horses who had spent at least 90 days at a Delaware farm or training center before March 31 of their 2-year-old year.
Delightful Kiss, last down the backstretch, followed the move of odds-on favorite Awesome Gem into the lane and prevailed in the stretch drive to win the $211,800 All American Stakes at Golden Gate Fields on Saturday.
Delightful Kiss was last, 10 lengths behind Victorian Prince after the opening half-mile and three lengths behind millionaire and 7-10 favorite Awesome Gem, who was next to last in the field of seven.