Peppers Pride now stands alone in the record books.
She set a modern North American mark for consecutive wins Saturday at Zia Park in Hobbs, N.M., when she won her 17th straight race in a $35,000 optional claimer. Peppers Pride had previously shared the modern Thoroughbred record for consecutive wins with Cigar, Citation, Hallowed Dreams, and Mister Frisky.
Say this for Cuba: He does not require a lot of rest.
Fourteen days after facing Commentator in the Massachusetts Handicap at Suffolk Downs, Cuba was back in the starting gate for the Maryland Million Classic at Laurel Park on Saturday.
Little rest, no problem. Cuba sat just outside pacesetter Diamond David for most of the 1 3/16-mile, $300,000 race, swung to the lead on the turn, and won going away by four lengths.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Bobby Frankel told anyone who would listen how good he thought Vineyard Haven is. It's unlikely there are any doubters remaining.
After putting away a pace challenge from longshot A.P. Cardinal, Vineyard Haven, under Edgar Prado, galloped to a 5 3/4-length victory over a deep field in the Grade 1, $400,000 Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park. Munnings finished second, three-quarters of a length ahead of 3-1 favorite Cribnote.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Jockey John Velazquez was released Saturday afternoon from the University of Kentucky Medical Center, some 24 hours after suffering a severe concussion in a spill during the stretch run of the seventh race on the opening-day card at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky.
Velazquez, 37, will not be able to ride until further notice, according to Kim Valerio, racing manager for the owner of the horse he fell from. Velazquez was taken off his Saturday mounts at Belmont Park and his Sunday mounts at Keeneland.
White Spar rallied smartly to capture the $50,000 Luke Kruytbosch Stakes Friday, opening day of Turf Paradise's 53rd season.
Owned by Dennis Weir and trained by Kevin Lewis, White Spar, the 6-5 favorite, rallied under Daniel Vergara to win by 1 1/4 lengths in 1.09.04. He paid $4.40 and the winner's share of $30,000 pushes his earnings to $155,447 from five wins in nine starts.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Arson Squad celebrated his return to a dirt track with a rousing 2 1/2-length win over Anak Nakal on Friday night in the Grade 2, $350,000 Meadowlands Cup.
The victory was the first for the 5-year-old gelding since the 2007 Strub Stakes at Santa Anita, the last time he had competed on dirt.
Skylighter lit up the tote board after drawing off in late stretch to win the Grade 2, $400,000 Indiana Oaks at Hoosier Park on Friday evening. Trained by Robert Frankel, Skylighter has won her last three races dating back to her maiden victory May 11 at Belmont Park.
The 4-year-old had a ground-saving trip early under jockey Eddie Castro, while stalking the pacesetters in the 10-horse field. Castro took Skylighter outside on the far turn and rallied into the stretch, drawing off late to win by three widening lengths.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - It seems that most of the trainers that nominated horses for the $100,000 Premiers next Sunday were not aware of the conditions of the race. Although it clearly states in the stakes book that it is an allowance stakes and that horses that haven't won $30,000 at a mile or over at least once this year will get some weight off, trainers were under the impression that it was a scale-weight stakes.
STICKNEY, Ill. - Horseplayers regularly encounter the horse known as the professional maiden. It's uncertain at what point the line marking the edge of professional maidendom is crossed - 15 starts without a win? 20? - but handicappers think they know one when they see one.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Opening day of the Keeneland fall meet was as eventful as it was beautiful. On a postcard-perfect Friday afternoon, come-from-behind victories by Forever Together and Dream Empress in back-to-back Grade 1 stakes were preceded by a frightening spill that fortunately resulted in no apparent serious injuries to jockeys or their mounts.
