New York Racing Association officials said Monday that two blown transformers at Belmont Park would be replaced in time to provide sufficient power and air conditioning to properly conduct simulcasting when the Saratoga meet begins on Wednesday.
Belmont offers free admission and free parking for simulcasting, which will take place in the Belmont Cafe on the first floor and the Paddock Dining Room on the second floor. The latter was closed on Saturday due to power issues.
DEL MAR, Calif. Monzantes best asset carried him to victory in Sundays $400,000 Eddie Read Handicap at Del Mar.
Last in the field of seven to the eighth pole, Monzante swept past his rivals in the final furlong with a wide run to win the Grade 1 Read by a half-length, scoring the most important win of his 13-race career.
"He has an unbelievable turn of foot," trainer Mike Mitchell said.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Well Armed led throughout Saturday's $300,000 San Diego Handicap at Del Mar, winning his first start since finishing third in the $6 million Dubai World Cup in March.
From trainer Eoin Harty's perspective, the key to victory was the strategy that jockey Aaron Gryder used on the final turn. Instead of waiting until early stretch to ask Well Armed for extra run, Gryder urged his mount on the turn and widened a half-length lead on the backstretch into 2 1/2 lengths in early stretch. Well Armed won the Grade 2 San Diego by 1 1/4 lengths over Surf Cat.
BOSSIER CITY, La.- Doyouwanttodance turned in another resilient performance at Louisiana Downs on Saturday, when she fought off a determined Precious Kiss to win the $75,000 Hallowed Dreams Breeders Cup.
The race was the richest of four stakes on the card worth a total of $225,000.
Ernesto, who set a course record earlier in the meet at Lone Star Park, backed up that performance on Saturday when he pulled a mild upset in the $50,000 Bob Johnson Memorial. Ernesto won the one-mile turf race for 3-year-olds and up by a length and a quarter over favorite Red Rock Creek. It was another two lengths back in third to Objective.
NEW KENT, Va. - As the field went around the final turn of the Grade 2, $750,000 Virginia Derby on Saturday at Colonial Downs, Gio Ponti was caught three wide, but it was exactly where jockey Garrett Gomez wanted to be. A slow pace left the field bunched, and Gomez and Gio Ponti were in the clear, with Court Vision trapped inside them and behind the leaders.
That position proved crucial a quarter-mile later. Gio Ponti just did outnod an unlucky Court Vision to win the 1 1/4-mile grass race for the richest win of his brief career.
ELMONT, N.Y. - On a day when a transformer fire took out most of the power in the Belmont Park grandstand, Music Note put some electricity back into the historic facility with a dominant 11-length romp in the Grade 1, $300,000 Coaching Club American Oaks.
A determined Beau Dare dug in gamely to earn a second straight stakes win at Monmouth Park, holding off Sophie's Salad in the $60,000 Klassy Briefcase Stakes for filly-and-mare turf sprinters.
Breaking on top from the outside post in the 5 1/2-furlong race under Stewart Elliott, Beau Dare ($6.20) set the pace with Sophie's Salad closely tracking her every step. They finished that way, with Beau Dare prevailing by a half-length.
Evening Attire, the ageless wonder, pulled away to an 8 1/4-length win Saturday in the $250,000 Greenwood Cup at 1 1/2 miles.
The 10-year-old gray gelding scored his first win in 11 races outside New York and moved within a whisker of $3 million in purse earnings. More importantly, Evening Attire secured a trip to the Breeders' Cup.
Bold Start posted the first stakes victory of his career when pulling away with ease in the $50,000 Don Bernhardt Memorial Stakes at Ellis Park.
Ridden by Larry Melancon, returned $3.40 as the heavy favorite after finishing 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:15.92 over a fast track. Officer Rocket was second, and True Course was third in a field reduced to five starters following four early scratches.
Bold Start, a 4-year-old Jump Start colt owned by Larry Carroll and trained by Ken McPeek, now has won 7 of 22 overall starts.
