Heavy rains pelted Colonial Downs Saturday, but all trainer Jimmy Toner and his staff needed for protection was a Sailor's Cap.
Sailor's Cap relished the yielding turf - as he did at Keeneland two starts back - and powered home a dominant 6 3/4-length winner of the Grade 3, $600,000 Colonial Turf Cup at Colonial. Nistle's Crunch finished second by a length over Your Round. It was a head back to Court Vision in fourth.
ALBANY, Calif. - Bellsblade ($7) won her stakes debut and increased her winning streak to three as she captured the $75,000 Work the Crowd Stakes at Golden Gate Fields on Saturday.
The 4-year-old Robert Reseigne homebred filly graduated in a $12,500 maiden claimer but has turned things around on turf, winning a starter allowance on April 14 at Bay Meadows, an optional claimer at Golden Gate Fields on May 18, and Saturdays one-mile turf stakes for California-bred fillies and mares.
As expected, Dancing Allstar easily won the $55,694 CTHS Sales Stakes at Hastings on Saturday.
Under a confident ride by leading rider Mario Gutierrez, Dancing Allstar set fractions of 22.61 and 45.59 seconds before posting a final time of 1.17.30 for 6 1/2 furlongs. Remarkable Miss, who finished second in the five-horse field, made a threatening move at the quarter pole, but Dancing Allstar easily repelled the bid and then was ridden out by Gutierrez to win by 1 1/2 lengths.
In consecutive starts, Tiz West has evolved from a playful colt whose antics led to a loss to a determined colt with a half-mile run that led to his first graded stakes win.
In Saturday's $147,200 Cinema Handicap at Hollywood Park, Tiz West challenged pacesetter Polonius on the backstretch, and held off threats from Liberian Freighter and Ez Dreamer to win by a nose. Ridden by Victor Espinoza, Tiz West ($8) ran 1 1/8 miles on turf in 1:47.24.
BOSSIER CITY, La. - Love to Tell continued her rise to prominence on grass as she made her first stakes try a winning one in Saturday's $50,000 Little Treasure Stakes at Louisiana Downs. Even-money favorite Euphony finished second, 2 1/4 lengths back, followed Oh Baby Oh Baby and Oh Lovely.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Gentleman Chester, who hadn't won since he captured the Springfield Stakes on last year's Prairie State Festival, won the Black Tie Affair on Saturday at Arlington, denying Fort Prado his fourth consecutive victory in the race.
Fort Prado won the Springfield in 2003 then reeled off three straight wins in the Black Tie Affair, but the streak ended Saturday. He could not run down Gentleman Chester, who took the lead in midstretch after getting first run on Fort Prado.
Delaware River was allowed to set a slow early pace and led wire to wire in the $74,250 Willy Wank for Pennsylvania-breds at Presque Isle Downs on Friday evening.
Trained by Bill Campbell, Delaware River set fractions of 25.72 seconds, 50.90, and 1.14.84 in the
1 1/8-mile race before drawing clear to win by a length under jockey Ryan Fogelsonger.
Captain Ernie closed ground late to run second, 2 1/4 lengths ahead of favored Tejanos Eliminator in third.
Pay the Man never gave her backers an anxious moment as she sprinted to a daylight lead out of the gate and won the $50,000 J. William Petro Memorial Handicap by five lengths.
Casey's Jet chased the winner all the way in the 1 1/16-mile race and was clearly second best, 6 1/2 lengths in front of Cryptohio,who finished third in the field of seven Ohio-bred females.
Owned by the Pyrite Stable and trained by Miguel Feliciano, Pay the Man was timed in 1:45.54 over the fast track and returned $3.80 to win. Andrew Ramgeet rode the winner.
Thunder Louie was winless on dirt going into the $36,000 Lord Juban Stakes. Mambo Meister entered the race off a stakes win over the main track. All of which left handicappers scratching their heads after Thunder Louie drew off to an easy 4 3/4-length victory over Unbridled Heat, with Mambo Meister struggling home a well-beaten third as the 2-5 favorite in the overnight Lord Juban stakes originally scheduled for the turf.
Bear Now ($3.30) barely won the $101,200 Hill 'n' Dale Stakes for the second year in a row at Woodbine.
Jockey Jerry Baird let Bear Now go directly to the lead, and they set moderate fractions in 1o1/16-mile route for fillies and mares.
Serenading, who is owned by Hill 'n' Dale Farm principals John and Glen Sikura, closed strongly along the inside in the stretch to finish just a head behind the winner. Lomaki faded to finish third in the eight-horse field, after making a bid on the far turn. The final time was 1:43.49.