Mon, 07/14/2008 - 00:00

Displaced palate hampered Not Bourbon

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Harlem Rocker was on his way back to Saratoga on Monday morning.

An impressive winner of Fort Erie's Prince of Wales the previous afternoon, Harlem Rocker will rejoin his trainer, Todd Pletcher, with a possible eye toward the Grade 1 Travers on Aug. 23.

In the meantime, most of the other Prince of Wales entrants were back in their stalls at Woodbine on Monday morning.

Much of the talk centered on Not Bourbon, who finished a disappointing sixth under regular rider Jono Jones.

Mon, 07/14/2008 - 00:00

Super Dixie wires Angie C.

Super Dixie ($6) went to the front at the start, turned back a bid from Light of the Star approaching the stretch, and drew away to score a two-length victory in the six-furlong $50,000 Angie C. Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at Emerald Downs. All the Rage got up to edge Light of a Star for second by a neck.

Mon, 07/14/2008 - 00:00

Kalookan Dancer pulls clear in Vacaville

Kalookan Dancer ($16.40) pulled clear on the turn and cruised to an easy victory in the $62,900 Vacaville Handicap at the Solano County Fair. Kalookan Dancer opened a five-length lead in the stretch and coasted home to defeat Steelin' by 3 1/2 lengths, winning in 1:08.85.

Mon, 07/14/2008 - 00:00

Cawaja Beach wins Shady Well

Cawaja Beach ($5.80) mowed down all the speed to take the $151,200 Shady Well Stakes under a hand ride from Daniel David at Woodbine.

Cawaja Beach raced outside in mid-pack on the backstretch, as favored Poppin helped to set a fast pace in the 5 1/2-furlong dash for Ontario-bred 2-year-old fillies.

Mon, 07/14/2008 - 00:00

Warning Zone rallies in Sunset

Warning Zone ($10.80) has morphed from a turf miler into a distance specialist in the last seven months.

Sunday at Hollywood Park, he won the $156,000 Sunset Handicap over 1 1/2 miles on turf, a distance that trainer John Sadler is the optimum trip for the 4-year-old colt.

In the Grade 2 Sunset, Warning Zone rallied from fifth to win by a length over Cedar Mountain, the 6-5 favorite who was last with a half-mile remaining. Porfido finished third in the field of seven. Boule d'Or, who led by as many as five lengths, faded to finish sixth.

Mon, 07/14/2008 - 00:00

Kip Deville finishes strong in Poker

Winning like a 2-5 shot should, Kip Deville ($2.80) alternated for the lead with 19-1 shot Sensational Humor through moderate early fractions, then unleashed a powerful finish under Cornelio Velasquez to win Sunday's $106,300, Grade 3 Poker Handicap by 2 3/4 lengths.

Kip Deville put a head in front at the quarter pole after six furlongs in 1:10.20 and widened impressively through a final quarter in 22.74 seconds to win the mile race in 1:32.94 on a sun-baked Widener turf course rated firm.

Mon, 07/14/2008 - 00:00

Trainer Calhoun wins three on Stars of Texas card

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - It probably won't be long before trainer Bret Calhoun is inducted into the Lone Star Park Hall of Fame. On a day when the track enshrined its second class, Calhoun won three of the six restricted stakes on the annual $500,000 Stars of Texas Day program. It was the second straight year he has done so, sending out three winners on the same stakes program in 2007.

Mon, 07/14/2008 - 00:00

Curlin's turf experiment hits 'Rocks'

Adam Coglianese/NYRA
Red Rocks, under jockey Javier Castellano, leads Curlin (right) and Better Talk Now (center) in deep stretch in Saturday's Man o' War.

ELMONT, N.Y. - The Curlin turf experiment is not necessarily over, but it suffered a blow Saturday when the 2007 Horse of the Year finished second to Red Rocks in the Grade 1, $500,000 Man o' War Stakes at Belmont Park in his grass debut.

He didn't run poorly, and the horse who beat him won the 2006 Breeders' Cup Turf. It simply wasn't everything that trainer Steve Asmussen and majority owner Jess Jackson had hoped for.

They were looking for an effort in the 1 3/8-mile race to propel Curlin on to France and an assault on the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in October.

Sun, 07/13/2008 - 00:00

Harlem Rocker rebounds in Prince of Wales

FORT ERIE, Ontario - Harlem Rocker rolled to a convincing 1 1/4-length victory at Fort Erie in Sunday’s $500,000 Prince of Wales, putting a quick end to Not Bourbon’s Canadian triple crown quest.

Harlem Rocker, who had skipped the Queen’s Plate following an indifferent effort in Woodbine’s Plate Trial, evidently relished the return to dirt here as he remains undefeated in four starts on that surface.

Not Bourbon, meanwhile, was a disappointing sixth in the field of seven after winning the 1 1/4-mile Queen’s Plate at Woodbine.

Sun, 07/13/2008 - 00:00

Hystericalady strong in Delaware Handicap

STANTON, Del. - Two years ago, Hystericalady flopped as the 4-5 favorite in the Delaware Oaks, finishing fifth after setting the pace. Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, who owns Hystericalady in partnership with Dr. George Todaro and Tom Clark, felt that race was a fluke, especially since it was contested on an extremely hot and humid day.