During the first week of the fair racing season, the Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton, Calif., had a case of buzzard's luck.
A proposal that would have allowed an additional 1 percent takeout to finance major improvements at Pleasanton was deferred by the California Horse Racing Board at its Friday meeting at the Alameda County Fair satellite facility.
ELMONT, N.Y. - By most trainer's standards, being ranked third nationally in purse money won and tied for fifth in races won would be considered a pretty good six months' work.
By Todd Pletcher's standards, the first half of 2008 was pretty mediocre. Through the first six months of the year - and including the results of Dubai World Cup Night - Pletcher has won 114 races and his horses have earned $7,227,546 in purses.
Part Girlie Girl bested 10 other Ohio-accredited 3-year-old fillies in the $55,000 Cincinnatian at River Downs. Trained by Kris Nemann, Part Girlie Girl was kept just off the pace to upper stretch where jockey Nathan Solomon asked her for run and Part Girlie Girl responded to win by three-quarters of a length. The Cincinnatian was originally carded for the turf course, but was moved to the main track because of heavy rain.
Gallon, the even-money favorite in a field of seven 3-year-olds, got up in the final strides to post a neck decision over 18-1 shot Fear No Evil in Sunday's $50,000 Tacoma Handicap at a mile. Margo's Gift, the 5-2 second choice, finished 2 1/2 lengths farther back in third.
Squallcreek ($37) pulled off a surprise in more ways than one as he won his stakes debut, capturing the $53,200 Everett Nevin Stakes on Sunday at the Alameda County Fair.
Squallcreek seemed destined to finish second in the one mile and 70-yard stakes race for 3-year-olds. He stalked Thiscatsgotcharm, who made the lead easily.
Devil House responded to the switch from turf to dirt with a 10 1/4-length win in the $70,000 Lighthouse Stakes for fillies and mares Sunday at Monmouth Park.
Daniel Centeno was aboard for leading trainer Bruce Levine as the 4-year-old ran the one mile and 70 yards in 1:42.04 on the fast track.
Devil House ($30.80) led at every call and was well in command turning for home with a four-length lead. For Kisses came on to get second, with Prop Me Up third.
Nicki Knew ($17.30) captured her first stakes Sunday at Woodbine in the $250,800 Bison City, the second leg of the Canadian triple tiara.
Nicki Knew, with Jim McAleney aboard, commenced a five-wide rally on the far turn and overtook Authenicat at the sixteenth pole before edging away to prevail by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:44.82 for the 1 1/16 miles. Authenicat finished a half-length ahead of her stablemate Victory Romance in second.
Bold Union established herself as one of the early stars in the juvenile filly division, with an ultra-impressive 9 3/4-length victory in Sunday's $109,500 Astoria Stakes at Belmont Park.
Meanwhile, Mr Mistoffelees could not overcome a stumbling start and finished last behind Dagnabit in the $107,300 Tremont Stakes for 2-year-old males on the same card.
Juliet's Spirit ($17.70) went right to the lead and never looked back in Monday's $151,200 My Dear Stakes at Woodbine, winning the five-furlong dash for 2-year-old fillies by 2 1/2 lengths under Jim McAleney.
Steve Asmussen-trained runners finished first, second, and fourth in the My Dear. A Day for Dancing was a stalking second, Georgia Song, a maiden trained by Josie Carroll, closed for third, and Fanci Candi wound up fourth in the eight-horse field.
All 41 horses trained by Bruce Levine at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., tested negative for blood-doping drugs, the executive director of the New Jersey Racing Commission, Frank Zanzuccki, said Monday.
The results were reported to the racing commission six days after officials for the regulatory body drew blood from Levine's horses at Monmouth as part of an 8-month-old out-of-competition testing program. Zanzuccki stressed that Levine - who has posted a 52 percent win percentage this year at Monmouth - was selected at random.