Jockey Earlie Fires, 61, continued his spring renaissance at Arlington Park, winning the Reluctant Guest Stakes at Arlington Park aboard Forever Together.
Fires won for the second time on Saturday's card, giving him 9 victories at this meet from only 17 starts. But he had plenty of help Saturday from Forever Together, who ran big in her grass debut for trainer Jonathan Sheppard.
Nevada Worrier ($12.80) gave jockey Agapito Delgadillo a few worries down the stretch but dug in gamely to edge away from Devils Afleet to win the $61,900 Golden Bear Stakes at Golden Gate Fields by a neck.
Nevada Worrier sat behind Devils Afleet and Summer Haze early, moved four wide on the turn, and put his head in front in the lane.
Devils Fleet was a bit rank early. He broke a step slowly but rushed up to take the lead. Although headed in the lane in the six-furlong race for 3-year-olds, he refused to wilt until the final strides.
For the second straight year, Dale Romans trained the winner of the Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs, winning Saturday with Eaton's Gift after taking the race last year with Spin Master.
Rebounding from a seventh-place finish in the Derby Trial, Eaton's Gift proved ultra game in defeating Devereux in the $108,800 Matt Winn.
Cowgirls Don't Cry, who had been beaten by Rite Moment and stablemate Wow Me Free in recent stakes at Aqueduct, turned the tables in Saturday's Shuvee Handicap at Belmont Park as Mike Luzzi posted career victory 2,999.
Luzzi put Cowgirls Don't Cry on the lead while pressed by Striking Tomisue through moderate fractions of 23.76 seconds, 47.67, and 1:12.55 in the one-mile race. Cowgirls Don't Cry widened her lead in midstretch and remained clear to score by 2 1/4 lengths over 3-2 favorite Rite Moment.
VANCOUVER Heavily favored Dancing Allstar broke on top and then was under cruise control the rest of the way to win the $53,508 Emerald Downs Stakes at Hastings by 3 1/4 lengths. She paid $2.20 to win. There was no place or show wagering in the four-horse field.
With leading rider Mario Gutierrez in the irons, Dancing Allstar looked very comfortable setting fractions of 22.55 and 45.55 over a fast track before she drew off to post a final time of 1:10.66 for six furlongs.
CINCINNATI Formal Arrangement, under jockey Andrew Ramgeet, took control entering the stretch and held off a game Part Girlie Girl to prevail by one length in the $50,000 Tomboy for Ohio-bred 3-year-old fillies at River Downs. The 1 1/16-mile race was scheduled for turf but run on the main track.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - It's safe to say that Polonius has found a home on turf. Saturday at Hollywood Park, Polonius won his second stakes on grass, and first graded stakes, in the $106,800 Will Rogers Stakes for 3-year-olds.
Ridden by Jon Court, Polonius led throughout, holding off a late run from Indian Sun to win the Grade 3 race over a mile by a half-length. Polonius ($5.40) was timed in 1:34.95.
"Our horse had never had to work so hard," said trainer Mike Pender, who won his first graded stakes in the Will Rogers.
BALTIMORE - Pays to Dream overcame a soft Pimlico turf course and a pedestrian pace with an electrifying stretch kick that carried him to an emphatic 7 1/2-length victory in Saturday's Grade 2, $250,000 Dixie Stakes.
Stay Close, who stalked the longshot pacesetter Ra Der Dean, finished second by a head over Ra Der Dean. He was followed in the order of finish by Distorted Reality, even-money favorite Shakis, Pick Six, Headsandtales, Buffalo Man, and Salinja.
Lantana Mob ($5.60), a two-time stakes winner at 2, stayed perfect as a 3-year-old when pushing past Silver Edition in the desperate final yards to win as a popular favorite in the $100,000 Hirsch Jacobs Stakes on the Preakness undercard.
With Robby Albarado riding for trainer Steve Asmussen, Lantana Mob moved up steadily after laying back as far as sixth in the early stages of the six-furlong Hirsch Jacobs, then launched his winning bid when farthest outside. He won by a neck after finishing in 1:09.10 over a fast track.
Roman Emperor was so uncomfortable in Pimlico's enclosed saddling paddock on Saturday that his trainer, Steve Klesaris, took the lead shank and walked the colt to try and calm him down. Once Klesaris took Roman Emperor onto the track, the trainer was relieved.
"He just doesn't like enclosed spaces," Klesaris said after he handed off Roman Emperor to the outrider.
The prerace anxiety melted away minutes later. Roman Emperor, given a heads-up ride by jockey Jeremy Rose, wore down Da' Tara and captured the $100,000 Barbaro Stakes for 3-year-olds.