Bully Bones returned to Turf Paradise from her Southern California base and successfully defended her title in the $45,000 Mesa Handicap.

Ridden by Miguel Hernandez, who was subbing for originally named Isiais Enriquez, Bully Bones ($7.40) sat just off the pace, took command at the top of the lane in the 6 1/2-furlong dirt race for fillies and mares, and drew clear to easily beat the speedy Wild English Rose by three lengths. It was another 3 1/4 lengths back to 2-1 favorite Evening Escort.

For Kisses came from far back, erasing a 3 1/2-length deficit in the final furlong, to run down 9-5 favorite Now It Begins by a neck and earn the first stakes win of her career in the $45,000 Squan Song at Laurel Park.

The Squan Song, restricted to Maryland-bred fillies and mares who had never won a stakes, was the second straight victory for the 4-year-old For Kisses ($7.20) since she was reunited with jockey Rosie Napravnik.

"It's a match made in heaven," said trainer Richard Small, noting that Napravnik "fits her perfectly."

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Wow Me Free's two previous trips to New York did not work out too well. But that didn't stop owner Edward Seltzer from trying again, and on Saturday he was rewarded for his perseverance.

Stakes accomplishments took a backseat to recent activity in the $50,000 Prairie Bayou at Turfway Park, as Kettle Hill - coming off a runner-up finish in a second-level allowance at Churchill Downs on Nov. 22 - easily defeated favored Drilling for Oil, who had not raced since winning the Grade Louisville Handicap on May 26.

Instill was no match for River Bear in an allowance race late last month at Hawthorne, but turned the tables in the $114,700 Jim Edgar Futurity for Illinois-breds, beating River Bear by five lengths.

Instill, the 7-2 second choice, is owned by Sharon Morgan, trained by John Wainwright, and was ridden to victory by Chris Emigh.

Sterwins might have been his own worst enemy last year. According to Malcolm Pierce, who took over Sterwins's training this year, Sterwins was too eager to get his game on, and didn't relax properly early in his races, only to be found wanting late. But a more mature Sterwins could hardly have rated more kindly on Saturday at Fair Grounds, overcoming a wide journey to win the $60,000 Buddy Diliberto Memorial Handicap by a widening length.

MIAMI - Jockey Elvis Trujillo capped off a spectacular Saturday afternoon in a most unexpected fashion by guiding the 67-1 Presious Passion to a 1 1/4-length upset over 3-2 favorite Stream of Gold in the Grade 2, $200,000 W.L, McKnight Handicap at Calder.

The shocking result gave Trujillo his third straight graded stakes win on the card following victories aboard favorites Paradise Dancer in the Grade 3 Kenny Noe Jr. Handicap and Electrify in the Grade 3 Fred W. Hooper Handicap.

MIAMI - Redaspen slipped through along the hedge down the stretch, then outfinished Green Girl and a troubled Dalvina to post the most important victory of her career in Saturday's $200,000 La Prevoyante Handicap at Calder.

OLDSMAR, Fla. - The half-mile pole gap to the Tampa Bay Downs main track is a busy place in the morning. On Saturday, quite a few horses were headed there from barn 12B, the headquarters of trainer Gerald Bennett.

The Bennett operation is in the final weeks of yet another successful year, having won 110 races from 466 starters in 2007.

Los Alamitos:

A Bassett family member trained the winner of the Los Alamitos Two Million for the fifth time in 13 runnings when the Quarter Horse One Famous Eagle won the Grade 1, $2 million stakes on Friday night at Los Alamitos.

One Famous Eagle's trainer, John Bassett, has trained four of those winners, and his son, Joe Bassett, trained the 2006 winner, Blues Girl Too. It was the third straight win for a member of the Bassett family.