ARCADIA, Calif. - After winning riding titles at the Hollywood Park spring-summer meeting and at Del Mar, Michael Baze finished seventh in the standings at the Oak Tree at Santa Anita meeting this fall.
Missing six days of riding because of suspension and traveling briefly to the Breeders' Cup at Monmouth Park on Oct. 27 kept him out of contention for a title that went to his cousin, Tyler Baze.
At the Hollywood Park meeting that begins Wednesday, Michael Baze is determined to be the Baze at the top of the standings.
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DRF Past Performances
Favorites came through with ease on Sunday after getting perfect stalking trips in back-to-back $100,000 stakes at Churchill Downs, with Sugar Swirl taking the Very Subtle Stakes and Smart Enough capturing the Cherokee Run Handicap.
Sugar Swirl, with Rafael Bejarano riding for owner Stronach Stables and trainer Bobby Frankel, returned $3.60 after defeating seven other fillies and mares in the six-furlong Very Subtle. Generosity was second, three lengths behind the winner, with Country Diva third.
Kesagami set a dawdling pace on a clear lead and held on for a 1 1/4-length score over Cool Gator in the $250,400 Coronation Futurity at Woodbine on Sunday.
Patrick Husbands rode Kesagami through fractions of 25.62 seconds, 50.81, and 1:16.35 in the nine-furlong race for Canadian-bred 2-year-olds. Deputiformer loomed into contention on the far turn and drew almost even in midstretch, but Kesagami dug in and prevailed in 1:53.40.
Cool Gator, the 6-5 favorite in the six-horse field, rallied down the center of the track to catch Deputiformer in the final strides.
Sumfun responded to the cutback to one turn, powering to an eight-length win in the $55,800 Lea County Sprint at Zia Park on Sunday. Datrick finished second in the six-furlong race for 3-year-olds that went with just three starters after the scratches of Mr. Nightlinger and Takedown.
Sumfun ($3.20) raced in third through an opening quarter-mile in 22.20 seconds, then overtook his rivals through a half-mile in 44.60. He went on to cover the distance in 1:09.80.
STICKNEY, Ill. - Hawthorne horse players have come to expect the unexpected, but even at a track where chaos often gets the better of order, this past weekend's racing was unpredictable. The 20 races Saturday and Sunday produced two winning favorites, and no sequence of races proved less predictable than Saturday's six Illinois-bred stakes.
ALBANY, Calif. - Northern California horses had their best showing ever at the California Cup on Saturday at Santa Anita, winning three races.
Bold Chieftain became Northern California's first Cal Cup Classic winner since Charmonnier upset Best Pal in 1991. The Northern California-based Gentle Charmer scored a record-setting $110 victory in the Distaff, bettering the previous high payoff for the series, set by Northern Californian Our Mango when she paid $100.20 in the same race in 2004. Sierra Sunset, also based in Northern California, won the Juvenile.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Churchill Downs has announced that it will begin testing horses that it suspects have been improperly scratched with an excuse from a private veterinarian. Blood tests will be run to verify the reason for a scratch, and if the test results do not match the reason, the stewards will be alerted and "take whatever action they see fit," according to Churchill general manager Jim Gates.
Generally, an improper scratch carries a fine of at least $250.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Owner-breeder Mel Lawson's dreams of winning a Queen's Plate were put on hold when Jiggs Coz came up short as the favorite here in June.
But Lawson may not have to wait long for his next attempt as Kesagami, another homebred who races under the banner of his Jim Dandy Stable, established himself as a serious hopeful for next year's Queen's Plate with his victory in Sunday's Coronation Futurity.