Mon, 09/24/2007 - 00:00

Few willing to face elite duo

It's the kind of small problem that any racetrack would love to have, but a problem it is. Turfway Park officials were having trouble Monday scaring up a handful of horses to race against Street Sense and Hard Spun in the signature race of their fall meet, the Kentucky Cup Classic on Saturday.

Randy Wehrman, stakes coordinator at Turfway in Florence, Ky., said Monday afternoon that only Stream Cat and Cat Shaker have been confirmed as opponents for the KC Classic. Entries for the Classic and the other four races in the Kentucky Cup series will be drawn Wednesday at the track.

Mon, 09/24/2007 - 00:00

It's a three-star day for Shirreffs

For a guy who doesn't seem to crave the limelight, John Shirreffs keeps putting himself there by virtue of his training ability. Every year, it seems, Shirreffs comes up with a top-class horse, from Bertrando to Manistique, Hollywood Story to Giacomo. This year, though, he's doing it in triplicate.

Shirreffs heads into the fall of 2007 with his deepest lineup yet. He has three outstanding horses with Breeders' Cup aspirations, and all three are running in BC prep races on Saturday.

Mon, 09/24/2007 - 00:00

Plug Me In captures Hinds Handicap

POMONA, Calif. - The $121,250 Ralph M. Hinds Handicap was not pretty. Fairplex Park horse-for-course Plug Me In won the richest race of the Los Angeles County Fair race meet on Sunday, by a one length over Courtly Jazz, while odds-on favorite Raise the Bluff struggled home a dull third.

Mon, 09/24/2007 - 00:00

Whirl holds off Orphan Brigade by a neck

Whirl, who won his maiden for a claiming price of $16,000, picked up his second straight stakes win Sunday in the $151,030 Premier Breeders' Cup at Zia Park. Orphan Brigade finished a neck back in second, while it was another 1 1/4 lengths back in third to Tontine Too.

Whirl ($9.60) dueled on the lead with Tontine Too through an opening quarter in 21.40 seconds. Whirl continued to lead the field through a half-mile in 43.40, then held off a bid from Orphan Brigade, who won this race last year by a neck. Whirl completed the six furlongs in 1:09.20.

Mon, 09/24/2007 - 00:00

Cloudy's Knight overtakes Sterwins in Sky Classic

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Chicago shipper Cloudy's Knight ($8.90) became a contender for next month's Grade 1 Canadian International with a determined score in Sunday's Grade 2, $302,000 Sky Classic Stakes at Woodbine.

Cloudy's Knight tracked the leaders on the outside in the 1 3/8-mile grass race, and then wore down Sterwins in the final furlong to win by a length. Windward Islands rallied from last in the 10-horse field to end up third, while favored Revved Up finished sixth.

Sun, 09/23/2007 - 00:00

Three's a Crowd rallies from last to upset Hilton

Three 's a Crowd ($32.40), responding to a change of riders, upset Saturday night's $51,500 Robert Hilton Memorial Stakes at Charles Town.

The Hilton is the last local prep for horses pointing to the $100,000 Onion Juice and the $500,000 West Virginia Breeders Classic on Oct. 20.

Sun, 09/23/2007 - 00:00

$223,000 carryover at Belmont

ELMONT, N.Y. – Though Saturday's pick six at Belmont Park was essentially a pick five, there were no winning tickets sold on the exotic wager, creating a two-day carryover of $223,832 entering Sunday's card.

Any Given Saturday ($2.30) was the universal single on pick six tickets, but no tickets could come up with the four double-digit winners that included Dontess ($47), Be Bullish ($19.80), Codeword ($15) and Hammock ($12.60). The other winner in the sequence was Jazzy ($7.80).

There were five winning consolation tickets (5 of 6) that each returned $2,075.

Sat, 09/22/2007 - 00:00

Presque Isle Downs: Sisters run 1-2

It was a battle of sisters in the First Approach Stakes at Presque Isle Downs Friday night. In the end, it was the younger sister, Who's Happy, who prevailed by two lengths over her half-sister and heavy favorite, Raging Rapids.

The First Approach was one of five $90,000 stakes for Pennsylvania-breds run Friday at the Erie, Pa., racetrack.

The 3-year-old Who's Happy, ridden by Victor Molina and trained by Tim Woolley, returned $7 to win, and the sibling exacta returned $14.60. The pacesetter She's Fancy Free was third. The final time for the 1 1/16 miles was 1:46.33.

Sat, 09/22/2007 - 00:00

Meadowlands: Presious Passion wins

Presious Passion and trainer Mary Hartmann both got their first graded victories Friday night in the $150,000 Cliff Hanger Stakes at the Meadowlands Racetrack.

Presious Passion rallied from sixth to beat Touched by Madness by one length, with Carnera third. The 4-year-old gelding paid $23.40 to win as part of an entry with Tune of the Spirit, who set the pace and finished last in the seven-horse field in the Grade 3 race.

The time was 1:41.48 for the 1 1/16 miles on the firm turf course.

Sat, 09/22/2007 - 00:00

Woodbine: Dance to My Tune hangs on

Dance to My Tune ($23.10) held off Serenading in the final strides to notch her first stakes win in the $160,900 La Lorgnette at Woodbine.

Coy Coyote, the favored Maryland shipper, set fast fractions in the 1 1/16-mile route, while being pressed by Lyrically. Dance to My Tune stalked in third before circling three wide into contention on the far turn.