OPELOUSAS, La. - Costa Rising returned to his winning ways Saturday night by capturing the $200,000 Evangeline Mile in track-record time.
Super Frolic, the even-money favorite and starting highweight, was left more than 12 lengths back in Costa Rising's wake. The longshot Watchem Smokey finished a distant third.
ALTOONA, Iowa - Bravo Cyclone ($28.40), the longest shot on the board, upset Saturday's $60,000 Iowa Stallion Futurity at Prairie Meadows and established a stakes record in the process.
Bravo Cyclone, an Iowa-bred son of Bravo Bull, covered the six furlongs in 1:10.99 under jockey Alex Birzer.
Bravo Cyclone stalked the front-running filly Judy Faye through the first half-mile but began to close in at the quarter pole. The two raced together until the furlong pole when Bravo Cyclone began to pull away, finishing two lengths in front.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. Trainer Todd Pletcher made official on Sunday what hed been hinting at for weeks: Rags to Riches wont run in Saturdays Grade 1 Alabama Stakes at Saratoga.
Instead, Pletcher will point Rags to Riches to the Grade 1, $300,000 Ruffian Handicap at Belmont Park on Sept. 8. That will be her last race before the $2 million Breeders Cup Distaff on Oct. 27 at Monmouth Park. If, for some reason, Pletcher opts to skip the Ruffian, the back-up is the $250,000 Gazelle at Belmont on Sept. 15.
DEL MAR, Calif.-A 42-1 upset in Saturdays seventh race led to a pick six carryover of $239,832 for Sundays nine-race program at Del Mar.
With the exception of the five-runner $150,000 Best Pal Stakes for 2-year-olds, the races in Sundays pick six have competitive fields.
Istan, the favorite in a field of 10 older horses, rolled to a 4 1/2-length victory Saturday in the $50,000 Governor's Handicap at Ellis Park in Henderson, Ky.
Trained by Bill Mott and ridden by Miguel Mena, Istan stalked the pace before moving outside the front-runners and opening an unassailable lead in midstretch. Spellbinder finished second, 4 1/2 lengths before Red Raymond in the one-mile race.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Medici Code, whose trainer described him as "a very expensive gelding," looked like more of a bargain than a $585,000 purchase winning Saturday's $150,000 La Jolla Handicap at Del Mar.
Winning the first stakes of his career, Medici Code ($12.40) won the Grade 2 La Jolla Handicap for 3-year-olds by 1 1/4 lengths over 9-5 favorite Worldly. Latin Rhythms, who set the pace, finished a head back in third, a nose in front of Ten a Penny, who disputed the pace throughout.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - With longshots Senor Enrico ($87.50) and Grand Couturier ($33.20) in the sequence, nobody hit the pick six at Saratoga on Saturday, creating a carryover of $101,391 into Sunday's card.
Senor Enrico, trained by LeRoy Jolley and ridden by Cornelio Velasquez, was the longest price on the board in a field of 10 turf maidens. Grand Couturier, trained by Robby Ribaudo, won for the first time in this country, beating 3-5 shot English Channel in the Grade 1 Sword Dancer Invitational.
The consolation (5 of 6) payout was $33,797.
Perfectly Played had to survive a claim of foul by runner-up Buzz Bunny before being awarded the victory in Friday's $50,000 Cleveland Kindergarten Stakes at Thistledown.
Perfectly Played, a first-time starter by Fast Play, rallied through a narrow opening up the rail entering the stretch, exchanged bumps with Buzz Bunny, then drew off to a 2 1/4-length win while covering the six furlongs in 1:12.60 over a fast strip. He is trained by Jeff Radosevich, was ridden by Scott Spieth and returned $23 to win.
Gold Rush Casey, coupled with Buzz Bunny, finished third.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Is Robby Albarado having a year, or what?
Winner of the Preakness with Curlin, and the Grade 1 Stephen Foster on Flashy Bull, Albarado gave Jambalaya a perfect trip to win the 25th Arlington Million by three-quarters of a length over The Tin Man, who was denied an historic second victory in Arlington's signature race.
Safe Play won a three-horse running of the $58,200 My Frenchman Stakes at Monmouth.
When four of the seven 3-year-olds and up in the My Frenchman scratched, that left Safe Play, River City Rebel, and John's Pic to contest the 5 1/2-furlong race, which was taken off the turf and run on the main track.
Safe Play, under Chuck Lopez, and John's Pic, ridden by Stewart Elliott, dueled for the lead the entire race, with Safe Play holding on by a neck. River City Rebel finished 1 1/2 lengths back of John's Pic.
