Mon, 07/02/2007 - 00:00

Pletcher sweeps Belmont stakes

ELMONT, N.Y. - It appears as if trainer Todd Pletcher's 2-year-old crop is as strong as ever as he won both juvenile stakes run at Belmont Park on Sunday. Jockey John Velazquez was aboard both winners.

Ready's Image, equipped with blinkers for the first time, rolled to a 7 3/4-length victor over longshot Izzy Speaking in the $110,600 Tremont for males. An hour earlier, Glacken's Gal won a three-way battle for the lead then fended off a challenge from odds-on favorite Dubit in the stretch to win the $109,300 Astoria for fillies by two lengths.

Sun, 07/01/2007 - 00:00

$3.2M pick 6 carryover at Hollywood Monday

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Hollywood Park will have a pick six carryover of $3,274,505 for Monday’s eight-race program, the highest carryover in track history.

Bettors failed to solve the tricky wager for the fourth consecutive day on Sunday, a program that begin with a pick six carryover of more than $1.4 million. Bettors added $3.4 million on Sunday, but no one had all six winners, even though there were two winning favorites.

Monday’s eight-race program begins at 1:20 p.m. Pacific, and the first pick six race, the third race, will be run at approximately 2:20 p.m.

Sun, 07/01/2007 - 00:00

Lone Star cancels after sudden rainstorm

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Lone Star Park canceled the fourth through ninth races Sunday following a heavy, sudden rainstorm that left areas of the track unsafe for racing. According to officials, eight-tenths of an inch of rain fell within 15 minutes.

"When the riders went on the track, they felt there were some washouts, and that water was still draining off the track," said Drew Shubeck, president and general manager of Lone Star.

Sun, 07/01/2007 - 00:00

Night of upsets at Evangeline

OPELOUSAS, La. - The third annual Louisiana Legends Night turned into an evening of surprises at Evangeline Downs on Saturday. Favorites - six of them even money or less - were defeated in seven of the eight stakes events restricted to Louisiana breds.

Pinecrest Boy ($103.80) began the parade of upsets in the $75,000 B. B. "Sixty" Rayburn Stakes for 3-year-olds, defeating 1-2 public choice St. Zarb.

Sun, 07/01/2007 - 00:00

Dry Martini gets up late in Cornhusker

ALTOONA, Iowa - Dry Martini wore down Silent Pleasure inside the sixteenth pole to capture the Grade 2, $300,000 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap on Saturday night.

Trained by New York-based Barclay Tagg and ridden by Elvis Trujillo, Dry Martini was the second choice in the Iowa Festival of Racing’s biggest race, and paid $7.20 to win. Trujillo won his second consecutive Cornhusker, following his victory on Siphon City last year.

Sat, 06/30/2007 - 00:00

Carbella overcomes poor beginning

PLEASANTON, Calif. – Carbella, almost eliminated when leaving the gate, rallied strongly through the lane to capture the $53,017 Juan Gonzalez Memorial on Saturday at the Alameda County Fair.

Carbella, who had been on the lead every step of the way in her first two races, was “annihilated” at the start of the five-furlong race for 2-year-old fillies, according to jockey Chad Schvaneveldt.

Sat, 06/30/2007 - 00:00

Lava Man by nose in Gold Cup

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The fighter in Lava Man carried the popular 6-year-old gelding to a record-equaling victory in Saturday’s $750,000 Hollywood Gold Cup at Hollywood Park.

Lava Man won the Gold Cup by a nose over A.P. Xcellent in a race that fully lived up to high expectations. With the victory, Lava Man became the second horse to win three consecutive runnings of Hollywood Park's signature race. Native Diver won the Gold Cup three times from 1965-67.

Sat, 06/30/2007 - 00:00

Asmussen one-two in Alysheba

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Forty Grams won the $100,000 Alysheba Breeders' Cup by a length and three-quarters over stablemate Takedown to give their trainer, Steve Asmussen, a one-two finish in the one-mile race for 3-year-olds at Lone Star Park on Saturday.

It was Asmussen's fourth win in the Alysheba.

Sat, 06/30/2007 - 00:00

Anamato works slow and easy for Oaks

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Anamato, the star filly from Australia, worked a mile at Hollywood Park on Saturday for the $750,000 American Oaks on Saturday. But the workout will not appear on the official workout report.

Anamato was timed in 1:48.60, a time that was too slow to be recognized. Generally, a time of 1:45.80 or quicker is needed for a workout to be recognized.

For Anamato, the slow workout was business as usual in the buildup to the Grade 1 Oaks, which is run at 1 1/4 miles on turf.

Sat, 06/30/2007 - 00:00

Political Force scores upset for Jerkens

Diane Booth/Horsephotos
Ridden by Cornelio Velasquez, Political Force holds off Fairbanks by 1 1/4 lengths to win the Grade 1 Suburban.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Forty-five years after pulling off one of the more memorable upsets in the history of the Suburban Handicap, Hall of Fame trainer Allen Jerkens pulled off another one, albeit much less shocking.

Political Force, trained by the 78-year-old Jerkens, rallied past pacesetting Fairbanks in upper stretch, then held on despite drifting out in the stretch to win Saturday's Grade 1, $400,000 Suburban by 1 1/4 lengths before a crowd of 7,716 at Belmont Park. Fairbanks held second by two lengths over 52-1 shot Malibu Moonshine.