ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Doneraile Gem's score in this past Saturday's Clarendon took trainer John Cardella to Woodbine's infield stakes-winner's circle for the first time in more than five years.
It's not as if the 76-year-old Cardella has had many opportunities since Lil Personalitee captured the Eclipse more than five years ago. He had just six stakes entrants over the past three meetings, and Doneraile Gem was his first of 2007.
Belmont Stakes winner Rags to Riches breezed five furlongs over Belmont Park's main track Sunday morning in 1:04.01 under regular exercise rider Lauren Robson.
She will likely have one more workout before her next start in the Grade 1, $300,000 Coaching Club American Oaks for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/4 miles July 21 at Belmont.
Distance should not be a problem for Rags to Riches, one of only three fillies to beat the boys in the 1 1/2-mile Belmont.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - A field of five, including the top four finishers from the Queen's Plate, is likely for the $500,000 Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie on Sunday.
The Prince of Wales, at 1 3/16 miles, follows the 1 1/4-mile Queen's Plate as the second leg of the Triple Crown for Canadian-bred 3-year-olds.
All five candidates for the Prince of the Wales have completed their major preps for the race. The last was Jiggs Coz, who breezed six furlongs in 1:13 under regular rider David Clark on the training track at Woodbine on Monday morning.
Sit down and hold on to the edge of your chairs for this one, folks: Todd Pletcher will be a major player in a stakes race.
Yes, yes, it does seem far-fetched. Pletcher only has been winning a stakes race about every 14 minutes this summer. But it's true. Both Safari Queen, who starts in the $300,000 Robert G. Dick Memorial, and Cotton Blossom, who goes two races later in the $500,000 Delaware Oaks, look like prime players in their respective spots on Saturday at Delaware Park.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Ginger Punch didn't need any help from her stablemate to record the first stakes victory of her career in Sunday's $150,000 First Flight Handicap at Belmont Park.
With trainer Bobby Frankel electing to scratch the speedy Sugar Swirl, Ginger Punch found another target to stalk, pouncing on Nothing But Fun less than four furlongs into the race and then running away from Sweet Fervor in the stretch to win the Grade 2 First Flight by five lengths.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Gold Coyote backed up his 11-length maiden score with a stirring 10-length victory in the $125,000 colts and geldings division of the Texas Stallion Stakes on Saturday. The race was one of six restricted stakes worth $475,000 on the annual Stars of Texas Day program at Lone Star Park.
Gold Coyote ($3.20) broke on top under Ramsey Zimmerman, and dueled on the lead with entrymate Five Alarm through a opening quarter of 21.43 seconds. Gold Coyote shook that one off soon afterward, and went on to cover the 5 1/2 furlongs for 2-year-olds in 1:03.04.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Name a surface and Panty Raid has conquered it.
After winning an allowance race on Polytrack at Keeneland in April and the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes on the dirt at Pimlico in May, Panty Raid won her turf course debut in Saturdays $750,000 American Oaks at Hollywood Park.
You cant get more versatile than that, trainer Todd Pletcher said.
Panty Raid ($13) gave Pletcher his second consecutive win in the Grade 1 American Oaks, which he won last year with eventual champion 3-year-old filly Wait a While.
Pass Play made it four straight victories with a three-quarter-length score in the $60,000 Da Hoss at Colonial Downs.
Pass Play was taking a substantial step up in class for the Da Hoss, and bettors sent him off at 11-1, figuring he was unlikely to be able to handle such proven stakes horses as Bastille, Midwatch, Mixed Up, or Alumni Hall. But Pass Play, under Luis Garcia, showed he had the class to go with his sharp form, catching pacesetter Midwatch with a sixteenth to go in the one-mile turf race. He paid $25.40.
Hesa Big Star appeared on paper to be the speed of the $60,100 Mo Bay Stakes at Delaware Park, and that's just how it played out on the track.
Hesa Big Star broke to the lead from the rail in the five-furlong turf sprint and never was truly threatened, defeating Mr Mutter by 3 3/4 lengths, with Sandy's Gold another length back in third. Bingo Bear, the 9-5 favorite, finished fifth in the field of seven older horses.
Doneraile Gem came home a comfortable winner in Saturday's $151,600 Clarendon Stakes, a 5 1/2-furlong dash for Ontario-bred 2-year-olds at Woodbine.
Doneraile Gem raced near the front of the first tier early under Patrick Husbands, while Stuck in Traffic set fast splits of 21.29 and 45.32 seconds. Doneraile Gem began to close the gap on the turn, and he hit the front with three-sixteenths left before coasting home on top by 1o3/4 lengths.