GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Bob and John indicated his intent to make an impact on the handicap ranks this year with a gritty neck win over Sweetnorthernsaint in the Grade 3, $400,000 Lone Star Park Handicap on Monday.
"We're hopeful to have one of the better handicap horses in the country this year," said John Adger, bloodstock and racing manager for Stonerside Stable, which owns Bob and John.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Three stakes will be run Saturday on what is shaping up as a terrific program at Churchill Downs, with proven stakes performers such as Saint Anddan, Lady Joanne, Silverinyourpocket, and Therecomesatiger heading the trio of lineups.
The Grade 3 Aristides Stakes, the Grade 3 Dogwood Stakes, and the Opening Verse Handicap will share top billing Saturday. Here is a brief look at each:
ALBANY, Calif. - Into Reality and Fantastic Spain achieved their first stakes victories over the holiday weekend at Golden Gate Fields.
Fantastic Spain triumphed in the $191,400 Golden Gate Fields Breeders' Cup at 1 3/8 miles on the turf Monday. Into Reality captured her stakes debut, the six-furlong Dipsea Trail for 3-year-old fillies on Saturday.
Fantastic Spain is a half-brother to millionaire Spain, who began her career in trainer Jeff Bonde's barn in Northern California.
CHICAGO - What more casual participants in racing learned this weekend at Arlington Park, Wayne Catalano already knew: Significant rainfall can mean a significant change to the nature of Polytrack.
Rain through Friday night and into Saturday left standing water in and around Arlington, and the Catalano-trained, Frank Calabrese-owned Lewis Michael felt the affects of it Saturday afternoon.
ALTOONA, Iowa - Crimson King Cat ($3.20) had to work for his first stakes win, but got the job done in Monday's $55,000 Gray's Lake for 3-year-old Iowa-bred colts and geldings at Prairie Meadows. Crimson King Cat held off stablemate Red Hot N Gold by a head with Tomcat Row 7 _ lengths back in third. Crimson King Cat covered the six furlongs in 1:09.85.
Crimson King Cat has now won 4 of 7 races lifetime with 3 seconds. Owned by Crimson King Farm, the winner was ridden by Perry Compton for trainer Kelly Von Hemel.
Horses shipping north from Florida scored upsets in the co-featured $75,000 turf stakes at Mountaineer Race Track on Monday.
Bold Passage ($25.20), claimed for $50,000 in late March at Gulfstream Park, ran down pacesetter Afleet Angel under urging from jockiey Huber Villa-Gomez to score a one-length victory in the Decoration Day Handicap for fillies and mares.
It was the fifth win in 11 starts first off the claim for trainer Wayne McDonnell since January 2006, but the first win since September 2005 for the 5-year-old Bold Passage, who had lost 12 straight races.
AUBURN, Wash. - Westsideclyde overtook the pacesetting The Great Face turning for home and pulled away to a 2 1/2-length victory in Monday's $45,000 FSN Handicap at Emerald Downs.
Westsideclyde, who races for Linda Elledge and Dr. James Riedinger, covered the 6 1/2 furlongs under rider Ricky Frazier in 1:13.40, the second-fastest time for the distance ever registered at Emerald. The Great Face held second by a neck over the fast-finishing Norm's Nephew, while the two favorites, Starbird Road and Flamethrowintexan, finished seventh and eighth in the field of nine.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Corinthian's ascension through the ranks of the handicap division is back on track after the talented but temperamental colt held on for a three-quarter-length victory in Monday's Grade 1, $600,000 Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park.
Racing four wide but close to the pace from the get-go, Corinthian took over from Latent Heat turning for home and then held off a late run from Political Force, who took a whip in the face from Edgar Prado, the rider of Lawyer Ron. Political Force got second by a half-length over Lawyer Ron, the 8-5 favorite.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- The ascension of Citronnade among the Wests female turf runners continued on Monday, when she won her fourth straight race, and first Grade 1, in the $367,800 Gamely Handicap at Hollywood Park.
But the Memorial Day feature was marred by the breakdown of Three Degrees, who fractured her left front ankle so badly she had to be euthanized right in front of the stands on the turf course.
