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 Racings biggest race, and paid $7.20 to win. Trujillo won his second consecutive Cornhusker, following his victory on Siphon City last year.
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.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The fighter in Lava Man carried the popular 6-year-old gelding to a record-equaling victory in Saturdays $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.
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.
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.
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.
The Los Angeles County Fair meeting at Fairplex Park from Sept.o7-24 will feature 17 stakes for Thoroughbreds, a calendar largely unchanged from the 2006 meeting.
Once again there is a stakes on each of the 16 racing days. The main stakes of the meeting are grouped on the final weekend - the $100,000 Las Madrinas Handicap for fillies and mares on Sept. 21, the $100,000 Pomona Derby on Sept. 22, and the $125,000 Ralph Hinds Pomona Invitational Handicap on Sept. 23. The $65,000 Governor's Cup is also on the Sept. 23 card.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The rapidly improving Out of Control upset The Tin Man in Saturday's $250,000 American Handicap at Hollywood Park after one of the finest stretch duels of the spring-summer meeting.
Out of Control, 4, overcame a wide trip to finish a head in front of The Tin Man, the 9-year-old multimillionaire and 4-5 favorite in the Grade 2 American.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - Rutherienne won the Grade 3, $150,000 Boiling Springs Stakes on a disqualification Saturday at Monmouth Park.
Red Birkin was first under the wire in the race for 3-year-old fillies on the turf. Red Birkin, however, drifted out in the lane, squeezing the pacesetting Sharp Susan while carrying out the rallying Rutherienne.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Remarkable News further entrenched himself as one of North America's premier turf milers when he posted a thoroughly dominant wire-to-wire victory Saturday under Ramon Dominguez in the 18th running of the Grade 2 Firecracker Handicap at Churchill Downs.
