In a surprising development that means the $4 million All American Triple Crown bonus will not be paid this year, trainer Carl Draper announced that Heartswideopen, winner of the Grade 1, $500,000 Ruidoso Futurity, will not enter Friday's trials to the Grade 1, $625,000 Rainbow Futurity.
The $4 million All American Triple Crown bonus is awarded to the connections of any horse who can sweep the Ruidoso, Rainbow, and All American futurities at Ruidoso Downs.
ALTOONA, Iowa - Despite breaking from the far outside post in an 11-horse field, Delightful Kiss used a powerful closing kick to win the $250,000 Iowa Derby on Friday's opening night of the Iowa Festival of Racing at Prairie Meadows. Flashstorm, a 59-1 longshot, finished second, 1 1/4 lengths back, while 14-1 Going Ballistic rallied for third.
Tenth after a half in 46.52 seconds, Delightful Kiss unleashed a powerful run on the outside. The son of Kissin Kris ran by Flashstorm at about the eighth pole and pulled away under jockey Jeffrey Sanchez.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Octave is no longer a bridesmaid in Grade 1 company.
Though it may not have been as easy as the odds board suggested it should have been, Octave outdueled Kentucky shipper Lady Joanne through the final five-sixteenths of a mile to record a half-length victory in Saturday's $250,000 Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont Park.
Lady Joanne, who was trying to battle back after being passed in the stretch, finished second by 7 3/4 lengths over Boca Grande. Bold Assurance, the pacesetter, was eased.
Pryite Personal did not disapoint those who sent him off at 1-5 over 13 Ohio-bred 3-year-old rivals when he rallied from just off the pace to score a five-length win in the $100,000 Cleveland Gold Cup. His entrymate, Pay the Man, one of two fillies in the field, set the pace and held well to be second, 4 1/4 lengths clear of third-place finisher Smarmy.
Pyrite Personal was bred and is owned by Pyrite Stables, trained by Miguel Feliciano and was ridden by Ricardo Feliciano. He was timed for the mile and an eighth in 1:51.22 over a fast strip and returned $2.60 to win.
Legal Move ($6.40) held off a charging Dancer's Bajan to capture the $151,600 Achievement Stakes for Ontario-bred 3-year-olds at Woodbine.
Legal Move raced in fourth on the backstretch, about four lengths off a rapid pace set by Quidly Quest. He loomed into contention exiting the turn, and hit the front at the eighth pole before holding on for a neck victory.
Dancer's Bajan, the slight 2-1 favorite in the nine-horse field, commenced a wide rally on the turn and closed strongly in the stretch, finishing a clear second over Red Raffles.
Trainer Larry Jones found fillies perfectly suited to the stakes on the schedule Saturday at his summer base of Delaware Park and Colonial Downs.
Jones swept both features when his 3-year-old New Edition turned the tables on Miss Tizzynow in the $75,600 Denise Rhudy Memorial on turf at Delaware and the 4-year-old Sweetdownthelane drew off to a decisive win in the restricted $60,000 Brookmeade Stakes, a race moved to the main track at Colonial Downs.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Jockey Eddie Martin Jr. made his presence felt in his first night back at Lone Star Park on Friday, when he won the first race with 82-1 shot Wish Again. He then came back and captured the eighth race with Blues Festival ($9.60) for leading trainer Bret Calhoun.
Martin, who had three mounts on the card, began working horses here last Wednesday after spending the spring riding at Belmont Park. He last rode at Lone Star in 2005, shipping in for a couple of mounts. Martin won the riding title here in 2004.
ALTOONA, Iowa - Despite breaking from the far outside post in an 11-horse field, Delightful Kiss used a powerful closing kick to win the $250,000 Iowa Derby on Friday's opening night of the Iowa Festival of Racing at Prairie Meadows. Flashstorm, a 59-1 longshot, finished second, 1 1/4 lengths back, while 14-1 Going Ballistic rallied for third.
Tenth after a half in 46.52 seconds, Delightful Kiss unleashed a powerful run on the outside. The son of Kissin Kris ran by Flashstorm at about the eighth pole and pulled away under jockey Jeffrey Sanchez.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The Hollywood Gold Cup program on Saturday at Hollywood Park will feature a two-day pick six carryover of $464,908 after no one hit the bet on Friday night.
Saturday's pick six covers the sixth through 11th race on a program that includes four stakes. There are large fields throughout Saturday's pick six, which starts with a starter allowance over seven furlongs in the sixth race.
The seventh race is the Landaluce Stakes for 2-year-old fillies over six furlongs. The Kentucky shipper Elocution will be favored.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Nobiz Like Shobiz and Any Given Saturday completed preparations for their meeting in Wednesday's $150,00 Dwyer Stakes by putting in workouts over Belmont Park's main track on Friday morning.
Any Given Saturday, who finished two spots behind Nobiz Like Shobiz in the Wood Memorial and two spots ahead of him in the Kentucky Derby, worked four furlongs in 47.63 seconds. It was the fastest of 31 works at the distance.
"He went well,'' trainer Todd Pletcher said. "He's training as good as ever.''