OCEANPORT, N.J. - Indy Wind will have a new pilot Saturday in the bid for his first graded stakes victory in the Grade 3, $150,000 Salvator Mile at Monmouth Park.
Apprentice Mario Madrid will replace the injured Kyle Branch, who was aboard the 5-year-old for a rousing victory here in the Frisk Me Now Stakes on May 28. Indy Wind overcame a 13-length deficit that day to get up by 1 3/4 lengths for his first win in three starts this season.
CALGARY, Alberta - Amazin Blue came from last in Saturday's Alberta Derby to run down a stubborn Footprint in the final 70 yards and post a half-length triumph under steady encouragement from jockey Quincy Welch.
The victory in the $125,000 stakes came over a muddy surface that had favored front-runners most of the day. But Amazin Blue, a chestnut son of Marquetry invading from California, reversed the trend with a sweeping move down the backstretch to take the derby's 77th running.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Candidates for Sunday's $1 million Queen's Plate here at Woodbine had their final preps on three different fronts Monday morning.
Mike Fox, based here with trainer Ian Black, and Cobrador, at Arlington Park with Richie Scherer, both breezed five furlongs, while Twilight Meteor, at Belmont Park with Todd Pletcher, breezed four furlongs.
Mike Fox went in 59.80 seconds under regular rider Emma-Jayne Wilson.
"He went very well," said Black. "He galloped out very strong."
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Buzzards Bay, the winner of the Grade 2 Californian Stakes earlier this month, will miss the $750,000 Hollywood Gold Cup on June 30 because of a sore back, trainer Ron Ellis said Sunday.
"He's still a little stiff behind, so well skip it," Ellis said of the Gold Cup. "He's not coming back the way I'd like."
Owned by Gary Broad, Buzzards Bay, 5, was a leading contender for the Gold Cup based on his recent win. A winner of 6 of 18 starts and $1,325,507, Buzzards Bay won the Californian by a nose for his first stakes win since the 2006 Oaklawn Handicap.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Through the first half of the Belmont spring-summer meet, the Bobby Frankel stable was a virtual non-entity, having won just one race from nine starters.
But last weekend, Frankel became relevant again, running several horses that ran big races and bear watching the remainder of the season. In a span of three days, Frankel - whose barn is being overseen by assistant Scott Hansen - won two stakes races and ran second in two more.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Stormin Away made up 4 1/2 lengths in the stretch to win the $78,375 Round Table Handicap over 1 3/4 miles on turf at Hollywood Park on Saturday, scoring his third stakes win in the last year.
Ridden by Martin Garcia, Stormin Away ($8.40) ran down Spring House to win by three-quarters of a length. Spring House, who led for most of the last six furlongs, finished 1 3/4 lengths in front of Runaway Dancer. The 9-5 favorite, Runaway Dancer closed from last in the field of nine to finish third.
Stormin Away was timed in 2:54.75, a stakes record.
It took three weeks of delays, but Heso finally got to strut his stuff at Lincoln on Friday night as he took command through the far turn and drew off for a 7 3/4-length win in the $20,600 State Fair Breeders' Special for Nebraska-bred 3-year-olds.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas Toga Too slipped through an opening along the inside nearing the quarter pole and darted to a length and a half win over Lissas Star in the $50,000 Carter McGregor Memorial Stakes at Lone Star Park on Saturday.
It was another length back in third to War Bridle. Nuttyboom, who was favored, closed for fourth in the race, which was restricted to horses bred in Texas.