INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The Tin Man hardly acted his age on Monday with a win in the $398,200 Shoemaker Breeders' Cup Mile at Hollywood Park.
Now 9, the seven-time stakes winner is believed to be only the third horse to win a Grade 1 at that age, joining John Henry (a four-time Grade 1 winner in 1984) and John's Call (two Grade 1 wins in 2000).
There may be more milestones for The Tin Man later this summer.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Though he probably could have floated home, Don Little Jr., the president of Centennial Farms, was behind the wheel of a single-engine airplane Monday night that took him and his father back to their Massachusetts home just hours after the Centennial-owned Corinthian won the $600,000 Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park.
MIAMI - Trainer Bill Kaplan is sending his gray brigade to New York for Belmont weekend.
Kaplan will ship three horses, all grays, to Belmont Park on Wednesday. The group is led by Imawildandcrazyguy, who continues to train well in preparation for the $1 million Belmont Stakes. He'll be accompanied by stablemates Storm in May and Emma's Candy.
Storm in May, who finished 16th in the Kentucky Derby, worked five furlongs in 1:01 at Calder with jockey Juan Leyva aboard Tuesday. He'll run in the Grade 3 Hill Prince Stakes the day before the Belmont.
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.