Market Day, an English expatriate who had been thoroughly whipped in her two Southern California outings, both dirt sprints, moved back to turf and to a route in Turf Paradises $45,000 Scottsdale Handicap and got back on track with an easy victory.
Market Day, an English expatriate who had been thoroughly whipped in her two Southern California outings, both dirt sprints, moved back to turf and to a route in Turf Paradises $45,000 Scottsdale Handicap and got back on track with an easy victory.
Folsum used his speed and courage to post a 48-1 upset in Sunland Parks $50,000 Daylight Sprint Thoroughbred Stakes.
Trained by James Jones, Folsum dueled with Game of Skill, then looked beaten when the 1-9 favorite, Sir Five Star, got by him in midstretch. But he re-rallied to prevail by a neck. He ran the six furlongs in 1:09.63 under Duane Sterling and paid $99.40. Game of Skill held third in the field of nine.
Delicate Dynamite won her fourth race in a row and her third straight stakes race in the $100,000 Goddess on closing night at Delta Downs. She also remained perfect in four starts on a conventional dirt surface.
Delicate Dynamite ($4.60) was a two-length winner over Plaid, who finished 2 1/4 lengths clear of third-place Game for More.
Delicate Dynamite covered the 1?1/16-miles over a muddy track in 1:44.78. Gerard Melancon rode Delicate Dynamite for trainer Tom Amoss.
Bonfante ($5.60), coming off a five-month layoff, rallied in the lane as he repeated last years triumph in the $100,000 California Turf Sprint Championship at Bay Meadows.
Bonfante, who won last years edition off nearly an eight-month layoff, defeated longshot No Derby by a length, covering five furlong over the turf course in 57.30 seconds. Bonfante sat back early under jockey Russell Baze and then had to wait for room in the stretch.
Vaderator was clear early but gave way in the lane, finishing third.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Cotton Blossom and Cash Included, the top two contenders in the Grade 2, $250,000 Fantasy at Oaklawn Park on Friday, will break side-by-side in the 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-old fillies after drawing posts 2 and 3 here Monday.
In all, eight runners entered the Fantasy, which will open the Racing Festival of the South. During the series, nine stakes worth $2.8 million will be run over the final six days of the meet. The closing card on April 14 features the Grade 2, $1 million Arkansas Derby.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - It's the same time, two years later. Trainer John Shirreffs, jockey Mike Smith, and owners Ann and Jerry Moss, who combined to win the 2005 Kentucky Derby with Giacomo, are hoping to be able to try again, but realize the hill is a bit steeper this time around.
ARCADIA, Calif. - The best race here on Saturday might not be the Santa Anita Derby. The $200,000 Potrero Grande Breeders' Cup Handicap over 6 1/2 furlongs is expected to bring together three of California's best sprinters - Bordonaro, Greg's Gold, and Smokey Stover.
The trainers of Bordonaro and Smokey Stover said Sunday they were leaning toward running in the Grade 2 Potrero Grande rather than shipping to stakes in other parts of the country.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - With temperatures in the low to mid-40's for the first two days of the Woodbine meet, the problems with Polytrack during colder weather here last year had not abated.
On Saturday, an obviously loose surface yielded slow final clockings and a noticeable kickback that sometimes visibly hindered late-runners. Then the rains came on Sunday, and the kickback seemed to be less of a factor.
"The rain was binding the track down a little bit," said Ray Sabourin, president of the Jockey's Benefit Association of Canada, who rode on the first two cards.
OPELOUSAS, La. - Every racetrack strives to have big fields, and Evangeline Downs is succeeding.
Buoyed last year by a 30 percent increase in all-sources handle and the highest average number of starters per race (9.9) in the country, this southern Louisiana track begins its meeting Wednesday night.
The 89-day stand runs through the traditional Labor Day closing and offers $150,000 in daily purses, a figure the track's executive director of racing, David Yount, expects to build on as the meeting progresses.