General Charley ($14.40) was prominent throughout for a 4 1/2-win over Goosey Moose in the $45,000 Tomball Stakes for Texas-breds Saturday at Sam Houston Race Park.
It was another half-length back in third to favorite Northern Scene.
General Charley dueled through fractions of 24.78 seconds for the opening quarter, 49.53 for the half-mile mark, and 1:13.76 for six furlongs, then went on to win the 1 1/16-mile turf race in 1:43.94.
Paul Nolan rode the winner for trainer Michael Stidham.
Volcom earned the first automatic berth for the $1 million Champion of Champions in December with a victory in Saturday's $236,800 Los Alamitos Winter Championship for older Quarter Horses.
Ridden by Cody Jensen, Volcom ($12.80) ran 400 yards in 19.527 seconds in the Grade 1 race, finishing a head in front of 4-5 favorite Spike it and Fly, who broke poorly. Dutch Schultz finished third in the field of 10, giving trainer Paul Jones a sweep of the first three finishers.
Volcom, 4, has won 11 of 19 starts and $379,540 for owner P.K. Thomas.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - A year ago, Einstein gave Helen Pitts the first Grade 1 victory of her training career by winning the Gulfstream Park Breeders' Cup Handicap. On Saturday, Jambalaya did the same for his trainer, Catherine Day Phillips, after outfinishing Honey Ryder and defending champion Einstein to win the 1 3/8-mile Gulfstream Park Breeders' Cup.
The Gulfstream Park BC was the second graded stakes victory for Jambalaya, who won the Grade 3 Saranac at Saratoga in September 2005.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Nine fillies and mares went to post, but in the end Sundays $100,000 The Very One Handicap turned into a match race between old nemeses Royal Highness and Safari Queen who battled on near even turns after hooking up at the top of the stretch. Royal Highness ultimately edged away to a two length decision in the 2007 debut for both long distance grass specialists.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Time and distance have become assets for Obrigado.
In Sundays $150,000 San Luis Obispo Handicap at Santa Anita, Obrigado, 4, started in the longest race of his career and scored his first graded stakes win in his seventh attempt. Trained by Neil Drysdale, Obrigado had been second or third in five graded stakes in the last year, including a runner-up finish in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby last fall.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Hello Lucky, who placed in two graded stakes as a 2-year-old in 2004, finally won at that level in Saturdays $113,600 Las Flores Handicap at Santa Anita.
Hello Lucky ($68.60) won the Grade 3 race by a length over 8-5 favorite Selvatica. Babe Hall, who stumbled badly at the start, finished third in the field of 12 fillies and mares.
Kranky Karol pressed the early pace, took over going to the far turn, opened up a big lead, and cruised to four-length victory in Saturday's $50,000 Santa Teresa Handicap at Sunland Park.
Owned and trained by Ramon Gonzalez, the 6-year-old mare covered the 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:17.01 under Martin Bourdieu. She paid $21.20 and the winner's share of $30,000 pushed her earnings to $135,261 from seven wins in 24 starts. Gonzalez claimed her for $20,000 at Sunland on Dec. 20.
PHOENIX - Relato Del Gato continued his ascent in the sprinting ranks as the 6-year-old set dazzling splits, put away the other speed, and impressively posted his fourth straight win in Saturdays $100,000 Phoenix Gold Cup at Turf Paradise. The Gold Cup was one of three stakes on the Saturday card.
Our Dancing Babe emerged from a strung-out field and went on to wear down front-running Bavarian Belle in the final sixteenth-mile to capture her stakes debut in the $50,000 Valdale Stakes at Turfway Park.
Ridden by apprentice Alonso Quinonez, Our Dancing Babe ($16.20) won for the third time in four starts since owner David Ross moved the Belong to Me filly from Maryland to Kentucky, where she has made every start on the Polytrack at Turfway. She finished one mile in 1:38.98.
There were no surprises as Somethinaboutlaura ($2.40) galloped to a 4 1/4-length victory in the $60,125 Foster City Handicap at Bay Meadows.
"It was pretty much a foregone conclusion if she came at all," winning jockey Russell Baze said.
Somethinaboutlaura, who had lost her past two starts, came with her "A" game. She and Gins Majesty ran one-two the whole way, and Somethinaboutlaura won in 1:34.93.
It took Somethinaboutlaura a few strides to get going, but she made the front and rated easily for Baze.
