Sat, 12/09/2006 - 00:00

Half Heaven strikes again on Polytrack

Half Heaven was a good horse on turf for her first 18 races. On Polytrack, she is apparently in a completely different class.

Saturday at Turfway Park in the $50,000 My Charmer Stakes, Half Heaven recorded her second stakes victory in as many starts on the surface, defeating My Chickadee by a half-length. Stalking the pace in second early, she surged to a length lead in midstretch, and held on late under jockey Miguel Mena. She raced 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.95, paying $7.40 as the narrow favorite in the field of 10.

Sat, 12/09/2006 - 00:00

Captive Melody gets stakes victory

Despite proving to be a handful for jockey Julien Leparoux, Captive Melody won her first stakes in the restricted $56,550 Cesario Stakes at Hollywood Park on Saturday.

Captive Melody ($10.20) ran a mile on turf in 1:35.09, finishing 2 1/4 lengths in front of La Mottie. Bosset finished third in the field nine 3-year-old fillies.

Sat, 12/09/2006 - 00:00

Easy Red upsets in Jennings

Winless on dirt in more than a year, Easy Red returned to the main track at Laurel on Saturday and came back with a victory in the $75,000 Jennings Handicap, rallying through the stretch to defeat Tartlet by a head.

Easy Red's last win had come on turf in July at Delaware Park, where he had gained his last main-track win in June 2005.

Sat, 12/09/2006 - 00:00

Dream of Angels romps

Dream of Angels raced his competition into defeat through the opening half-mile, then asserted his authority through the stretch to post a 14 1/4-length victory in the $60,000 Inaugural Stakes before 5,582 fans on Saturday, opening day of Tampa Bay Downs' 2006-07 meeting.

Under Richard Eramia, Dream of Angels returned $3.20 as the strong choice of the field of 11 juveniles, posting his fourth win in a row. A Trippi colt, he covered the six furlongs over a fast track in a very solid 1:10.89.

Sat, 12/09/2006 - 00:00

Royal Kleven breaks through

Royal Kleven ($7.40), a runner-up in four stakes earlier this year, scored a victory in the $97,500 California Distaff Turf Championship at Bay Meadows on Saturday.

A 6-year-old mare, Royal Kleven unleashed a strong kick in the stretch, catching pacesetting Loyal Bounty and winning the one-mile turf race for California-breds by three-quarters of a length. Ridden by Chad Schvaneveldt, Royal Kleven ran the mile on a yielding turf course in 1:39.99.

Sat, 12/09/2006 - 00:00

Copper State handles distance

STICKNEY, Ill. - Richard Hazelton, who grew up with short-winded stock in the Southwest, likes to poke fun at himself as a struggling trainer of route horses. Reality paints a different picture.

For the second straight year, Hazelton won the Pat Whitworth Illinois Debutante, the first two-turn 2-year-old dirt stakes of the year in Chicago. Last year it was Rolling Sea, who relished the Whitworth's 1 1/16-mile distance, and this year Copper State won a stretch-long war of attrition, outlasting front-running Rich N Clever to win the $117,650 Whitworth by a half-length.

Sat, 12/09/2006 - 00:00

Los Al $2M to Blues Girl Too

Blues Girl Too, the only filly in a field of 10, pulled an upset in Friday's Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity, adding confusion to an already murky championship picture for the nation's 2-year-old Quarter Horse division.

The Two Million Futurity was the richest Quarter Horse race in the nation this year.

Ridden by Saul Ramirez, Jr., Blues Girl Too ($23.20) ran 400 yards in 19.31 seconds, the second-fastest 400 yards in track history.

Sat, 12/09/2006 - 00:00

Fernando Po plays role of spoiler

MIAMI - Fernando Po and jockey Rafael Bejarano spoiled what was nearly a perfect day for Rene Douglas on Saturday, when they outfinished Douglas and 3-5 favorite Soldier's Dancer by a head in Saturday's $100,000 Kissin Kris Stakes at Calder.

Sat, 12/09/2006 - 00:00

Romping finish for Magna Graduate

Adam Coglianese/NYRA
Magna Graduate

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Magna Graduate ended a disappointing year on a positive note Saturday, taking control of the Grade 3, $107,700 Queens County Handicap three strides out of the gate and rolling to a 6 1/2-length victory before 4,891 at Aqueduct.

Papi Chullo finished second, 9 1/4 lengths ahead of Smart Growth. Angliana, Naughty New Yorker, and Awesome Twist completed the order of finish.

Fri, 12/08/2006 - 00:00

DM Shicago Returns to New Mexico

The reigning world champion, DM Shicago, will return to New Mexico, the scene of his Grade 1 wins, for the $200,000 Zia Park Quarter Horse Championship at 440 yards on Sunday afternoon.

At Ruidoso Downs, he won the 2004 All American Futurity and then earned his 2005 world championship with Grade 1 wins in the Ruidoso, Rainbow, and All American derbies. The Championship will be his Zia Park debut.