Sat, 11/11/2006 - 00:00

Take D' Tour gets her turn

Jim Lisa Photos
Take D' Tour wins the Elmer Heubeck Distaff on Saturday at Calder.

Take D' Tour won both the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps and Grade 2 Shuvee handicaps during the spring and remained among the elite of her division following a game second-place finish in the Grade 1 Ruffian at Belmont in September. But those races, along with her five other career victories, had all been around one turn.

Sat, 11/11/2006 - 00:00

Tenpointfive all the way as Wiggins falls short

STICKNEY, Ill. - Wiggins, the bettors decided, was virtually unbeatable in the High Alexander Stakes. Based at Churchill Downs with trainer Dale Romans, Wiggins had come to Chicago twice in the last year for Illinois-bred stakes at Hawthorne, and left both times with runaway victories.

Sat, 11/11/2006 - 00:00

Bai and Bai comes back a winner

SAN MATEO, Calif. - Bai and Bai ($9.20), making her first start since running second in the $200,000 Melair on April 30, made an explosive move into the lane and won the $69,850 Palo Alto Handicap in her turf debut Saturday at Bay Meadows.

A multiple stakes winner, Bai and Bai had been sidelined with a minor foot problem.

"I guess I had her tight enough," winning trainer Bill Delia said. "I didn't know if I had her tight enough. She's been back seven or eight weeks and only had six works."

Sat, 11/11/2006 - 00:00

'Naughty' in control off the turf

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Naughty New Yorker took advantage of a surface switch and a soft pace to record his first graded stakes victory, taking Saturday's $150,000 by 1 3/4 lengths in front-running fashion at Aqueduct.

Angliana, the 8-5 favorite, finished second, five lengths ahead of Crown Point. Chilly Rooster and Request for Parole completed the order of finish.

Sat, 11/11/2006 - 00:00

Angel of Dreams scrambles the picture

MIAMI - Saturday's $150,000 Jack Price Juvenile at Calder was expected to determine a champion in Florida's 2-year-old division. Instead, the seven-furlong sprint wound up showcasing the talents of Midwest invader Dream of Angels, who registered a game neck decision over Green Vegas, with the 6-5 favorite, Yesbyjimminy, finishing a tiring third.

The Jack Price lost some of its luster at scratch time when the morning-line favorite, Straight Faced, was declared by trainer Steve DiMauro because of a recurring foot problem.

Sat, 11/11/2006 - 00:00

Arbuckle Bandit fastest at Commonwealth finish

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A torrid late surge carried Arbuckle Bandit just past Storm Treasure at the finish of the $169,800 Commonwealth Turf at Churchill Downs on Saturday.

Ridden by Brice Blanc, Arbuckle Bandit prevailed by a head in a frantic finish in the 1 1/16-mile turf race for 3-year-olds. Storm Treasure finished another head in front of Kingship, while Outperformance, the 8-5 favorite, was another neck back in fourth.

Sat, 11/11/2006 - 00:00

S W Aly'svalentine takes to turf

S W Aly'svalentine had been strictly a dirt horse through the first 19 races of her career, winning eight races, including a pair of stakes restricted to Pennsylvania-breds earlier this season.

A 4-year-old filly trained by Amy Randolph, S W Aly'svalentine proved to be equally adept sprinting on turf, upsetting the 9-5 favorite, Gilded Gold, and six other fillies and mares in Saturday's $100,000 Kattegat's Pride Stakes at Laurel Park.

Sat, 11/11/2006 - 00:00

Slam Bammy breaks track record

Horse-for-the-course Slam Bammy erased a 10-year-old track record en route to a 1 1/4-length victory in Friday night's $75,624 Rutgers University Stakes at the Meadowlands.

A 5-year-old gelding ridden by Rajiv Maragh for trainer Joe Orseno, Slam Bammy ($5.60) covered the six furlongs on a fast track in 1:07.62 to break the record of 1:07.80 set by Hay Cody on Sept. 6, 1996.

Sat, 11/11/2006 - 00:00

Red Smith moved to dirt

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Saturday's Grade 2, $150,000 , scheduled for 1 3-8 miles on the turf, was moved to the main track and shortened to 1 1-4 miles on Aqueduct's main track, New York Racing Association officials announced Saturday morning.

Fri, 11/10/2006 - 00:00

Delta Jackpot attracts 132

The $1 million Delta Jackpot for 2-year-olds, the richest Grade 3 race in North America, has drawn 132 nominations for its Dec. 1 running at the Delta Downs meet in Vinton, La.

Among the early probables for the 1 1/16-mile Jackpot are Freesgood, winner of the California Cup Juvenile, and Go Poppa Fooze, who won the local prep, the $150,000 Jean Lafitte, on Nov. 3.

Dreaming of Anna, who won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, is the highest earner among all nominees to the Jackpot, and one of five fillies made eligible for the race.