Sat, 10/14/2006 - 00:00

Spooky Mulder hitting on all cylinders

Spooky Mulder should throw a scare into five rivals Tuesday afternoon in the $60,000 Eillo Stakes at the Meadowlands Racetrack.

First post is 1:10 p.m. for the nine-race card, which is topped by the Eillo, a six-furlong stakes that was originally scheduled for Friday night but was postponed when it failed to fill.

The successful rescheduling was welcome news for trainer Patrick Reynolds, who had been shopping for a spot for Spooky Mulder.

"He is in top condition, so we're going to the take a shot at the stakes," said Reynolds.

Sat, 10/14/2006 - 00:00

Best of Buddies by a neck

It was a day for Chicago horses, all across the country, and in Chicago, too. Sutra won the Frizette at Belmont, Vacare the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland, and Best of Buddies, Hawthorne-based and Illinois-bred, knocked off the big guns here at Hawthorne in the Grade 3, $250,000 .

Sat, 10/14/2006 - 00:00

Showing Up finishes fast in Jamaica

The first step of trainer Barclay Tagg's revised plan for Showing Up went according to the script.

Showing Up, the 2-5 favorite, repelled a stern challenge from Outperformance in upper stretch and drew off to a 3 1/2-length victory in the Grade 2, $300,000 at Belmont Park. Outperformance finished second, two lengths ahead of Spider Power.

Devil's Preacher finished fourth and was followed in the order of finish by Kiss the Kid, Presious Passion, Carnera, and Irish Osprey.

Sat, 10/14/2006 - 00:00

Green Vegas captures In Reality

MIAMI - Green Vegas avenged three earlier defeats at the hands of Straight Faced, including the first two legs of the open division of the Florida Stallion Stakes, with a game half-length decision over Wonderous Glory in Saturday's $400,000 In Reality Stakes at Calder.

Straight Faced, who entered the race undefeated in four previous starts, finished a tiring fourth as the 3-5 favorite after being hard-used contesting the pace through midstretch.

The 1 1/16-mile In Reality was the highlight of the $1.6 million Festival of the Sun program, which included seven other stakes.

Sat, 10/14/2006 - 00:00

Race is over for Lenny the Lender

FORT ERIE, Ontario - Lenny the Lender is out of business. Old age has done him in.

Fort Erie-based Lenny the Lender, 10 years old and an earner of $539,491, has been retired. Home is now the nearby farm of his owner and trainer, Dick Jukosky, where there is a five-acre field to romp in.

"Lenny is at the farm, although I think he wants to be here. But he's not up to it," said Jukosky who is left with two runners, Wheaton's Joy and Get Down Wolfie. "He's got some aches and pains. I don't want to abuse him."

Sat, 10/14/2006 - 00:00

Sutra pulls upset in Frizette

Horsephotos
Sutra with Michael Luzzi up wins the Frizette Stakes on Saturday at Belmont Park.

Though Sutra had been training over the Polytrack at Keeneland for the last two weeks, her trainer, Michael Stidham, decided to skip last week's Alcibiades at that track and instead pointed her to Saturday's Grade 1, $400,000 at Belmont Park.

Stidham's decision looked ingenious after Sutra rallied up the rail under Mike Luzzi to win the Frizette by 1 3/4 lengths over 47-1 longshot Enchanting Star. It was another 1 3/4 lengths back to Lilly Caron in third.

Sat, 10/14/2006 - 00:00

Scat Daddy gives Pletcher another record

Horsephotos
Scat Daddy wins the Grade 1, $400,000 Champagne Stakes by three-quarters of a length at Belmont Park on Saturday.

Todd Pletcher's hand for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile got significantly stronger on Saturday, when Scat Daddy proved he could stretch out in distance and ran down favored Nobiz Like Shobiz to win the Grade 1, $400,000 by three-quarters of a length at Belmont Park.

Nobiz Like Shobiz, who was pinched back at the start, ran a strong race to be second, a half-length ahead of pacesetting Pegasus Wind. My Golden Opinion finished fourth and was followed in the order of finish by Got the Last Laugh, Xchanger, I'm a Numbers Guy, Buffalo Man, Liquidity, and Big Timer.

Sat, 10/14/2006 - 00:00

Looking for as many as a dozen in derby

The field for Friday night's $250,000 Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park is beginning to take shape, with seven 3-year-olds considered firm for the 1-1/8-mile race, led by recent stakes winners More Than Regal, Sensational Score, and Louisborg. Among a number of possibles is Master of Disaster.

"We're looking for 10 to 12 horses," said Gary Miles, stakes coordinator for Remington.

Sat, 10/14/2006 - 00:00

Pletcher equals Lukas's record

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Todd Pletcher equaled trainer D. Wayne Lukas’ mark for stakes wins in a season when Master Command scored a front-running victory Friday night in the Grade 2, $499,000 Meadowlands Breeders’ Cup Stakes.

Pletcher, a former Lukas assistant, tied his mentor with 92 stakes victories. Lukas set the mark in 1987.

"It’s a great milestone," Pletcher said. "It was a record I didn’t think anyone could get close to."

Pletcher set the single-season earnings record last weekend.

Fri, 10/13/2006 - 00:00

Vicarino sets record in Harvest Festival Futurity

FRESNO, Calif. - Vicarino ($2.40) set a new track record of 1:07.34 for six furlongs as he cruised to an 11-length victory in the $40,750 Harvest Festival Futurity at the Big Fresno Fair on Friday.

The heavily favored 2-year-old colt inherited the lead when Stormy Passion did not break well. It was smooth sailing all the way as he built a 3-length (three one-half) lead at the quarter pole. He was 12 in front at the eighth pole.

Second-choice Scoonerwharfbardog was second, two lengths in front of Preferred Yield.