Vestrey Lady ($13.60) went directly to the front and kept on going to win her first stakes in the $155,900 Duchess, a 7 1/2-furlong event for 3-year-old fillies at Woodbine.
With Jim McAleney aboard, Vestrey Lady set moderate fractions while being stalked by Speedy Sandy, the 8-5 favorite in the six-horse field. Vestrey Lady held her position on the far turn, then drew away in the final furlong to prevail by three lengths.
Attendance was down significantly while handle numbers were mixed for the Belmont Park spring-summer meet that concluded on July 22, according to figures released Saturday by the New York Racing Association.
Overall handle on Belmont's races fell 1.5 percent from a daily average of $11,261,142 in 2005 to $11,089,909. Ontrack handle on Belmont's races rose 1 percent from a daily average of $1,570,872 in 2005 to $1,585,901. Belmont's meet was 59 days in 2006, 60 days in 2005.
Jockey Carlos Gonzalez picked up career win number 2,000 in dramatic fashion Friday afternoon at Louisiana Downs, narrowly prevailing in the ninth race of the day aboard 9-5 favorite Del Norte. Gonzalez outfinished leading apprentice Cody Meche, who was aboard Brickadier General, following a spirited stretch battle. Del Norte is trained by leading trainer Cole Norman, who has been riding Gonzalez first call for most of the season.
DEL MAR, Calif. - In a reflection of what many see as a decline in the quality of racing in Southern California, Del Mar is struggling to fill allowance races around two turns on dirt and has run more maiden claimers for sprinters in the first half of the meeting compared to 2005.
Through Sunday, the 23rd day of the meeting, Del Mar had carded 40 sprints for maiden claimers, compared to 35 during the same period in 2005. The number of two-turn allowance races on the main track had dropped nearly in half, from seven to four.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Of the nine probable starters in Sunday's $1 million Pacific Classic, Preachinatthebar is the only confirmed front-runner. Whether that plays a significant role in the outcome may not be known until Preachinatthebar reaches the stretch.
DEL MAR, Calif. - The 3-year-old colt Paddy Murphy has turned things around since he returned from a four-month layoff.
From December to February, Paddy Murphy had one victory in four starts, and his trainer, Paddy Gallagher, was not pleased with his progress.
"We backed off to see if he'd get stronger," Gallagher said.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Handicappers may want to put a different spin on the popular turf-to-dirt angle when trying to select the winner of Monday's $70,000 Troy Stakes at Saratoga.
The Troy, run at 5 1/2 furlongs on the inner turf course, shares billing with the $70,000 Noble Nashua for New York-breds on the dirt at nine furlongs.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Nine years ago, Countess Diana won both the Schuylerville and Spinaway stakes at Saratoga en route to being named champion 2-year-old filly.
On Thursday, her brother Shermanesque will try to join her as a juvenile stakes winner at Saratoga when he runs in the Grade 2, $200,000 Saratoga Special Breeders' Cup. Shermanesque, a son of Fusaichi Pegasus, won his career debut before finishing second behind Circular Quay in the Grade 3 Bashford Manor at Churchill Downs on July 8.
DEL MAR, Calif. - The sleepy California 2-year-old division awakens Sunday at Del Mar, where the sky is the limit for the winner of the Grade 2, 6 1/2-furlong Best Pal Stakes.
"The winner is probably the favorite for the Del Mar Futurity," said trainer Doug O'Neill, whose colt Stevie Wonderboy catapulted from victory in the Grade 2 Del Mar Futurity to a championship triumph last fall in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.
DEL MAR, Calif. - In the build-up to the Hollywood Gold Cup last month, Magnum was seen as a major threat to division leader Lava Man. That threat ceased to exist after the eighth pole of the July 8 race.
After fighting for the early lead, and holding a one-length advantage on the backstretch, Magnum faded to finish fourth, 1 1/4 lengths behind Lava Man. It was the first time in five starts this year that Magnum had been worse than second.
