Deputy Glitters captured his second Derby of the year Saturday, when he got the best of favored High Cotton in a riveting stretch duel in the Grade 2, $350,000 at Thistledown in North Randall, Ohio.
Deputy Glitters added the Ohio Derby to his victory in the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby in March. In between, he made failed runs in the Wood Memorial, Kentucky Derby, and Belmont Stakes.
STANTON, Del. - By trainer Todd Pletcher's count, he had 17 horses running at six different tracks on Saturday. Pletcher's powerhouse stable may have had a number of disappointments elsewhere around the country, but he hit the bull's-eye for the two biggest races on the card at Delaware Park.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Ambitious Cat earned the Sovereign Award for Canadian champion turf female last year, but never won a stakes until she captured the Grade 2 on Saturday at Woodbine.
Ambitious Cat raced three lengths off a slow pace under Todd Kabel in the nine-furlong grass race. Favored Noble Stella set moderate fractions, and was joined by Ozone Bere to her inside and Ambitious Cat to her outside at the top of the stretch.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - Praying for Cash earned his first stakes victory as well as an invitation to the Grade 1, $1 million Haskell after defeating 1-2 shot Latent Heat in the Grade 3, $150,000 on Saturday at Monmouth Park.
Praying for Cash ($10.60) finally lived up to the buzz generated by his sensational debut here last summer, when he scored by 4 1/2 lengths over maiden special weight company. A son of Songandaprayer, he has shown flashes of talent in the past - now he will have an opportunity to shine in the Haskell on Aug. 6.
MIAMI - Malibu Mint orchestrated the biggest upset in the six-year history of Calder's Summit of Speed program when she rallied to a convincing 3 3/4-length victory over Prospective Saint in Saturday's Grade 1, $500,000 . Dubai Escapade, the overwhelming 1-5 favorite, tired badly through the stretch and beat only one horse in a field of seven older fillies and mares.
Malibu Mint, a 4-year-old daughter of Malibu Moon, was fanned well wide leaving the final turn while
MIAMI - Too Much Bling asserted his class superiority over seven other 3-year-olds, cruising to a two-length triumph in the $300,000 . Mach Ride finished a game second, three lengths in front of Blazing Rate.
Too Much Bling, a son of Rubiano, was already a two-time graded stakes winner coming into the Grade 3 Carry Back. Allowed to settle by Prado off an early pace set by Mach Ride and contested by Laptop Computer, Too Much Bling moved readily to challenge the leaders while kept out in the better going well off the rail entering the stretch. He
MIAMI - Lost in the Fog may have gotten most of the attention this week, but his younger stablemate Victorina went back to California a graded stakes winner herself after rallying to a 1 1/2-length decision in the Grade 3, $300,000 for 3-year-old fillies.
Victorina dropped back into the pack after a very alert start,
MIAMI - Straight Faced ($9.40) kept his perfect record intact after drawing away to a convincing 5 1/2-length decision over Drums of Thunder in the $80,000 Birdonthewire Stakes. Green Vegas, the 6-5 favorite along with stablemate Super Envoy, finished a tiring third.
The win was the second in as many starts for Straight Faced, a 2-year-old son of Straight Man who is trained by Steve Dimauro for owner Walter R. Donnelly. Leading jockey Manoel Cruz rode the winner. Straight Faced's final time of 1:05.17 for 5 1/2 furlongs established a stakes record.
