MIAMI - Post Invader ($16.60) finished full of run from the rear of the pack en route to a 4 1/2-length triumph in the $80,000 Cassidy Stakes for 2-year-old fillies. Yesshecandance, the 7-5 choice, rallied outside rivals to finish a nose before the tiring Banda Victoria to be second.
Post Invader was ridden by Carlos Olivero for trainer Gerald Procino. Final time for 5 1/2 furlongs was 1:06.53.
MIAMI - Running Bobcats ($25.80) rallied up the hedge to score an upset in the $100,000 Distaff Turf Handicap under an astute ride by jockey Julio Garcia. Jewels N Gems finished second, three-quarters of a length in front of 4-5 favorite Unbridled Sidney, who faltered suddenly after cruising through midstretch on a clear lead.
Running Bobcats, a 4-year-old daughter of Running Stag, ran five furlongs in 57.31 seconds over a yielding turf course for trainer Jorge Romero.
MIAMI - Gin Rummy Champ ($10.60) followed Running Bobcats's lead, finishing strongly along the rail to capture the $100,000 Calder Turf Sprint Handicap by two lengths over the slow-starting Sgt. Bert. Whatasoldier was third, while 2-1 favorite Justice for Auston finished a nonthreatening fourth after steadying in traffic on the turn.
Gin Rummy Champ had been winless nearly two years before capturing an overnight stakes in his previous start. Cruz rode Gin Rummy Champ for trainer Frank Gomez.
Casino Evil and jockey Cisco Torres clung to the rail, saving ground all the way in the Round Table Stakes at Arlington Park - and they needed every inch of it.
Casino Evil pushed past his pace challenger Barely Union Scale in upper stretch, but Barely Union Scale stayed on, was coming back in deep stretch, and missed by the narrowest of margins. Casino Evil, trained by Mike Tomlinson for Paul Hanifl, paid $9.60 to win, running 1 1/8 miles in a solid 1:50.12, winning the first stakes race of his career.
MUSKEGON, Mich. - Weather-storm will be looking to add to his winning stakes record at Great Lakes Downs when he faces eight 3-year-old Michigan-bred colts and geldings in the $50,000 Spartan Stakes on Tuesday. A seven-furlong race, the Spartan is the sixth race on the card, which has a first post of 5:10 p.m. All starters will carry 122 pounds.
Jockey Luis Quinonez completed a sweep of the two weekend stakes at Louisiana Downs when Starry Pie rallied through the stretch for a two-length win over My Silver Charm in Saturday's $50,000 Dixie Miss Stakes. It was another head back in third to favorite Elliecat.
Quinonez also won the Elge Raspberry here Friday with Tortuga Flats.
Ferocious Won is now one win away from a lucrative payday. Coming off a neck victory in the Mike Lee Stakes on June 25, Ferocious Won drove to a 1 3/4-length win in the $150,000 New York Derby at Finger Lakes, the second leg of the Big Apple Triple for 3-year-old New York-breds. He will have a shot at a $250,000 bonus if he can win the Albany Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 23.
Tortuga Flats ($23.60), making her first start around two turns and first on turf, rallied strongly in the stretch under Luis Quinonez to score a one-length victory in Friday's $75,000 Elge Rasberry Stakes at Louisiana Downs. Halo Michelle and Eightforbish, each of whom drew in off the also-eligible list when Little Rabbit and Tensas Ciel scratched, finished second and third, respectively. Doeny Ghost was fourth, followed by 6-5 favorite Smitty's Sunshine, who set the pace before faltering. The winning time for the mile over a firm course was 1:36.39.
The lure of a $1 million purse is strong enough for Maryland-based trainer Dickie Small to bring three nice 4-year-old fillies to Delaware Park on Sunday. Small is also realistic enough to admit that even taking three shots against Fleet Indian doesn't dramatically improve his odds of winning the Delaware Handicap.
The Grade 2, 1 1/4-mile Del Cap, the premier event of Delaware Park's season, is the last of four stakes on a 12-race live card. It goes as race 11 at 5:44 p.m. Eastern.
The way trainer Steve Klesaris looks at it, there's no time like the present to find out whether Cat Criminal can handle stakes-caliber 3-year-olds.
After easily beating maidens and clearing his first allowance condition, the lightly raced Cat Criminal will make his stakes debut in Sunday's Grade 3, $300,000 Leonard Richards Stakes at Delaware Park.
The 1 1/16-mile Richards heads three undercard stakes on a 12-race live program that features the $1 million Delaware Handicap.
