Bounding clear immediately from his outside post, Anew continued his meteoric ascent through the class ranks with a front-running 3 1/2-length score in the Grade 2, $200,000 .
Anew, who was claimed out of a loss for $35,000 at Belmont last fall by trainer Steve Asmussen, is 4 for 4 since being gelded last winter. The streak began against $25,000 restricted claimers on Aqueduct's inner track and included a half-length upset of Tiger on the final day of the winter meet.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Heavy favorites are usually expected to win by a lot more than the neck by which Gorella won Saturday's Grade 2 at Belmont Park. But in this case, however, the win margin was completely misleading. Gorella was as impressive as can be in the $300,000 turf stakes, as she spotted a huge, uncontested lead to Pommes Frites, who is in the finest form of her career, and still wore that opponent down with a furious rally to win going away.
Lady Bell Dawn ($16.80) took advantage of a fast early pace and rallied to score a half-length victory over Jazzy Okie in Friday's $50,000 Panthers Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Prairie Meadows.
Miss Macy Sue, the 3-5 favorite who was trying a distance beyond six furlongs for the first time, ran off to a 15-length lead on the backstretch of the one-mile Panthers, covering the first half-mile in a blistering 44.88 seconds over the fast track. Jockey Glenn Corbett and Lady Bell Dawn bided their time racing in third, more than 20 lengths off the leader.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - The $125,000 Victoria Park Stakes, to be run Sunday at Woodbine, is usually the last opportunity for local 3-year-olds to prep for the Queen's Plate. But the connections of the likely favorite, Ok Nothanksforaskn, have the Sept. 24 British Columbia Derby in mind for their improving colt.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Destined for a showdown in next month's Grade 1 Princess Rooney Handicap at Calder, Dubai Escapade and Smokey Glacken will square off in a preliminary match in Sunday's Grade 2, $150,000 Vagrancy Handicap at Belmont Park.
The two fleet fillies are both 3 for 3 in 2006, and their running styles are such that they figure to hook up from the outset in the 6 1/2-furlong dash. Both fillies have been freshened since winning stakes last out, and both will carry 120 pounds.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Squallacious has generated a conspicuous buzz at Hollywood Park. Good horses get people talking, even one that has raced only twice.
How good is Squallacious? The answer will come on Sunday in the Grade 2 Hollywood Oaks, a 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-old fillies that drew a mostly undistinguished field of seven, including Melair Stakes winner She's an Eleven, graded stakes-winning sprinter Bettarun Fast, and Squallacious.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - There are no stakes at Hastings on Sunday, but the featured race, a 1 1/16-mile allowance that drew nine older horses, attracted an excellent field that includes five graded-stakes winners. The possible favorite, Bull Ranch, isn't a graded-stakes winner, but he did win the 2005 Premiers, which has been reinstated as a Grade 3 this year.
CALGARY, Alberta - Before the April 29 Stampede Park Sprint Championship, the wise guys thought there was too much speed for Smudgeledo to contend with.
The result was a $16.50 win price, as Smudgeledo, a 4-year-old Washington-bred, led every jump of the six furlongs.
The same pundits believed the mile distance of the Teeworth was too far for Smudgledo here May 20, but the gritty gelding once again led throughout and provided his backers with a $24.10 payoff.
ELMONT, N.Y. - The Belmont Stakes signals the end to the Triple Crown and the first half of the season for 3-year-olds. In less than four weeks, the second half of the season will kick off with the running of the $150,000 Dwyer Stakes on July 4.
Strong Contender made a brief impact in the division with a stirring comeback victory in an allowance race at Gulfstream Park in February. He failed to build off that race with a well-beaten third-place finish in the Blue Grass and another third-place finish in the Peter Pan.