A showdown between the two top female sprinters on the East Coast turned into a mismatch Sunday afternoon at Belmont Park as Dubai Escapade turned back a challenge from Smokey Glacken at the quarter pole and drew clear for an emphatic six-length victory in the Grade 2, $150,000 .
High Button Shoes rallied for second by a head over Magnolia Jackson. It was one-half length back to Grecian Lover and another half-length to a tiring Smokey Glacken in fifth. Leave Me Alone finished last.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Pretty Jane, ridden by Brice Blanc, overtook a pair of pace-setting favorites in deep stretch to post a 19-1 upset in the feature race Saturday at Churchill Downs, the $68,200 Excitable Lady overnight handicap.
Owned by Garrett Redmond and trained by Eduardo Caramori, Pretty Jane was last for much of the five-furlong turf race before rolling past her seven rivals, including Unbridled Sidney, the 6-5 favorite, and Nicole's Dream, the 5-2 second choice, in the final 100 yards.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Be a Resident won a photo over 4-5 favorite Datrick to capture the $99,649 colts and geldings division of the Texas Thoroughbred Association Sales Futurity by a nose at Lone Star Park on Saturday. It was another length and a quarter back in third to Austin Lights.
The race was one of two stakes on the card, the other the $111,330 fillies division of the TTA Sales Futurity, which was won by Miss Mary Pat ($5.40).
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Add a Grade 1 turf race to the list of accomplishments for the remarkable Lava Man.
Saturday at Hollywood Park, Lava Man stretched his winning streak to 4 with a comfortable two-length victory in the $300,000 . The victory enhanced his reputation as a leading older horse in the nation. Earlier this year, Lava Man won the $1 million Santa Anita Handicap on the main track.
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Strong Faith ($10.40), compromised by a wide trip in her last start, was able to save ground and made a strong move in the lane to win a three-way photo in the $69,050 Hillsborough Handicap at Bay Meadows on Saturday.
"When you have turf horses, you have to have a good trip, especially with a closer," winning trainer John Martin said. "The mare is doing so well, she just needed some luck, and we got the luck we needed to get up in time."
MIAMI - A year ago Paradise Dancer was among the leading members of the local sprint handicap division, held in high enough regard by his connections to get a starting berth in the 2005 Smile Sprint Handicap. Now 6, Paradise Dancer may have lost a few steps since that time, but is still good enough to be considered the horse to beat in Monday's $30,000 feature, to be decided at 6 1/2 furlongs under third-level optional claiming and allowance conditions.
After earning a four-month vacation by winning the Grade 3 Mac Diarmida at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 29, Hotstufanthensome goes back to work Monday afternoon for the start of an ambitious summer schedule.
A 6-year-old gelding, Hotstufanthensome heads a field of nine older horses in the Battlefield, one of two $60,000 stakes on a special all-turf card at The Meadowlands.
Weatherstorm, last year's champion juvenile in Michigan, heads a full field of 10 3-year-old colts and geldings in the 41st running of the $50,000 Lansing Stakes on Monday at Great Lakes Downs. The six-furlong race is the first of the season for the Michigan-bred males, all of whom will carry 122 pounds.
On Saturday at Arlington Park, Come on Chas won the Mac Diarmida Stakes - or what was left of it.
Carded for 1 1/2 miles on turf, the Mac Diarmida was moved to the main track after heavy overnight rain, and what had been a 10-horse field scratched down to a meager three. So, at a win price of $8.40, Come on Chas qualified as a longshot.
Barbeau Ruckus ($10.40) captured the $125,000 Steady Growth Stakes for the third time in the last four years Saturday at Woodbine, upsetting the 2-5 favorite, Arch Hall, in the process.
Barbeau Ruckus pressed front-running Moonshine Justice through slow fractions in the 1 1/16-mile race for Ontario-sired runners. Arch Hall made a four-wide bid on the far turn and hit at the top of the stretch, but then hung in the final sixteenth.
