For a horse who has primarily been pointed to turf races for more than a year, Smart Growth always manages to run big when he gets the chance to run on Delaware Park's main track.
Making only his second start on dirt since October, Smart Growth ($16.80) rallied up the rail under Mario Pino to collar pacesetter Cherokee's Boy in deep stretch to score a half-length victory in Saturday's $100,000 Brandywine Stakes.
Trickle of Gold had run half-mile splits in 44-and-change in her last two starts, and had no problem winning both races. So when she was allowed to get away with extremely soft fractions of 23.47 seconds for the first-quarter mile and 46.69 for a half, Saturday's $75,000 Skipat Stakes at Pimlico was all but over.
Having little problem clearing six overmatched fillies and mares, Trickle of Gold ($2.60) opened up through the stretch under Alex Beitia and cruised home seven lengths in front of Spirited Game for her third straight victory.
ELMONT, N.Y. - A hot pace and several looming threats all could have conspired to defeat Bushfire on Saturday in the $250,000 at Belmont Park, but she tenaciously turned back Hello Liberty and Last Romance to win the Grade 1 race for 3-year-old fillies on the Belmont Stakes undercard.
Bushfire ($11.20), under jockey Alex Solis, prevailed by a neck over Hello Liberty, with Last Romance another 1 3/4 lengths back in third. Adieu, the 9-5 favorite, was fourth and was followed, in order, by Ermine, She's Excellent, and Teammate.
ELMONT, N.Y. - An outside post, a dry track, and a stellar ride by Edgar Prado helped Songster gain a measure of revenge on Too Much Bling in Saturday's $250,000 at Belmont Park.
Two months ago, Too Much Bling posted a nine-length victory over Songster in the Grade 3 Bay Shore, run over a sloppy Aqueduct main track. Too Much Bling hadn't run since, while Songster won the Grade 3 Hirsch Jacobs at Pimlico on Preakness Day.
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.
