Little will change from the conclusion of the special winter meeting on Saturday at Evangeline Downs to the beginning of the regularly scheduled spring-summer stand, which gets under way on Wednesday in Opelousas, La. That seamless transition is just fine by David Yount, director of racing operations.
Fleet Indian proved to be a suitable stand-in for her ill stablemate Bohemian Lady as she held off Flaming Heart to win the Grade 3, $101,200 by a length on closing day of Aqueduct's inner track meet.
Flaming Heart, who stopped her own momentum by switching to the wrong lead in midstretch, finished second, six lengths ahead of early pacesetter No Sleep, the 7-5 favorite.
Fleet Indian started in the Next Move only because Bohemian Lady, who won the Affectionately and Rare Treat handicaps for trainer Todd Pletcher, had an elevated white blood cell count and foot problems.
Ontrack attendance at Turfway Park on Saturday was 23,114, the highest in the track's history. Turfway ran out of parking spaces by about the third race of the day.
All-sources handle for the 12-race card was $9,182,427, a major increase from the $7.5 million bet last year but well short of the race-day record of $12.9 in 1997. All-sources handle on the Lane's End was $1,742,712, and ontrack handle for the entire card (not including simulcast imports) was $1,271,546.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Big Fred was with the pace throughout then drew off to a seven and three-quarter length win over first-time starter Ivor's Empire in the $50,000 Vulcan Stakes at Oaklawn Park on Sunday.
The six furlong race was restricted to 3-year-olds bred in Alabama. It was held at Oaklawn because Hurricane Katrina disrupted the meet at Fair Grounds in New Orleans, which has been the host site of the Vulcan.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Patrick Biancone began Sunday in Kentucky. Victor Espinoza, 24 hours earlier, was in Dubai. By the end of the day Sunday, they were in the winner's circle at Santa Anita, greeting the filly Silver Cup, who won her third straight stakes race at the meet with a half-length victory over favored Argentina in the Grade 2, $150,000 .
Dodd became a stakes winner on Saturday night when she kept 4-5 favorite Expectant Diva at bay by two lengths in the $40,000 Houston Ladies for Texas-bred fillies and mares at Sam Houston Race Park. It was another six and a quarter lengths back in third to Cookin's Cast.
Dodd ($18.80) stalked the pace set by Grand Taboo, who led the field through an opening quarter in 22.69 seconds and a half-mile in 46.14. Dodd overtook that one, and went on to cover the seven furlongs in 1:25.88.
Watchem Smokey, once one of the most feared young horses in the region, continued his return to prominence as an older performer with a convincing win in Saturday night's $75,000 Gulf Coast Classic Stakes at Evangeline Downs. Wild Notions finished second in the winter meeting's closing night feature followed by Gitgawatt and 8-5 favorite Silver Axe.
ALBANY, Calif. - Cosmonaut ($13.80) made a strong move at the quarter pole, opening a five-length lead into the stretch and cruised to an easy victory in the $150,000 at Golden Gate Fields on Saturday.
The longest shot on the board, Cosmonaut was kept in the clear all the way by jockey Tony Farina as he earned his first stakes victory and first career win on the main track. The switch from turf to dirt eliminated the Grade 3 designation on the race.
ARCADIA, Calif. - The 6-year-old gelding King's Drama re-established himself as a major player in the grass division Saturday at Santa Anita, where he won the Grade 2, mile and one- half by one length over T.H. Approval. Until Saturday, the San Luis Rey was the only Santa Anita graded turf stake that King's Drama's trainer Bobby Frankel had not won.
Jon Court rode King's Drama, replacing injured jockey Pat Valenzuela. Court would have been riding Saturday at Golden Gate Fields, but stayed home when Capitano scratched from the off-the-turf Golden Gate Fields Handicap.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Ermine won a stakes in her first start against winners on Saturday, when she drove to a three-length win over 4-5 favorite Brownie Points in the $75,000 Honeybee at Oaklawn Park.
The mile and a sixteenth race for 3-year-old fillies was a prep for the Grade 2, $250,000 Fantasy here on April 14, and that will likely be the next start for Ermine, said her trainer, Ronny Werner.
