Sat, 01/21/2006 - 00:00

Major Success captures Palos Verdes

Horsephotos
Major Success (center) wins his first stakes in Saturday's $150,000 Palos Verdes Handicap at Santa Anita.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Major Success scored his third consecutive win, and first in a stakes, in Saturday's $150,000 at Santa Anita, but had to rally between two determined rivals to reach the milestone.

Ridden by Tyler Baze, Major Success ($8) ran six furlongs in 1:09.23, winning by a neck. Jet West, who rallied wide in the stretch to challenge for the lead, finished second, a head in front of Attila's Storm, who raced on the rail throughout. The three were within a length of each other through the final furlong.

Sat, 01/21/2006 - 00:00

Seam Seeker captures Burlingame

SAN MATEO, Calif. - Seam Seeker ($9.60) sat behind pacesetting Cinderella Liberty, took the lead on the second turn and then drew clear to win the $75,000 Burlingame Handicap at Bay Meadows on Saturday.

Making her first start around two turns, Seam Seeker relaxed nicely down the backstretch while in hand. She made a strong move on the second turn of the one-mile race and opened a 2 1/2-length advantage into the stretch. She defeated a troubled Crystal Event by two lengths, winning the one-mile race on a wet fast track in 1:35.81.

Sat, 01/21/2006 - 00:00

Mighty Martha cruises to third victory

Pat Lang
Mighty Martha wins her first stakes in the $48,500 Cincinnati Trophy Stakes at Turfway Park on Saturday.

Mighty Martha cruised to her third victory from four career starts, and her first stakes triumph, when leading from the start Saturday in the $48,500 Cincinnati Trophy Stakes at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky.

Ridden by Jason Lumpkins and trained by Eric Reed, Mighty Martha returned $4.20 when finishing 5 1/2 lengths ahead of Anna Dana in a field of nine 3-year-old fillies. It was another three-quarters of a length back to Money Code, a 91-1 shot.

Sat, 01/21/2006 - 00:00

Business as usual for Team Block

Lou Hodges Jr.
Fort Prado, ridden by Robby Albarado, gives Team Block its fourth victory in the Fair Grounds Breeders

Fair Grounds at Louisiana Downs? There's no difference, as far as the Illinois-based owners Team Block are concerned. Team Block won the three years in a row when it was run in New Orleans, and they won it again Saturday in Bossier City, La. Only the horse was different.

While the three-time Fair Grounds BC winner Mystery Giver rehabs in south Florida from serious injury, Fort Prado proved a perfectly capable substitute this season, turning the tables on Onthedeanslist, who had beaten him last out in the Colonel E.R. Bradley Handicap on this same grass course.

Sat, 01/21/2006 - 00:00

Happy Hunting keeps improving

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - While Happy Hunting continues to learn his lessons, Evening Attire is starting to forget his.

Making his stakes debut, Happy Hunting came back after being passed by Mr. Whitestone in midstretch to record a one-length victory in Saturday's Grade 3, $110,000 before a crowd of 4,038. After breaking slowly for the second consecutive race, the 8-year-old gelding Evening Attire rallied for second by a head over Mr. Whitestone.

Sat, 01/21/2006 - 00:00

Smokey Glacken runs off with First Lady

Bill Denver/EQUI-PHOTO
Smokey Glacken and Javier Castellano cruise to victory in the $100,000 First Lady Handicap at Gulfstream Park on Saturday.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Smokey Glacken turned what appeared to be a wide-open race into a one-mare affair, drawing off through the stretch to an easy 4 1/4-length victory over 37-1 Kuanyan in Saturday's $100,000 at Gulfstream Park.

A 5-year-old daughter of Forestry, Smokey Glacken rated just off the early pace set by Trickle of Gold and Lunachick. Smokey Glacken wrested command three wide on the turn, edged clear in early stretch, and increased her advantage under steady urging from jockey Javier Castellano.

Sat, 01/21/2006 - 00:00

Umana knows how to navigate local turf course

OLDSMAR, Fla. - When Awol Soldier and Juan Umana came roaring down the middle of the course to take Friday's 10th race, it was a case of two proven veterans with a fondness for the Tampa turf course teaming up for their best.

Sat, 01/21/2006 - 00:00

More Moonlight upsets at Oaklawn

Jeff Coady/Coady Photography
More Moonlight wins the $50,000 American Beauty Stakes at Oaklawn Park on Saturday.

More Moonlight gave trainer Steve Asmussen his fourth win in the last six runnings of the $50,000 , when she held off a late bid from Josh's Madelyn before an Oaklawn Park crowd of 27,094.

The win was also Asmussen's third on the card, as well as the third win on the program for jockey Luis Quinonez.

Sat, 01/21/2006 - 00:00

Laurel: Flame of Love romps

Flame of Love has quickly proven to be an extremely profitable claim for trainer Scott Lake.

Winless in eight starts during 2005, including the Nov. 12 race in which Lake took her for $25,000 on behalf of McCarthy Racing, Flame of Love recorded her second straight victory for her new connections in the $85,000 What a Summer Stakes at Laurel Park.

Lake's assistant, Hugh McMahon, said his boss went after the 6-year-old Flame of Love based on the class she displayed earlier in her career.

Sat, 01/21/2006 - 00:00

Tampa: Sweet Fervor sets record

Stephanie Van Minos/Tom Cooley
Sweet Fervor wins the $60,000 Gasparilla Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.

Sweet Fervor ($4.80) took the overland route in her impressive seven-length victory in the $60,000 Gasparilla Stakes before 7,016 fans at Tampa Bay Downs. She looped rivals five wide through the turn to move into contention, then shook off Sparkling Pink and drew away.