Arch Hall captured the $125,000 Sir Barton Stakes for the second year in a row at Woodbine.
Arch Hall stalked the pace in fourth throughout most of the 1 1/16-mile event for Ontario-sired runners, as Moonshine Justice set moderate fractions while being pressed by Executive Choice.
Arch Hall overhauled Moonshine Justice at the eighth pole and edged away for a 1 1/2-length win. The final time was 1:44.13. Moonshine Justice finished second, 3 1/4 lengths ahead of favored Barbeau Ruckus.
Beneficial Bartok, the 4-5 Southern California invader, showed her class to win the $40,000 Queen of the Green Handicap.
Owned by 5c Racing LLC and trained by Jorge Gutierrez Beneficial Bartok ran the mile on the turf in 1:36.14. She paid $3.80.
ALBANY, Calif. - The 2-year-old picture in northern California is coming into focus.
The best juvenile in action is Cause to Believe, a Jerry Hollendorfer-trained horse who won his third straight stakes Saturday in the Mill Valley and is getting better each time out.
Looming in the background, though, is Frisco Star, who broke a 20-year-old track record at Santa Rosa in his debut Aug. 6, when he scored by 8 1/2 lengths.
Jockey Russell Baze, who has ridden both horses, refuses to compare the two, but said he knows he is sitting pretty for the early part of 2006.
With a big boost in the sale of its signal to simulcast outlets across the country, Hoosier Park closed out its 59-day Thoroughbred season Friday with a significant gain in average handle.
With Hoosier Park riding the corporate selling power of its majority owner, Churchill Downs Inc., the track posted a 37.5 percent gain in daily offtrack handle on its live racing this year, averaging $1,678,663 per day compared with $1,221,009 in 2004. The ontrack handle on live racing was nearly steady, with a gain of 1.8 percent, from $51,763 daily in 2004 to $52,679 this year.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Trainer Mark Casse and jockey Patrick Husbands were front and center here at Woodbine last weekend, teaming up to win Sunday's $125,000 Sir Barton with Arch Hall and Saturday's $140,950 Display with Seaside Retreat.
Arch Hall, a homebred 4-year-old colt who races for Melnyk Racing Stable, was recording his second career stakes win, both coming in the Sir Barton.
"I just wish they ran the Sir Barton more often," said Casse.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Balance is bound for the Grade 1 Hollywood Starlet on Dec. 18 after winning her first stakes in Sunday's $100,000 at Hollywood Park.
Ridden by Victor Espinoza, Balance took the lead on the backstretch and held off a late run from Sweet Fourty to win by 1 3-4 lengths. Balance ($5.80) finished 1 1-16 miles in 1:43.58. Tallulah Lula finished third in the field of eight 2-year-old fillies.
BOSSIER CITY, La. - Silver Haze's final start this year was supposed to be a return to the turf course that produced a pair of stakes victories during the Louisiana Downs meeting but overnight rains forced Sunday's Fair Grounds at Louisiana Downs' Woodchopper Stakes to the main track. The surface mattered little as Silver Haze ($3.60) outdueled second choice Zetetic down the stretch to win the mile and one sixteenth feature by a half length. Charming Kid reported home third followed by Lucky Bid. Cosmic Kris and Pirates Bite were late scratches.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Arch Hall captured the $125,000 Sir Barton Stakes for the second year in a row Sunday at Woodbine.
Arch Hall stalked the pace in fourth throughout most of the mile and a sixteenth event for Ontario-sired runners, as Moonshine Justice set moderate fractions, while being pressed by Executive Choice.
Arch Hall overhauled Moonshine Justice at the eighth pole and then edged away for a length and a half tally, in a final time of 1:44.13 seconds. Moonshine Justice held second, finishing three and a quarter lengths clear of favored Barbeau Ruckus.
PYC Paint Your Wagon was the fastest qualifier for the Grade 1, $1 million for Quarter Horses at Lone Star Park, and on Saturday night he proved best in the finale, winning by a half-length over Automatically. It was another length back in third to Real Visions.
PYC Paint Your Wagon ($8.40) jumped out to the lead at the start and never relinguished his advantage, covering 400 yards in 19.73 seconds. Jacky Martin rode the winner for trainer Jack Brooks.
Zee Oh Six remained unbeaten on dirt during the Remington Park meet on Saturday night, when he led throughout for a two-length win over Outlaw Cowboy in the $41,300 Governor's Cup. It was another length back in third to Notable Okie.
Zee Oh Six ($4.60) broke on top and set fractions of 23.41 seconds for the opening quarter, 46.84 for the half-mile and 1:14.08 for six furlongs. He repulsed a bid from Outlaw Cowboy, and went on to cover the mile and 70-yard distance in 1:41.64.