INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Pussycat Doll got all lathered up in the post parade and seemed a bit out of sorts before Sunday's $72,150 Audrey Skirball-Kenis Stakes at Hollywood Park, but she had plenty of energy, nervous or otherwise. She overpowered four outmatched rivals in the 1 1/16-mile race and roared to a 6 1/4-length victory, with jockey Garrett Gomez gearing her down the final sixteenth.
"This is a very nice filly. I mean, this was impressive," Gomez said.
ALBANY, Calif. - Talverna ($7.40), co-favored with Global Treaty, got a dream stalking trip behind a hot pace, opened in the lane and held off Seam Seeker late to win the $57,125 Piedmont Stakes at Golden Gate Fields on Sunday.
Global Treaty, Dancin Olivia and Lake Como battled three across the track, going the first quarter in 21.35 seconds. Global Treaty began to edge clear through a 44.53 half-mile.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Charming Ruckus, rallying strongly in the stretch under regular rider Todd Kabel, was up in time for a one-length victory in the $169,250 Jammed Lovely here at Woodbine Sunday.
The Jammed Lovely, a seven-furlong race for Ontario-foaled 3-year-olds, was the first stakes win for Charming Ruckus, who races for Windways Farm and Quinn Stable and is trained by Malcolm Pierce. The feature was run amidst high winds which led to the cancellation of the balance of the card one race later.
Woodbine canceled the last three races on Sunday's 11-race card after the jockeys voted not to continue due to high winds gusting up to 40 m.p.h.
The abbreviated program marked the second wind-related cancelation in a week, as last Sunday's card was called off after just three of 11 races were run. Racing is scheduled to continue here Wednesday with a nine-race card beginning at 6:45 p.m.
Mr. Trieste won his seventh straight race by a surging neck on Saturday in the $81,600 at Zia Park in Hobbs, N.M., and in the process set a new track record. He covered the mile and a sixteenth over a track rated fast in 1:43.
The record was the second Mr. Trieste has set at the inaugural Zia meet. In his previous start on Oct. 22, he won the $65,000 Kachina Mile in a track-record time of 1:36.60.
D Fine Okie was a head winner over Red Lifesaver in the $40,000 Lady's Secret at Remington Park on Saturday night. It was another two and a quarter lengths back in third to Shady Caller.
D Fine Okie ($16) raced a few lengths behind the pace set by Graziella, who was pressed through fractions of 22.25 seconds for the opening quarter, and 45.03 for the half-mile mark. D Fine Okie rallied through the stretch and covered the seven furlongs for fillies and mares in 1:22.94.
Don Pettinger rode the winner for trainer Donnie Von Hemel.
ALBANY, Calif. - Jill's Sky ($21.20) turned what looked to be a contentious $82,750 Moment to Buy Stakes into a personal romp Saturday at Golden Gate Fields.
She grabbed the lead early, shook loose from mild pressure into the second turn and was not asked late as she defeated fast-finishing Private Banking by one-half length in the 1 1/16th-mile turf race for 3-year-old fillies. Island Escapade was third a neck farther back. The winning time was 1:44.52 over a good course.
Jill's Sky was stalked by longshot La Balladar early.
Bouncing back from an eighth-place finish in the Canadian International, King's Drama returned to form and posted a convincing victory in Aqueduct's Grade 2, $150,000 , the final graded turf stakes of the season in New York.
The Bobby Frankel-trained King's Drama, who was using the 1 3/8-mile Red Smith as a prep race for the upcoming Japan Cup, broke alertly under Edgar Prado, who was content to place him just off the early pace set by Certifiably Crazy.
