ALBANY, Calif. - The second- and third-place finishers in Saturday's Larkspur Stakes at Golden Gate Fields will likely meet again in the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes on opening day at Santa Anita on Dec. 26.
Seattles Best Joe and Wilko, who finished in a three-way photo behind Loyalton, both came out of the six-furlong race in good shape and now will point to the Malibu, a seven-furlong race that starts Santa Anita's Strub Series.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - There's the South Beach Diet, the Atkins Diet, and now the Star Parade diet.
Star Parade, who was put on a new diet several months ago by trainer Darrell Vienna in an attempt to combat persistent problems with tying up, earned her first victory of the year on Sunday with a runaway, four-length win in the Grade 2, $150,000 at Hollywood Park.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Favored Seattlespectacular assumed command entering the stretch for the final time and then drew off for a 10 and three-quarter length victory in Sunday's $140,725 Valedictory Handicap, the closing day feature of the Woodbine meeting.
Trainer Sid Attard took the blinkers off Seattlespectacular for the mile and three-quarter marathon, which helped the Seattle Slew gelding to rate kindly, according to jockey Patrick Husbands.
BOSSIER CITY, La. - Jockey Roman Chapa, who is the leading rider at the Fair Grounds meet at Louisiana Downs, was off his mounts on Sunday after being kicked by a horse during morning training hours. He was kicked in the lower back near his kidney and was taken to a local hospital for tests and observation, according to his agent, Bobby Kelly.
"The ultrasound showed the kidney was all-right," said Kelly.
Chapa has just one kidney. Earlier in his career, he lost one of his kidneys after it ruptured as the result of a serious spill.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The major stakes for the handicap division at Santa Anita this winter may have a South American flavor.
Trotamondo, who won the 2004 Chilean Triple Crown, is bound for the $300,000 San Antonio Handicap at Santa Anita on Feb. 5 after winning his U.S. stakes debut in Saturday's $100,000 at Hollywood Park.
Trotamondo ($5.60) rallied from last in the field of 10 to finish a half-length in front of Bully Hayes. Spellbinder, part of a quick early pace of 22.50 and 46.02 seconds with Coronado's Pride, finished third.
ALBANY, Calif. - Loyalton ($27) gave trainer Jerry Hollendorfer his seventh victory in 11 stakes at the Golden Gate Fields meeting, defeating Seattles Best Joe and Wilko in a three-way photo to win the $60,800 Larkspur Stakes for 3-year-olds on Saturday.
Sitting closer to the lead than Hollendorfer originally expected, Loyalton opened a two-length lead into the stretch and finished strong to hold off Seattles Best Joe by a nose with Wilko another head back in his first start since the Preakness.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - After setting the pace for the first mile of Saturday's Grade 3 at Aqueduct, it appeared as though Philanthropist was about to be swallowed up by several of his four rivals. But after dropping back to third, Philanthropist re-rallied and outfinished West Virginia to win the $105,400 Queens County by a neck.
MIAMI - Getting a double-digit winning mutuel on anything trainer Todd Pletcher saddles these days is a rarity. Especially during the Tropical at Calder meet, during which Pletcher has saddled winners at nearly a 50 per cent clip.
But for the second week in a row a Pletcher-trained 2-year-old paid a square price for winning a stakes race at Calder. Last Saturday, Saint Augustus returned $24 for his victory in the What a Pleasure Stakes. And this Saturday it was Up an Octave, who paid $17 for his narrow decision against 3-5 favorite Yankee Master in the $100,000 .
BOSSIER CITY, La. - In what may be the best effort of his career, Zarb's Dahar won his 11th consecutive race over the Louisiana Downs main track on Saturday when he gutted out a neck win in the $100,000 .
The race was one of 10 stakes worth $1 million on the 15th annual Louisiana Champions Day card, which is being run as part of the Fair Grounds meet at Louisiana Downs in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Promenade Girl, a beaten favorite at 4-5 in her previous start, rebounded with a flourish on Saturday at Laurel Park, winning the $75,000 Geisha Handicap for Maryland-bred fillies by a widening 2 3/4 lengths.
Ridden by Erick Rodriguez, Promenade Girl covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:51.49 on a fast track and paid $6.
Promenade Girl settled in fourth going into the first turn as 5-1 shot Dance Fee opened a lead of three lengths after a quarter-mile in 24.08 seconds and seven lengths after a half in 47.56.
