It has been a while, but for Very Vegas the return to Fairplex may be just like riding a bike. A 4-year-old Storm Boot filly, Very Vegas returns to the track where she won her maiden two years ago. She has accomplished much since and looms the horse to beat in the $60,000 Bangles and Beads on Monday, part of a 12-race closing day card.
The Bangles and Beads is a 6 1/2-furlong event for fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and upward, and drew a full field of 10 and two also-eligibles.
AUBURN, Wash. - Galley Bay will shoot for her third straight win and her fourth win in her last five starts in Monday's Emerald Downs feature, but her task won't be easy.
Galley Bay will carry 122 pounds and concede four pounds to each of her five rivals in the feature, a $20,000 claiming race for fillies and mares at a mile. Galley Bay will also go without her regular rider, Ben Russell, who has departed for California, and she will have very little speed to target.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Earlier in the week, trainer Christophe Clement lost an overnight stakes at Belmont Park by a nose to trainer Bill Mott.
Saturday, Clement exacted some revenge when his Bright Abundance got the jump on Mott's My Lordship turning for home and held off that rival by a half-length to win the Grade 3, $150,000 before 7,324 at Belmont. It was one length back to Asti in third.
STICKNEY, Ill. - The East Coast-based trainer Linda Rice is a rare participant in Chicago races, and she sent Spruce Run from Monmouth Park to Hawthorne Race Course for the for a good reason - to win.
The betting public was unconvinced, letting Spruce Run go off at overlaid odds of 14-1, but Spruce Run rallied strongly in the final furlong and caught favored Fort Prado just before the finish, winning by a neck in the Grade 3, $150,000 Carey, a one-mile grass race.
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Bay Meadows had two consecutive dead heats in Friday's final two races.
In the seventh race, Souvenir Sands ($4) caught No Derby ($3.80) at the wire in a $20,000 claimer at six furlongs. In the next race, Future Hit ($5.20) caught Din's Dynasty ($36.20) at the wire in an $8,000 maiden claimer at one mile.
Dennis Carr was involved in both dead heats, riding Souvenir Sands and Future Hit.
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Apprentice jockey Martin Garcia, remains in the intensive care unit of Stanford Hospital with a severe concussion sustained when his mount fell in Friday night's sixth race at Bay Meadows.
Gracia, a 20-year-old apprentice from Vera Cruz, Mexico, third in the standings behind Russell Baze and Roberto Gonzalez, was injured when his mount Cruz'n Memo stumbled and fell on the far turn.
He pitched face first onto the track and was hit in the head by a rival's hoof that dented the top of his riding helmet.
What's Your Edge dueled odds-on favorite Diabolical into submission to take the colt division of the NATC Futurity on Saturday at Monmouth Park.
Sparkling Pink captured the filly division as Monmouth hosted the two $200,000 NATC stakes for the first time.
The National Association of Two-Year-Old Consignors Futurities, both contested at six furlongs, are restricted to 2-year-olds sold at auction this season.
What's Your Edge ($9.80), bought by Klaravich Stables for $150,000 at the March Ocala Breeders Sale, is now 2 for 2 following a very professional effort.
Sweet Talker, never worse than third in five previous starts on turf, picked up right where she left off before a three-month freshening when she drew clear to win the $150,000 Martha Washington Breeders' Cup for 3-year-old fillies at Laurel Park.
Sweet Talker ($6.40) made a three-wide move to challenge 7-5 favorite Victory Lap and 33-1 longshot Lucrezia coming into the stretch and pulled clear in midstretch to defeat Lucrezia by 1 1/4 lengths. The New York-based Dynamite Lass was third. Victory Lap faded to fourth.
After being boxed in and blocked from the backstretch to deep stretch, heavily favored Love Locket ($4) found room along the rail and drove clear to a one-length victory in the $58,500 Irish Sonnet Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at Delaware Park.
Trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Ramon Dominguez, Love Locket is now 2 for 2 since being stretched out to two turns for her second career start. She covered the mile on a fast track in 1:41.69.
