ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Take one stakes horse from England, of apparently moderate ability. Ship to Woodbine, add Lasix, top with Martin Dwyer, sit back and enjoy.
That's been the winning recipe for trainer Andrew Balding, who is a half-length shy of being undefeated in three stakes starts here this summer after Vanderlin upset Saturday's $234,000 at seven furlongs on turf.
Zarella Ore, a 26-year-old apprentice jockey, suffered a broken hip and multiple fractures to her pelvis when a horse she was riding flipped in the paddock prior to the third race Sunday at River Downs.
Racing was delayed for 40 minutes while local paramedics attended to Ore, who was later taken to University Hospital in Cincinnati. She was scheduled to undergo surgery on Tuesday.
Sur Sandpit rallied from well off the pace to take the lead in the final 50 yards and held on for a neck victory over Rubianos Image in a four-horse blanket finish in the $81,600 Ralph Hayes for older colts and geldings at Prairie Meadows.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - West Virginia and Zoffinger both outran expectations Sunday in the Grade 3, $250,000 at Monmouth Park.
The Iselin victory was a significant step for the New York-bred West Virginia. The 5-year-old Zoffinger, trained by John Forbes, ran the race of his life to rally for second at 65-1.
West Virginia's stablemate Purge got most of the attention and was the favorite at 6-5. West Virginia was a question mark, a winner of more than $500,000, accumulated mostly in statebred races.
Hurricane Katrina dealt Evangeline Downs only a glancing blow Monday morning, and track officials have given the go ahead for racing Monday night. Located approximately 100 miles west of New Orleans, the Opelousas area experienced blustery winds but only a brief period of rain Monday morning as Katrina made landfall.
DEL MAR, Calif. - For the second straight year, trainer Mike Mitchell and jockey Tyler Baze combined to win the Grade 2, $250,000 with a front-running, gray, 6-year-old gelding who had been claimed for $80,000, this time on Sunday with Leprechaun Kid, who re-rallied to beat Laura's Lucky Boy by a nose in the 1 3/8-mile grass race.
EDMONTON, Alberta - With an explosive burst in deep stretch reminiscent of her 2003 horse of the year campaign in Alberta, Raylene captured the $75,000 Edmonton Distaff by 1 1/4 lengths here Sunday.
The 1 1/16 mile Edmonton Distaff was Raylene's first victory since she took a pair of allowance races last year while spending parts of two seasons at Woodbine.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Happy Ticket, the Louisiana-bred sensation, proved she was ready for the big stage Sunday by rolling to a 5 1/2 length victory in the Grade 1, $250,000 before a crowd of 15,358 at soggy Saratoga.
It was the 10th victory in 11 career starts for Happy Ticket, whose first eight career victories came at Louisiana tracks. Happy Ticket won the Grade 3 Chicago Breeders' Cup at Arlington before finishing a troubled second behind Madcap Escapade in the Princess Rooney Handicap at Calder last month.
BOSSIER CITY, La. - Controlling the pace throughout, Mykindasaint drew steadily clear under Lonnie Meche to capture Sunday's Princess Stakes at Harrah's Louisiana Downs. Love then Beach finished five lengths back in second followed by Kathy's Rocket. The final time for the six furlongs was 1:12.56 over a fast track dulled by heavy rains on Saturday.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Decew Falls circled wide into contention on the turn, and then held a closing Miracle Alley at bay in the stretch to notch his first stakes Sunday at Woodbine in the $126,200 Vice Regent.
Decew Falls captured the Ontario sire event for 3-year-olds by a half-length, covering a mile over soft turf in 1:39.38 seconds. Favored Flat Rock finished a non-threatening third in the eight-horse field, while Marco Be Good faded to fourth after setting a rapid pace.
