ELMONT, N.Y. - Steve Asmussen chose to run Private Vow in Saturday's Grade 2 at Belmont Park to find out sooner rather than later if he had a horse good enough to point to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile here late next month.
After rolling to a nine-length win in the $300,000 Futurity, Private Vow will be staying in town a little longer.
Singhalese was 3-5, but it was Royal Copenhagen, another Californian, who had the last, best move in the Grade 3, $200,000 at Arlington Park on Saturday.
Singhalese, ridden by Mike Smith, stalked a swift pace in the Pucker Up, and that might have been her undoing. Royal Copenhagen and jockey Shaun Bridgmohan were eighth of 11 on the backstretch, moved up on the inside going around the far turn, and swung out four wide for the stretch run.
Under a ground-saving ride by Ryan Fogelsonger, Saratoga shipper Battle Chant turned the $150,000 John D. Schapiro Memorial Breeders' Cup Handicap at Laurel Park into a 4 3/4-length romp.
Breaking from post 4 in the 1 1/8-mile turf race for 3-year-olds and up, Fogelsonger guided Battle Chant, the 7-5 second choice, to the rail. They settled in fourth up the backstretch, behind pacesetter Baron Von Trap and pace-pressers Triple X. and Tam's Terms, all of whom went off at 8-1 or longer.
Wild Speed had never won beyond six furlongs, had not run in three months, and was recuperating from both a lung infection and some foot problems. Despite all that uncertainty, she was still good enough to outsprint seven rivals to register a three-quarter-length victory over Midtown Miss in the $75,000 U Can Do It Handicap at Calder.
Top Ten List ($2.70) won her third turf stakes of the Woodbine meeting, taking the $125,800 La Prevoyante Stakes in front-running style.
Top Ten List set moderate fractions over soft turf in the one-mile race, and scored by 1 3/4 lengths in 1:40.55. Simply Lovely surged late to edge Wisdomisgold for second, and Dame Eliza finished fourth in the seven-horse field of Ontario-sired 3-year-old fillies.
Jockey Corey Fraser said Top Ten List overcame her dislike for the course.
"The turf was very soft today, and she struggled a bit going through it," said Fraser.
Double Diva prompted the pace while five wide into the stretch, went up to make the lead just before the eighth pole, then drew off to a 3 3/4-length victory in the 24th running of the $40,000 Emerald Necklace Stakes at Thistledown.
Mercy finished second in the six-furlong race, 2 1/2 lengths in front of Tommeyesgold, who finished third in the field of eight Ohio-bred 2-year-old fillies.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - The two Joeys were an unbeatable combination Saturday at Monmouth Park.
Joey P. ($4.60), reunited with jockey Joe Bravo, rebounded from a seventh in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational to win the Friendly Lover Handicap.
The Friendly Lover was one of four $100,000 handicaps on the third annual New Jersey Thoroughbred Festival Day. The program, comprising 10 races restricted to New Jersey-breds, attracted 13,018 on a sunny and humid afternoon on the Jersey Shore.
MUSKEGON, Mich. - Despite three straight second-place finishes, Rockem Sockem, the 2004 Michigan horse of the year, will be asked to carry top weight of 120 pounds in Monday's Frontier Handicap at Great Lakes Downs. The $50,000 Frontier, in its 81st running, is a 1 1/8-mile race for Michigan-breds, and it has attracted a full field of 10 colts and geldings.
MUSKEGON, Mich. - The 32nd running of the $50,000 Michigan Oaks on Tuesday evening at Great Lake Downs shapes up as a rubber match between the Ann Arbor Stakes winner Creative Miss and Maxie Match, who won the earlier Plymouth Stakes. The Oaks, at 1 1/16 miles, drew a field of eight 3-year-old fillies.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Leroidesanimaux, widely regarded to be the continent's leading turf miler, will take center stage Sunday at Woodbine in the Grade 1, $1 million .
The ninth running of the Atto heads a tremendous 11-race card, which includes two other grass stakes, the Grade 2 Summer and the Grade 2 Canadian.
