Mon, 06/13/2005 - 00:00

Belmont: Sensibly Chic turns tables

Receiving a perfect stalking trip from John Velazquez, Sensibly Chic was able to reverse two prior losses to Bank Audit by rolling to a 3 3/4-length victory in the Grade 2, $150,000 at Belmont Park.

Bank Audit, who had beaten Sensibly Chic in the Distaff Breeders' Cup at Aqueduct in March and the Genuine Risk Handicap here in May, rallied belatedly from eighth place to finish second, three-quarters of a length ahead of Ender's Sister.

It was the first graded stakes victory for Sensibly Chic, a 5-year-old New York-bred trained by Tim Tullock.

Mon, 06/13/2005 - 00:00

Canterbury: Loan Me a Fen upsets

The 7,136 fans at Canterbury Park were treated to another storied upset on the track's turf course, when Loan Me a Fen took the $50,000 Brooks Fields Stakes.

Sent off at 30-1, the longest price in the field of nine, Loan Me a Fen raced just off the pace, then made an early move to challenge in the 7 1/2-furlong race. Under A. Preto Espindola, Loan Me A Fen wrested command from pace-pressing Our Best Man and held off a late challenge from Dontbotherknocking to win by three-quarters of a length.

Mon, 06/13/2005 - 00:00

Prairie Meadows: Wayzata Bay rallies

Coady Photo
Wayzata Bay wins the $50,000 Prairie Mile on Sunday.

Wayzata Bay ($10.80) rallied from off the early pace and wore down even-money favorite Quiet Money for a three-quarter-length win in the $50,000 Prairie Mile for 3-year-olds.

It was Wayzata Bay's first career stakes win and his third win overall in 11 career starts.

Mon, 06/13/2005 - 00:00

Fair schedule gets several new wrinkles

STOCKTON, Calif. - Is the 2005 northern California Fair schedule a preview of a new look for summers to come?

Less regional competition, the elimination of Thoroughbred racing at the State Fair in Sacramento, and the debut of the first turf course at a fair will be seen when the fair season begins Wednesday at the San Joaquin County Fair in Stockton.

The trend toward fewer overlapped dates begins immediately as Golden Gate Fields is dark on Wednesday and Thursday, allowing Stockton to offer the only live racing in northern California.

Mon, 06/13/2005 - 00:00

Plate next target for Gold Strike

Michael Burns Photo Ltd.
After easily winning the Labatt Woodbine Oaks, Gold Strike will attempt to become only the fifth filly to also win the Queen's Plate on June 26.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Bring on the boys.

Gold Strike, dominant winner of Sunday's $502,000 , now will set her sights on the $1 million Queen's Plate here June 26.

Four fillies have pulled off the double of the 1 1/8-mile Oaks and 1 1/4-mile Plate since the Oaks was run for the first time when Woodbine opened in 1956.

Flaming Page, in 1962, had exactly one week between the two races, while Dance Smartly had a three-week break in 2001. La Lorgnette and Dancethruthedawn both had two weeks between their Oaks-Plate scores.

Mon, 06/13/2005 - 00:00

Quick in Deed favored in turf debut

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Quick in Deed figures to be favored in his initial turf race on Wednesday at Woodbine in the $125,000 Bold Ruckus Stakes, a six-furlong race for Ontario-sired 3-year-olds.

Quick in Deed has won 3 of 6 starts for Glenn Harvey's Kelynack Racing Stable. After winning first time out at 2, he placed in a pair of Ontario sire stakes in the fall, despite suffering shin problems.

Trainer Abraham Katryan said Quick in Deed's shins bothered him the most when he finished second to Enough is Enough in his final 2004 outing, the Frost King Stakes on Oct. 27.

Mon, 06/13/2005 - 00:00

Ghostzapper's racing career over

Horsephotos
Ghostzapper will stand at stud at Adena Springs Farm in Kentucky.

ELMONT, N.Y. - The brief but brilliant career of Ghostzapper came to an abrupt end Monday, when his connections announced that the reigning Horse of the Year has been retired from racing due to a fracture of the sesamoid bone in his left foreleg. Ghostzapper will stand stud next year at owner Frank Stronach's Adena Springs Farm in Versailles, Ky.

According to trainer Bobby Frankel, Ghostzapper suffered the injury while winning the Grade 1 by 6 1/4 lengths at Belmont Park on May 30, his 5-year-old debut. The injury did not show up on regular X-rays, Frankel said.

Sun, 06/12/2005 - 00:00

Queenledo wins Irish Day Handicap

AUBURN, Wash. - Queenledo circled the field with a quick move turning for home and drew out to a two-length victory over entrymate Gins Majesty in Sunday's $40,000 Irish Day Handicap at Emerald Downs.

Queenledo, a 3-year-old daughter of Slewdledo, was fifth in the field of six after a slow half mile in :47.60, but made up a three length deficit from the quarter pole to the three-sixteenths marker and polished off the mile in 1:36.60 under Ricky Frazier.

Sun, 06/12/2005 - 00:00

Brooke's Halo wires Hollywood BC Oaks

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Before Sunday, Brooke's Halo had a sketchy record in stakes. It turns out those races were run over the wrong distances.

Making her first start over 1 1/16 miles, and beyond seven furlongs, Brooke's Halo led throughout the $177,500 at Hollywood Park, scoring her first stakes win.

Sun, 06/12/2005 - 00:00

Gold Strike romps in Woodbine Oaks

Michael Burns Photo Ltd.
Gold Strike wins the Labatt Woodbine Oaks at Woodbine on Sunday.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Gold Strike ($4.20) established herself as a serious candidate for the June 26 Queen's Plate with a dominant victory over fellow Canadian-bred 3-year-old fillies in Sunday's $502,000 .