Mister Coop ($11.10) parlayed a perfect stalking trip into 1 1/4-length triumph over a troubled Barbeau Ruckus in the $127,000 New Providence Stakes at Woodbine.
Mister Coop and Barbeau Ruckus both stalked a heated front-end battle in the six-furlong dash, as Dillinger, Krz Ruckus, and Imperial Alydeed dueled through fractions of 22.64 and 45.26 seconds.
ELMONT, N.Y. - As a 2-year-old, Pa Pa Da looked like he could be a stakes horse on dirt or turf. Midway through his 3-year-old year, one wondered if Pa Pa Da would get through his New York-bred allowance conditions.
If his last race was any indication, Pa Pa Da looks like a potential turf star, a premise that will be tested Sunday when the 4-year-old faces a full field of statebreds in the $100,000 Kingston Handicap at Belmont Park. The 1 1/8-mile race will be limited to 10 starters, though 13 were entered for the turf with an additional two horses carded for the main track.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Jockey Patrick Valenzuela remained hospitalized on Friday for observation because of persistent headaches, according to his agent, Ron Ebanks.
Valenzuela suffered a concussion and a knee injury when he fell from Mango Escapade shortly after the start of the eighth race last Sunday. According to Ebanks, Valenzuela is scheduled to be released from Centinela Hospital over the weekend, but will undergo surgery on his knee on Monday. Ebanks said the knee surgery had been delayed so that Valenzuela could be treated by Dr. James Tibone, who had been unavailable.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Most of the 2-year-old fillies in the $75,000 Nursery Stakes on Sunday at Hollywood Park enter with similar credentials. Six are stretching out from quarter-mile races, including three winners trained by Leonard Duncan that were ridden by Garrett Gomez.
Duncan let Gomez decide which filly to ride in the five-furlong Nursery. "Not to take anything away from the other two fillies, but he thinks Angelic Angie has more upside at a higher level," Duncan said.
The other two are For an Occasion and Nikki Nine, who is Angelic Angie's entrymate.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Trainer John Ward is about 100 percent Kentucky. He was raised in the state, the son of a horseman, and operates a farm located just out the back gate of Keeneland Race Course. In 2001, he trained Monarchos to a win in Kentucky's most famous contribution to horse racing, the Derby.
But this season, Ward is trying something different and coming to Illinois. He requested summer stalls at Arlington and was given about 20 of them by the track's director of racing, Frank Gabriel.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A frightening spill at Churchill Downs on Thursday did little to hamper leading jockey Rafael Bejarano's winning touch. Bejarano swept the first three races at Churchill on a late-afternoon card Friday, taking the first aboard Distress Signal ($4.80), the second atop Mean Kisser ($3.60), and the third aboard Royal Snooze ($3.80) in his first mounts back from the spill.
AUBURN, Wash. - Queenledo is the one to beat when she meets eight other 3-year-old fillies in Sunday's $50,000 Federal Way Handicap at Emerald Downs.
Trained by Tim McCanna, Queenledo took command of her division after scoring a 2 1/4-length victory in the six-furlong U.S. Bank Stakes on opening weekend. It was the third win from six starts for Queenledo, who won last season's Knights Choice and placed in two other stakes at 2. Off those accomplishments, Queenledo was assigned high weight of 121 pounds and will concede from two to nine pounds to her rivals.
