ELMONT, N.Y. - When Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith spent $3.3 million on a 2-year-old son of Pulpit at auction last year, they were hoping the horse would prove worthy of running at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May.

Sweet Sweet broke slowly but finished quickly to win Sunday's $116,000 Bouwerie Stakes for New York-bred 3-year-old fillies and remain undefeated in three starts.

Sweet Sweet, a daughter of Honour and Glory, won her first two starts on the lead. On Sunday, she was last out of the gate under Edgar Prado, but steadily advanced into third after a quarter-mile run in 22.61 seconds.

Tampa Bay shipper Bernie Blue ($6.80) came close to the Mountaineer track record for five furlongs when he ran down 4-5 favorite Danieltown in the closing yards of the $75,000 Panhandle Handicap.

A 3-year-old gelding trained by Miguel Feliciano, Bernie Blue covered the distance on the main track in 56.11 seconds, just .19 of a second slower than Mayor Steve's track-record time of 55.92 in August 2003.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Big Cheque will try to rebound from her poor performance in the Whimsical Stakes in Wednesday's Woodbine feature, a $62,500 optional claimer for fillies and mares.

The pick seven, which hasn't been won at the meeting, has a carryover of $39,874.82, and will encompass the entire seven-race card.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Verne's Baby hasn't made a wrong move yet, extending his winning streak to three with a game victory in last Saturday's seven-furlong Queenston at Woodbine.

Although there appears to be no shortage of talent on the part of Verne's Baby, a shortage of experience looms as his worst enemy on the road to the Queen's Plate.

"It's too bad, there just isn't much time," said Sid Attard, who trains Verne's Bay for owner-breeder George Bigliardi. "He's a nice horse."

The $1 million Queen's Plate, at 1 1/4 miles, goes here June 26.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Virden, the longest shot in a field of 10 3-year-old fillies, pulled an upset by leading throughout Sunday's $111,900 at Hollywood Park to pull.

Virden was left alone on the lead on the backstretch, holding an advantage of as much as 1 1-2 lengths. She led by that margin in early stretch and won by a nose over Three Degrees. Virden ($54.40) finished a mile on turf in 1:35.37.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - River Nore ($9.80) notched her stakes debut in her second start of the year at Woodbine Sunday in the $166,250 , a seven-furlong dash for Ontario-foaled 3-year-old fillies.

River Nore raced about five lengths off the lead on the backstretch, and commenced a three-wide rally on the turn under Jim McAleney. She hit the front at the eighth pole, and then coasted home by four and a quarter lengths, in a final time 1:24.53 seconds.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - From Kentucky to California, good fortune was truly on trainer John Shirreffs's side on Saturday.

Nearly three hours after Giacomo's upset win in the Kentucky Derby, the stable won the $108,300 at Hollywood Park with Hollywood Story, who nearly fell on the first turn.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - On paper, the Grade 1 looked like an extremely well-matched race. And on the Churchill Downs turf course, that's exactly what it was.

Until the final furlong. That's where America Alive, a 17-1 shot ridden by Robby Albarado, blew past the field, almost making a farce of what had been a tightly contested race.

"He was way back, but that's him, that's his style," said Albarado. "He doesn't have any speed. You can't rush him or you compromise his finish, so I bided my time and he came home really fast."

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - My Trusty Cat, no match for Madcap Escapade when the pair met three weeks earlier at Keeneland, turned the tables on her speedy rival and in the process earned her first Grade 1 victory, rallying to a three-quarter-length victory in Saturday's $250,000 at Churchill Downs.