Wholelottabourbon ($3.30) shrugged off two challengers on the front end en route to a half-length score over Accountforthegold in the $134,775 Woodstock Stakes at Woodbine.
Wholelottabourbon, last year's Canadian champion 2-year-old, was coming off a 6 1/2-month layoff in the six-furlong dash for 3-year-olds. He hooked up with longshot Kruel Intention through splits of 22.61 and 46.45 seconds, and then turned back a stretch bid from Accountforthegold to prevail.
Swede ($4.20) overcame a slow start to score a four-length victory over Queansco in Friday's $50,000 Goldfinch Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Prairie Meadows.
Swede hopped a bit leaving the gate, losing about a length. Jockey Terry Thompson guided her outside horses on the backstretch, and the pair rallied to the front in upper stretch before drawing clear. The winning time for six furlongs was 1:11.70.
Queansco, who trailed to the turn, finished willingly to gain the place without threatening the winner.
MIAMI - In light of all the controversy that arose over the physical condition of odds-on favorite Sweet Catomine heading into the Santa Anita Handicap, it was refreshing to listen to trainer Dave Vivian speak candidly about his 3-year-old filly Aclassysassylassy who will launch her 2005 campaign in the $40,000 Snurb Stakes on Monday's opening day program at Calder.
OLDSMAR, Fla. - Trainer Kirk Ziadie, who has been dazzling horseplayers and rival trainers here for the past two seasons, will take his show north when this meeting ends.
Ziadie, who won the allowance feature with Boastful on Tuesday to give him 23 wins from just 54 starters at the meet, has 34 stalls at Monmouth Park and will be moving his stable there for the summer.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - True Tails proved much the best in the $50,000 Wafare Stakes at Lone Star Park on Saturday, when she was a dominating, seven and three-quarter length winner of the six-furlong race for 3-year-old fillies. She covered the distance in a stakes-record time of 1:08.76.
The previous Wafare mark of 1:08.85 was set in 2004 by Everheart.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Hollywood Park stewards on Saturday cleared owner Marty Wygod of allegations of wrongdoing surrounding Sweet Catomine's loss in the Santa Anita Derby on April 9 after testimony revealed that the California Horse Racing Board had built the case on hastily compiled evidence.
Trainer King Leatherbury could have a Preakness starter on his hands after Malibu Moonshine captured Saturday's $150,000 at Pimlico, beating Hello Jerry by three-quarters of a length in a replay of the exacta from last month's Private Terms at Laurel.
The Tesio, a 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-olds, was one of five stakes on a 10-race card that also included the $200,000 Jim McKay Breeders' Cup Handicap and three stakes for Maryland-breds.
Jack McDaniel's tenure as president of Santa Anita lasted 15 months. According to a release from parent company Magna Entertainment, the former entertainment executive "stepped down" as the president of Santa Anita on Friday. He had been appointed to the position in January 2004.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Superstardom is not required Sunday at Hollywood Park, where 103 statebreds are scheduled to race for $1.3 million in purse money during the sixth annual California Gold Rush, a 10-race program for California-breds that includes six six-figure stakes.
"There's a chance for big money without running against the Storm Cats of the world," said trainer Doug O'Neill, who operates the largest stable in Southern California.
