SAN MATEO, Calif. - The horse population on the island that is northern California racing became a little more sparse this week after trainers Roy Lumm and Cliff DeLima departed
The Washington-based Lumm returned home to prepare for the Emerald Downs meeting, as he always does. He started 33 horses at the current Bay Meadows meeting.
Jockey Victor Espinoza swept the two stakes at Santa Anita on Saturday, winning the $106,00 Tokyo City Handicap with Supah Blitz and the $86,250 Santa Paula Stakes with No Bull Baby.
Supah Blitz, trained by Doug O'Neill, ended a three-race losing streak in the Grade 3 Tokyo City. The victory marked his third stakes win since he was purchased privately by a partnership last August.
Keeneland Racecourse in will reduce the minimum bet for superfecta wagers from $1 to 10 cents beginning with the opening of its 16-day spring meet on Friday, Keeneland officials said Monday.
The reduction will make Keeneland the third Thoroughbred track to offer dime-minimum superfecta wagering, following Sam Houston Race Park in Texas and Hawthorne Racecourse in Illinois. The 10-cent minimum allows players to box, say, six horses at a cost of $36, rather than $360.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Rockport Harbor was diagnosed with a blood clot on Sunday, and is considered day-to-day for the $1 million Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park on April 16, according to his trainer, John Servis. If he were to miss the race, Rockport Harbor will be pointed for the Grade 2, $325,000 Coolmore Lexington at Keeneland on April 23.
ARCADIA, Calif. - In a race that featured three leaders in the final furlong, the come-from-behind rally of Harvard Avenue proved best in Sunday's $194,000 at Santa Anita.
Harvard Avenue trailed by as many as 16 lengths in the first quarter-mile and benefited from a quick pace to swoop past eight rivals in the final three furlongs. Ridden by Garrett Gomez, Harvard Avenue ($12.60) finished 6 1-2 furlongs in 1:16.12.
"I kind of got shuffled leaving there," Gomez said. "At the three-eighths pole, he did what he was supposed to do. At the quarter-pole, he exploded."
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Stormy But Crafty withstood pressure throughout for a one-length front-running win in the $50,000 Rainbow Stakes at Oaklawn Park on Sunday. Leon's Best finished second, five lengths clear of third-place finisher Wow Yao.
With the win, Stormy But Crafty gave his sire, Storm and a Half, a sweep of the card's two stakes for Arkansas-breds. Earlier on the card, Doll and a Half ($11.60) won the $50,000 Rainbow Miss. Both horses were bred by Millsap Stables.
SUNLAND PARK, N.M. - Trainer Doug O'Neill swept into town with a pair of California-breds to monopolize New Mexico's biggest day of Thoroughbred sport on Saturday, winning the $500,000 with Merv Griffin's Cee's Irish before a crowd of 15,333.
Corey Nakatani rode both winners for O'Neill, and employed similar tactics in both races.
"Corey recognized early that there was a pretty apparent bias toward speed today," said O'Neill, who also won the WinStar Derby in 2003 with Excessivepleasure. "I've got to give him a lot of credit for a couple of masterful rides."
Roar On Tour closed into a hot pace on Saturday night to post a 29-1 upset in the $125,000 Gulf Coast Breeders' Cup, the closing night feature at Delta Downs in Vinton, La.
High Strike Zone finished a half-length back in second, three and a quarter lengths in front of favorite and third-place finisher Mauk Four.
Leaving On My Mind, a 3-year-old, picked up the sixth stakes win of his career Saturday night at Sam Houston Race Park when he rallied for a three-quarter length win in the $40,000 Fort Bend County for Texas-breds. General Charley was second, a length and a quarter in front of third-place finisher Dixie Meister.
Leaving On My Mind ($3.60) stalked the pace set by General Charley, who dueled through an opening quarter in 23.06 seconds and a half-mile in 46 seconds. Leaving On My Mind covered the distance over a fast track in 1:23.55
Virden, heavily favored off a string of strong stakes outings despite trying turf for the first time, had little trouble handling fellow 3-year-old fillies on the sod in Turf Paradise's $40,000 Scottsdale Handicap on the turf on Saturday. Despite facing a new surface Virden, trained by Dan McFarlane and owned by Dennis Weir, had little trouble disposing of the opposition as the daughter of Tactical Cat stalked the pace as the 3-2 favorite, took the lead into the lane under Joel Campbell, then drew off to win with disdain.
