Rallying along the outside on the turn, Cool Spell made her 3-year-old debut a winning one as she moved past the leaders in midstretch and went on to a two-length victory in the $60,000 Gasparilla Stakes.
With Daniel Centeno aboard, Cool Spell stalked the early leaders along the outside through an opening quarter of 22.44 seconds and a half in 45.86. Centeno then set sail for the front from the outside on the turn of the seven-furlong stakes.
Private Horde won a scratch-depleted running of the $49,500 Forego Stakes at Turfway Park on Friday night, taking charge from the start and gliding away from Deer Lake for a 6 1/2-length triumph over a muddy track.
Ridden by Rodney Prescott, Private Horde returned $3.20 in a field reduced to just three starters following the scratches of three horses. Paging finished 4 1/4 lengths behind Deer Lake.
The victory was the 12th in 36 lifetime starts for Private Horde, a 6-year-old horse who has earned $666,767 for owner Billy Ray Tucker.
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Jockey Ron Warren, Jr. suffered a compound fracture of his right tibia and fibula and a broken left hip in a Friday night spill at Bay Meadows.
He underwent emergency surgery that lasted until 5 a.m. Saturday at nearby Stanford Hospital to repair the tibia and fibula and underwent a second surgery on his hip, which involved placing a pin into the bone. Both surgeries were successful, according to Bay Meadows track physician Dr. David Seftel.
Warren, 40, was to undergo additional surgery on his leg Sunday.
ARCADIA, Calif. - There is a two-day carryover of $369,815 for Saturday's 10-race program at Santa Anita.
The pick six has not been hit since Wednesday.
The carryover is part of an outstanding program that includes two important stakes - the $100,000 Sham Stakes for 3-year-olds (the seventh race) and the $300,000 for 4-year-olds (the ninth race). Both are part of the pick six.
The pick six begins with the fifth race, run over six furlongs for $14,000 to $16,000 claimers.
ARCADIA, Calif. - The nation's handicap division will crystallize this weekend in three stages, starting Saturday with the Grade 1 Donn Handicap at Gulfstream Park and Grade 2 Strub Stakes at Santa Anita.
The final piece of the puzzle fits in Sunday at Santa Anita. Truly a Judge and Congrats head a field of 11 older horses in the Grade 2 San Antonio Handicap, a nine-furlong race that will be compared to day-earlier performances by Donn favorite Roses in May, and Strub favorite Rock Hard Ten.
ARCADIA, Calif. - By last summer, Truly a Judge's losing streak had reached double digits and his owners were growing frustrated.
The idea of dropping the gelding into a high-priced claiming race was mentioned to trainer David Bernstein - and quickly shot down.
"We said, 'Maybe we could drop him and he'd be more competitive,'" said Gaylord Ailshie on Friday morning.
Ailshie owns Truly a Judge, along with Alan Aidekman and Tom Harris.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Fusaichi Samurai, who was as low as 5-1 for the Kentucky Derby with some Las Vegas casinos, has been taken out of training because of a pulled muscle and is most likely out of the Triple Crown, trainer Neil Drysdale said on Friday.
Drysdale said that Fusaichi Samurai showed stiffness in his left hind end a few days after a six-furlong workout at Hollywood Park on Jan. 21.
"It appears he's pulled a muscle," Drysdale said. "We'll have to off and give him some time off."
Richard Migliore recorded his 4,000th career victory on Friday, guiding Benjamin Baby ($3.30) to a 7 1/2-length victory in an entry-level allowance race at Aqueduct. Earlier on the card, Migliore won with Hurricane Erica ($6.20).
Migliore, 40, became the 43rd rider to reach the 4,000-win plateau, a milestone he coveted for a long time.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - It is rare at this time of year for a horse to ship from England to Aqueduct to run in a stakes race. But Middle Earth was scheduled to arrive in New York over the weekend for next Saturday's $75,000 Whirlaway Stakes.
A 3-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Dixieland Band, Middle Earth went winless in five starts in England. His first two starts were on turf, a surface his connections said he didn't handle. Middle Earth's last three starts have been on all-weather dirt surfaces in England, and he finished second all three times.
PORTLAND, Ore. - Typhoon Aaron, who stretched his win streak to four with an easy score in last Saturday's Flying Lark Stakes at Portland Meadows, will remain undefeated for at least several more weeks.
"I'm going to turn him out for a month," said trainer Jim Fergason. "I can't keep him in training 12 months a year, and if I turn him out now I'll have him fresh for the Emerald Downs meeting. I may bring him back for one more race at the end of the meeting, though, just to make sure he's tight."
