Witt Ante moved back to dirt for the $100,000 at Delta Downs on Saturday night and closed from next to last for a neck win over Meteor Impact in the one-mile race for horses bred in Louisiana.
Meteor Impact was later disqualified and placed eighth after impeding defending champ Zarb's Luck, who was forced to check sharply into the final turn and ended up eighth. The disqualification moved Walk In The Snow up to second place, and Nitro Chip to third, in the Gold Cup.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Anziyan Royalty trains year-round at Hollywood Park. Too bad he can't race there every time, too. On Saturday, Anziyan Royalty ran his Hollywood Park record to a perfect 4-for-4 with a game victory over a stubborn Lava Man in the $89,200 for California-breds.
Anziyan Royalty ($7.40) got a cozy trip from his outside post in the 7 1/2-furlong race after hopping awkwardly at the start. He sat just off early leader Excess Summer, moved up four paths wide on the turn to engage for the lead, then finally put away Lava Man to prevail by one length.
MIAMI - Supah Blitz made a popular and triumphant return home on Saturday, rallying to a hard-fought one-length victory over the pacesetting Hear No Evil in the $200,000 at Calder.
The 1 1/8-mile Carl G. Rose was the highlight of the eight statebred stakes races decided on the Florida Million Day card, which drew 10,323, a record for the event. The combined handle of over $7.6 million was also a record.
MIAMI - Flamenco and Aclassysassylassy were the marquee names in the four 2-year-old races on Saturday's Florida Million program at Calder and the two youngsters did not disappoint, rallying to easy victories in the Jack Price Juvenile and Joe O'Farrell Juveniles Fillies stakes.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Once admirers from afar, trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. and his owners have become even more enamored with Classic Endeavor now that he is in their barn.
Saturday, Classic Endeavor won his second consecutive race for Dutrow and owners Vincent Scuderi, L. Hollow Farms, and Sullivan Lane Stable when he went gate to wire to take the Grade 3, $109,900 at Aqueduct by 1 1/2 lengths. Colita rallied for second, 4 1/4 lengths ahead of 2002 Stuyvesant winner Snake Mountain.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Ablo, a 19-1 longshot making only his fourth career start, led at every call to win the $250,000 for Canadian-bred 2-year-olds Saturday.
A son of Lite the Fuse trained by Roger Attfield, Ablo was in an early pace duel with California invader Leo Getz before edging clear at the half-mile marker. Ablo, under jockey Gerry Olguin, was never challenged from that point and scored by 1 1/2 lengths over two other longshots, Nikey Missile and Feather Bed Lane.
Slew's Saga, the 3-10 favorite, faded badly and finished sixth in the seven-horse field.
Hawthorne Race Course hosted six Illinois-bred stakes races Saturday, and all jockey Larry Sterling could do was win half of them.
Sterling's big day began in sunshine and ended under the lights, when he guided 7-1 Home of Stars to a 1 3/4-length win in the $96,275 . Earlier, Sterling won the Powerless with Synco Peach and the Sun Power on Humor at Last.
Two Punch Gal needed five starts to win her maiden, but the 3-year-old filly has now won three of her last four races following a one-length score in the $75,000 Politely Stakes at Pimlico.
Ridden by Mario Pino for trainer Carl Nafzger, Two Punch Gal ($3.60) went to the lead shortly after the start of the six-furlong race for Maryland-bred fillies and withstood a bid from Sea of Promises in the stretch to record her first stakes victory. She was timed in 1:11.96.
Tap Day ($5), 0 for 5 in stakes run on fast tracks but unbeaten in the slop, held on for a nose victory over Separato in the $60,000 Princeton at The Meadowlands.
Tap Day, ridden by Jose Velez Jr. for trainer Mark Hennig, previously won the Dave Feldman at Gulfstream and the Tyson Gilpin at Delaware over wet surfaces. He ran the 1 1/16 miles of the Princeton in 1:44.32.
Nita Chiquita ($19.80), the second longest shot in a field of Pennsylvania-bred fillies reduced in half by six scratches due to sloppy track conditions, scored a wire-to-wire victory in the $53,000 Blue Mountain Juvenile at Penn National.
Ridden by Jason Kravets for his father, trainer Bruce Kravets, Nita Chiquita covered six furlongs in 1:13.91 and finished 1 1/4 lengths in front of Webers Drive In. Rhythmically, the 3-5 favorite, was a head farther back in third.
