ETOBICOKE, Ontario - A Bit O'Gold probably locked up the Sovereign Award as this year's champion 3-year-old with a daylight score over Organ Grinder in Sunday's $160,050 at Woodbine.
Alleged Ruler and Shanghied dueled through tepid fractions in the nine-furlong test for 3-year-olds, as both A Bit O'Gold and Organ Grinder assumed a wide stalking position.
Fuse It pushed the pace early and drew clear by three and a half lengths in the stretch to win Saturday night's $40,000 Zydeco at Delta Downs in Vinton, La.
Miss Smart Strike finished second, while Light Fling, the pacesetter who held third, was disqualified for interference with eventual fourth-place finisher Ice Forest at the start and placed fourth. Ice Forest was then moved up to third place in the Zydeco.
Wildwood Royal drew out to a 15-length win in the $25,000 Miss Kansas City Handicap on Sunday, giving her owner Willie Stiritz, her trainer, Jimmy Zook, and her rider, Danush Sukie, a sweep of the weekend stakes at the Woodlands in Kansas City, Kan.
The connections also won the $20,000 Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Handicap on Saturday with Robin Zee ($9.60).
MUSKEGON, MICH - Michigan Sire Stakes night belonged to Mary Doser as the 1999 Great Lakes Downs champion jockey rode four of the six winners, including Dancin for Gold, who is trained by her husband, Scott Sowle. Doser's other winners were Foolininthemeadow, Circus du Joy and Exclusivenjoyment. The latter two are trained by Doser's long time client, Richard Rettele. Doser is currently second in the standings with 105 wins.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Kent Desormeaux went into the Hall of Fame earlier this year, but he hasn't stopped putting up Hall-of-Fame rides. His daring and skill, combined with the tenaciousness of Musical Chimes, enabled the 4-year-old filly to defeat males in Saturday's Grade 2, $250,000 , a performance that should earn Musical Chimes a trip to the Breeders' Cup.
NORTH RANDALL, Ohio - The five-race Best of Ohio Series, which was held at Thistledown on Saturday, usually goes a long way toward determining the Ohio-bred horse of the year. Judging by Real Echo's decisive victory in the $75,000 Endurance that could well be the case this year.
Real Echo, trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, posted a 2 1/4-length front-running win over Cat Singer in the ten-furlong Endurance, and it was some 5 3/4 lengths back to Xtra Jack in third place. Real Echo was timed in 2:06.10 over the fast racing strip and returned $3.40 as the favorite.
ELMONT, N.Y. - There was an upset in the Beldame Stakes after all. No, Sightseek didn't lose. But what price could you have gotten in Las Vegas to see Bobby Frankel cry afterward?
Sightseek finished her career with, as Belmont Park track announcer Tom Durkin described it, a "routinely brilliant" victory, taking Saturday's $750,000 by 2 3/4 lengths before 8,106. It was the final start of Sightseek's career despite the pleadings of one fan who cried out, "One more race, Frankel," as Sightseek walked out of the winner's circle.
ELMONT, N.Y. - , separated by a nose when second and third, respectively, in the Lake George Handicap in August, appear the ones to beat in Monday's Grade 3, $100,000 Pebbles Stakes at Belmont Park.
None of the nine 3-year-old fillies entered in the 1 1/8-mile turf race seems anxious to set the early pace, making an already wide-open contest that more difficult to handicap.
ARCADIA, Calif. - With a shaggy coat and a moderate record, did not look like a future stakes winner when she arrived at trainer Jenine Sahadi's stable from Kentucky last winter.
"I wasn't overly impressed when she showed up," Sahadi said. "It's taken her a while to come around."
Since the middle of the summer, Penny's Fortune has rebounded. Monday at Santa Anita, she seeks her third consecutive victory, and second stakes win, in the $100,000 Harold Ramser Handicap for 3-year-old fillies.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - What's Up Dude will try to punch his ticket to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile on Monday, when he runs in the $270,000 Grey BC Stakes at Woodbine, a race won by 2000 BC Juvenile winner Macho Uno.
What's Up Dude was a three-length winner of his debut July 24 and then came off a six-week layoff to finish third behind Wholelottabourbon in the Silver Deputy Stakes. Most recently, What's Up Dude was an easy winner with the addition of blinkers in the seven-furlong Swynford Stakes.
