ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Favored Higher World held 8-1 shot Didycheatamandowe at bay throughout the stretch to notch her first stakes in Sunday's Grade 2 at Woodbine.
Higher World led throughout the mile and a sixteenth test for 2-year-old fillies, getting fractions of :24.47 and :49.42 seconds under Patrick Husbands. Dancehall Deelites stalked in second, while a closing Didycheatamandhowe loomed boldly on the far turn.
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Needwood Blade ($24.20), the longest shot on the board, split rivals late and outfinished Seinne to win the Grade 3 $112,599 on Saturday.
A sprinter in his native Great Britain, Needwood Blade had never raced farther than a mile. But he had plenty left after a ground-savimg trip when he split rivals inside the eighth pole and held off Seinne, who rallied five wide and was able to pull almost even before flattening out and losing the race listed as about-1 1/8 miles. Needwood Blade won by one length in 1:46.55 after trailing every one but Seinne early.
Anderson, Ind. - Brass Hat returned off a 3 1/2 month layoff with a strong stretch run to take Saturday night's Grade 2, $511,320 by a widening 1 3/4 lengths under Willie Martinez.
The win confirmed his 20-1 upset in the Grade 2 Ohio Derby on June 12 for trainer Buff Bradley, a race that Brass Hat came out of with a bruised pastern.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Sweet Catomine's win in the Del Mar Debutante in August turned out to be far from a fluke.
In Saturday's $200,000 at Santa Anita, Sweet Catomine launched a remarkable rally in the final half-mile to win her second consecutive stakes by four lengths. Sweet Catomine will make her next start in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Lone Star Park on Oct. 30, owner Marty Wygod said.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Bobby Frankel has so much respect for and confidence in long-time assistant Humberto Ascanio that he can vacate Southern California for months on end and still watch his West Coast barn motor along with nary a hitch. On Saturday at Santa Anita's Oak Tree meeting, Ascanio sent out two stakes winners for Frankel, both of whom Ascanio has trained since Frankel left for New York in the spring.
ELMONT, N.Y - The gutsy gelding is back.
Funny Cide, who appeared to be backing up around the far turn, showed why he is called the gutsy gelding by rallying from fourth in the stretch to win the $1 million by three-quarters of a length over longshot Newfoundland. It was one length back to The Cliff's Edge in third.
Evening Attire, Bowman's Band, Love of Money and Domestic Dispute completed the order of finish.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Charming Socialite outkicked 3-5 favorite Bwana Charlie by three-quarters of a length to pull a 22-1 upset in the $100,000 Alysheba Breeders' Cup at Lone Star Park on Saturday. It was another 2 1/2 lengths back in third to Danieltown.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Jockey Eddie King wishes the New Jersey turf sprints were a sixteenth of a mile longer.
The additional distance would clearly help his mount, Royal Dove, a hard-charging filly who is a leading contender in the $41,000 allowance feature Tuesday afternoon at The Meadowlands Racetrack. First post is 1:10 p.m.
The grass sprints at Monmouth Park and The Meadowlands are all five furlongs. Royal Dove, winless in five starts this season, simply runs out of ground. She has three seconds and a third this season.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Pico Central made an emphatic case to be named champion sprinter by running away from Speightstown and Cajun Beat in the stretch and rolling to a four-length victory in Saturday's Grade 1, $500,000 at Belmont Park.
Longshot Voodoo rallied to get second by a half-length over Speightstown, who nosed out Cajun Beat for third. Watchem Smokey was last. Eavesdropper scratched.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Kitten's Joy stamped himself as the best grass horse in the country with a powerful win in Saturday's Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational at Belmont Park.
Kitten's Joy won the 1 1/2-mile grass race by 2 1/2 lengths over Magistretti, the 8-5 favorite in the seven-horse field. It was another three-quarters of a length back to European invader Tycoon in third in the $750,000 .
