Sat, 10/02/2004 - 00:00

This time, Riskaverse wins

Horsephotos
Riskaverse wins the $750,000 Flower Bowl Invitational at Belmont Park.

ELMONT, N.Y. - If at first you don't succeed, try again. That motto has worked twice for trainer Pat Kelly and owner Peter G. Schiff in the Grade 1 .

When Kelly and Schiff won the Flower Bowl for the first time in 1992, it was on their second try with Christiecat. On Saturday at Belmont Park, Kelly and Schiff won the $750,000 Flower Bowl on their second try with Riskaverse.

Riskaverse was a three-quarter-length winner over Commercante in the Flower Bowl. Moscow Burning, the pacesetter in the 1 1/4-mile grass race, finished a head back in third.

Sat, 10/02/2004 - 00:00

Light Jig grabs Yellow Ribbon

Horsephotos
Light Jig cruises home to win the Grade 1 Yellow Ribbon by four lengths, the race's widest winning margin

ARCADIA, Calif. - Light Jig scored a convincing win in Saturday's $500,000 at Santa Anita, and may be part of a powerful team of Juddmonte Farms fillies for the $1 million Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Lone Star Park on Oct. 30.

Rebounding from a disappointing sixth in the Grade 1 John Mabee Handicap at Del Mar on July 24, Light Jig rallied from the back of the field of 10 fillies and mares to win the Grade 1 Yellow Ribbon by four lengths. The margin was the widest in the 27-year history of the race.

Sat, 10/02/2004 - 00:00

Freefourinternet stuns Perfect Drift

Four Footed Photo
Freefourinternet rolls past Perfect Drift in the stretch en route to a 1 3/4-length win in the Grade 2, $750,000 Hawthorne Gold Cup at Hawthorne on Saturday.

STICKNEY, Ill. - If Freefourinternet seemed on paper like an unlikely winner of the , you should have seen him five furlongs from the finish. It looked like he was in a different horserace, some 25 lengths behind the leaders, Quest Star, Powerful Touch, and the powerful favorite, Perfect Drift. But before he hit the far turn, Freefourinternet started running. He picked off horses one by one around the bend, came into the stretch with a full head of steam, and swept past Perfect Drift in the final furlong, winning the Grade 2, $750,000 Gold Cup by 1 3/4 lengths, paying $56 to win.

Sat, 10/02/2004 - 00:00

Cappuchino an easy winner

The excellence of California shippers extended from New York to Kentucky on Saturday. Less than a half-hour after Pico Central won the Grade 1 Vosburgh at Belmont Park, Cappuchino easily took the $100,000 at the Florence, Ky., track.

Going straight to the front under Dean Sarvis, Cappuchino set quick splits of 22.87 seconds, 46.38, and 1:11.18 on a clear lead. The fast pace did not take a toll. He ran strongly to the wire, winning by four lengths over Crafty Shaw.

Sat, 10/02/2004 - 00:00

Philadelphia Park: Ashado gets her prep

EQUI-PHOTOS
Ashado, ridden for the first time by Eibar Coa, wins the Grade 2 Cotillion Handicap by an easy 2 3/4 lengths on Saturday at Philadelphia Park. The race was her final prep for the Breeders' Cup Distaff on Oct. 30.

Heavily favored Ashado easily won the Grade 2, $250,000 for 3-year-old fillies at Philadelphia Park on Saturday, defeating Ender's Sister by 2 3/4 lengths. My Lordship was another 3 1/2 lengths back in third.

In her final prep for the Breeders' Cup Distaff, Ashado stalked the pace three wide, took command in early stretch, and widened the gap while being ridden out.

Sat, 10/02/2004 - 00:00

Pimlico: Bending Strings comes on late

Jim McCue/Maryland Jockey Club
Bending Strings rallies to win the Grade 3, $143,000 Safely Kept Breeders' Cup at Pimlico.

Bending Strings rallied from last to first, winning the Grade 3, $143,000 Safely Kept Breeders' Cup at Pimlico by 2 1/4 lengths over even-money favorite Smokey Glacken.

Sent off as the third choice in the race for 3-year-old fillies under Hector Karamanos, Bending Strings swung four wide in midstretch and closed fastest, covering the six furlongs in 1:10.11. She had been off the board in each of her last four starts, all in Grade 1 races. She paid $9.80 and teamed with the favorite for a $27.40 exacta.

Sat, 10/02/2004 - 00:00

Woodbine: Colorful Judgement by a neck

Michael Burns Photo Ltd.
Colorful Judgement overtakes Lenny the Lender to win the Grade 2 Sky Classic Handicap by a neck.

Colorful Judgement ($13.60) overhauled 9-1 shot Lenny the Lender in the final strides to capture the Grade 2 at Woodbine.

Colorful Judgement was one of four Sam-Son Farm runners in the 1 3/8-mile turf race, including 3-10 favorite Strut the Stage, who trailed in the seven-horse field. The others were the designated rabbit, Longship, who was third at 51-1, and fourth-place finisher Rainbows for Luck.

Sat, 10/02/2004 - 00:00

Delaware: Lyracist rallies to take Kelso

Lyracist took advantage of an early pace duel to rally from second-last in a field of six and win the $100,300 Kelso Handicap at Delaware Park.

Private Lap, the even-money favorite, was kept inside by the 9-1 shot Distinct Vision while disputing the pace, got out on the far turn, and then gave way to finish third, beaten 2 1/2 lengths. Private Lap carried Ouagadougou wide as he came out for the drive and was disqualified from third and placed fourth.

Sat, 10/02/2004 - 00:00

Cin Cin takes Foolish Pleasure, but not without stiff challenge

Jim Lisa
Cin Cin (right) needed everything he had to hold off D'court's Speed.

MIAMI - Trainer Bill White cautioned against conceding the victory in Saturday's $100,000 Foolish Pleasure Stakes to his odds-on favorite, Cin Cin. He was almost right.

Cin Cin, sent postward the prohibitive 1-2 favorite despite White's warnings, had to be fully extended to fend off his uncoupled stablemate, D'court's Speed, before hanging on for a half-length victory in the mile-and-70-yard Foolish Pleasure. The win was the third in a row for Cin Cin ($3), who easily won the seven-furlong Affirmed division of the Florida Stallion Stakes in his previous start.

Sat, 10/02/2004 - 00:00

Caller One works, nearing a race

MIAMI - Caller One, whose only start during the last 28 months came in the two-furlong Rocket Man Stakes here July 10, continued his comeback by working five furlongs in 1:03.20 on Saturday.

Caller One went to the sidelines with over $2 million in earnings after suffering a fractured sesamoid during the spring of 2002. He finished a troubled third when finally making it back to the races in the Rocket Man, and has been in training here ever since with Laura Posada.