ETOBICOKE, Ontario - South Bay Cove ($3.20) turned back a late bid from longshot Extra Bases to capture her second consecutive stakes in Sunday's $175,750 Ontario Debutante at Woodbine.
South Bay Cove pressed the pace on the outside in the six-furlong dash for 2-year-old fillies, as High Button Shoes set splits of :22.34 and :45.78 seconds.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - Trainer Martin Ciresa and jockey Stewart Elliott didn't land the big prize over the weekend at Monmouth Park as Presidentialaffair ran second to Ghostzapper in the Grade 3, $200,000 Philip H. Iselin Handicap on Saturday.
They brushed off the disappointment Sunday with an upset score in the $60,000 Miss Woodford Stakes with Then She Laughs.
Honorable Pic led throughout for a neck win over favorite Fly Slama Jama in the $40,000 Chick Lang Jr. Memorial Stakes at Retama Park on Saturday night. It was another three-quarters of a length back in third to Late Expectations.
Honorable Pic ($13.80) was clear through fractions of 23.01 for the opening quarter and 45.53 seconds for the half-mile mark. In the late stages he held off a bid from Fly Slama Jama, and went on to cover seven and a half furlongs over firm turf in 1:28.77.
AUBURN, Wash. - Bianconi Baby posted her initial stakes victory in Saturday's nine furlong, $100,000 Washington Breeders' Cup Oaks at Emerald Downs.
Bianconi Baby, a lightly-raced daughter of Bianconi trained by Grant Forster, went to the front at the start under rider Ben Russell and maintained a 1 1-2 length advantage through a mile in 1:35, then staved off the late bid of 2-1 favorite Karis Makaw to prevail by a length in 1:48.80. The late-running Sariano got up for third.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Amorama's eight-race losing streak ended with a thrilling upset win in Saturday's $300,000 Del Mar Oaks, a victory that jockey David Flores thought was improbable late in the race.
Showing a remarkable rally, Amorama ($40.60) closed from last to catch Ticker Tape at the line, winning the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks by a nose. Trained by Julio Canani for Marsha Naify and Laurent and Christina Zilber, Amorama finished 1 1-8 miles on turf in a stakes record 1:46.26.
DEL MAR, Calif. - One day later than originally scheduled, and without the distinction of running in a stakes, six fillies and mares will start in a $75,000 race over 1 3/8 miles on turf at Del Mar on Monday.
The race was originally offered as the Thoroughbred Owners of California and California Thorough-bred Trainers Handicap for Sunday. But the race failed to draw sufficient entries Thursday and was offered again as an allowance race for Monday.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Trainer Allen Jerkens hemmed and hawed this past week over running Society Selection in Saturday's Grade 1 Alabama at Saratoga. His decision to run in the $750,000 Alabama, rather than $250,000 Ballerina on Aug. 29, paid off when Society Selection won the 1 1/4-mile for 3-year-old fillies by 2 1/2 lengths over Stellar Jayne.
COLLINSVILLE, Ill. - With six $35,000 stakes races on a nine-race card, Illinois Day at Fairmount Park gives downstate barns a chance to settle whatever scores there are to dispose of with Arlington and Hawthorne shippers who think they can plop onto Fairmount's deep, dry surface and hustle back home with bags of loot and winner's circle Polaroids.
Kota swept past front-running Angel Trumpet to post her first stakes victory in the $83,750 Anna M. Fisher Debutante at Ellis Park in Henderson, Ky.
A Florida-bred ridden by John McKee and trained by Bob Holthus, Kota returned $15 after finishing seven furlongs in 1:25 over a fast main track. It was the fourth career start for Kota, a 2-year-old Indian Charlie filly owned by Ofer Stable LLC.
Even after 1 1/8 miles, the Arlington Park photo-finish camera could not separate Lovely Afternoon and Catboat. Both fillies were racing at the longest distance of their careers Saturday, when they finished in a dead heat for win in the 25th running of the Grade 3, $150,000 .
