AUBURN, Wash. - Aunt Sophie circled the field turning for home and drew out to score a two-length victory over Cascade Corona in Sunday's one mile, $100,000 Emerald Breeders' Cup Distaff at Emerald Downs. Hippogator, the narrow favorite at 9-5, held on for third in the field of eight after contesting the early pace.
Ridden by Roberto Gonzalez, Aunt Sophie got the distance in 1:36.20 on a sloppy track and paid $7.40 to win. She registered her fifth stakes win and her ninth victory from 33 career starts, and the $41,250 winner's prize boosted her career earnings to $272,155.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Pleasantly Perfect, even at less than his best, is still the best horse in the world.
In a performance that trainer Richard Mandella characterized as a move forward, but still below what Pleasantly Perfect can do at his optimum, Pleasantly Perfect won his third important Grade 1, 10-furlong race in the last 10 months in the $1 million on Sunday at Del Mar.
Before a crowd of 30,177, Pleasantly Perfect overtook Total Impact at the top of the stretch and then safely held off Perfect Drift to win the biggest and richest race of the summer season here.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - The other gutsy gelding in the field ruined Funny Cide's homecoming Sunday at Saratoga.
Evening Attire, a 6-year-old gelding, ended a year of frustration by returning to his favorite racetrack and blowing past Funny Cide approaching the eighth pole to win the Grade 2, $250,000 by five lengths at sun-splashed Saratoga.
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.
