OCEANPORT, N.J. - Reduit hits the comeback trail again for trainer Tom Skiffington in the $43,000 optional claiming feature Wednesday at Monmouth Park.
A 6-year-old, Reduit last raced in the Grade 2 Pan American Handicap at Gulfstream Park in March 2003. He rallied for third, but was vanned off the track with a suspensory injury.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - It wasn't enough that Sam-Son Farm and trainer Mark Frostad won two of the three stakes run here last weekend.
Both Soaring Free, in Saturday's Ontario Jockey Club, and Shoal Water, in Sunday's Chinese Cultural Centre, also broke records.
Soaring Free's clocking of 1:19.38 broke the North American record for seven furlongs on turf while Shoal Water's time of 2:12.37 for 1 3/8 miles on turf set a Woodbine record.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Blonde Executive will test the turf for the first time Wednesday at Woodbine in the $128,000 Passing Mood Stakes, a seven-furlong dash for Ontario-sired 3-year-old fillies.
Trained by Radlie Loney, Blonde Executive has made a good living as a sprinter, winning five of 10 starts for earnings of $325,951. She defeated older allowance runners in her season debut May 2 before posting a six-length win in the seven-furlong Lady Angela Stakes.
SANTA ROSA, Calif. - Melody Truitt, even more than most people, is happy to move to Santa Rosa from the just-concluded Solano County Fair.
Truitt, who has worked the fairs the past three years, clocks workouts in the morning and times races in the afternoon. Unlike at Solano, Truitt operates an automatic timing system at Santa Rosa. At Solano, Truitt must manually trip the timing system to record fractions. At Santa Rosa, the horses trip beams of light from electronic eyes that are installed on poles around the track.
ELMONT, N.Y. ? Spite the Devil gutted out a half-length win in the $108,100 Evan Shipman Handicap, the closing-day stakes at Belmont Park?s spring meet.
Sherpa Guide, who closed with a rush, finished second in the 1 1/16-mile dirt race for New York-breds. Mr. Determined finished third, a neck behind Sherpa Guide, and Rogue Agent finished fourth. Gander, the favorite in the six-horse field, failed to fire and finished fifth, 3 1/2 lengths behind Spite the Devil. Manhattan Express was last.
VALLEJO, Calif. - Odds-on favorite Kelly's Princess ($3.20) broke alertly from the rail to take the immediate lead and increased that lead at each call as she captured the $53,400 Solano County Juvenile Fillies Stakes at the Solano County Fair on Sunday.
Kelly's Princess won the 5 1/2-furlong furlong race by 7 1/2 lengths over Tense Wager, who closed from last to be second. Winning time was 1:04.64.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Making his first start in nine months, Special Ring defended his title in Sunday's $400,000 , reaffirming his position at the top of the nation's turf miler.
Special Ring led throughout to win by three-quarters of a length over entrymate Bayamo. Special Ring finished 1 1-8 miles on turf in 1:45.90, narrowly missing the track record of 1:45.87 he set in the 2003 running.
Both Special Ring and Bayamo are owned by Prestonwood Farm and trained by Julio Canani.
AUBURN, Wash. - Poker Brad used a devastating quarter mile kick to win a second straight renewal of the $77,500 at Emerald Downs on Sunday, completing the 1 1/8 miles in 1:46.60 to defeat Mr. Makah by two lengths. Demon Warlock finished another 1 1/4 lengths back in third, while favored Gratitude Attack faded to seventh in the field of nine after dueling through six furlongs in 1:09.
BOSSIER CITY, La. - Akanti, just two races removed from a start for a $12,500 claiming tag, kicked strongly clear through the lane to capture Sunday's Blue Skies Handicap under leading rider Lonnie Meche. Crowned King, a slight favorite over Akanti in the wagering, turned in a late run to complete the exacta with Guaranteed Sweep finishing third. Highweight Rare Cure failed to fire as he did in capturing the recent Bob Johnson Memorial Stakes at Lone Star and reported home a disappointing eighth.
