GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Lone Star Park's results over the past few weeks have looked a lot like the charts from Remington Park - many of the winners are being ridden by Cliff Berry.
Berry, who is a nine-time title winner at Remington, has been the hottest rider at Lone Star the last three weeks. He kicked the tempo up a notch on Saturday when he guided 8-year-old Maysville Slew to a 21-1 upset in the $200,000 Dallas Turf Cup.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Stakes-placed Finnerty's Frolic will get some class relief Wednesday at Woodbine, a $62,500 claimer for 3-year-old fillies.
Finnerty's Frolic was a bargain $40,000 claim last fall by Fort Erie-based trainer John Simms. In her first start for Simms, she was second to Ontheqt in the six-furlong Fanfreluche Stakes, and then capped her 2-year-old campaign with a front-running score in a six-furlong allowance.
CALGARY, Alberta - Fly Esteem ($83.70) became the longest-priced winner of the Alberta Derby on Saturday since Arctic Blitz paid $144.60 in 1989 and provided trainer Bob Kingston and rider Desmond Bryan with their most lucrative successes.
Kingston made two key changes before the 74th running of the Alberta Derby, adding a version of tongue tie known as a "running W" and putting Fly Esteem on Lasix for the first time.
The final piece of the puzzle fit into place for Bryan, who found himself all alone in second spot chasing the early pacesetter Saw Grass Sabre.
It's difficult to find a more consistent mare than Bronze Abe.
Competing in a stakes for the 17th time in her career, the 5-year-old Bronze Abe ($3.60) wired a group of sprinters Monday to win the $54,300 Local Thriller Stakes at Delaware Park by five lengths.
Trained by Bud Delp, the Maryland-based Bronze Abe has now won seven stakes and finished worse than third only three times. She is 11 for 27 with earnings of $468,064. This season, Bronze Abe has won 4 of 6 starts, all in stakes at six or seven furlongs.
Jockey Ken Shino sustained a punctured lung and several broken ribs when his mount, Grumpy's Gal, broke down near the wire in Saturday's fourth race at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa.
Grumpy's Gal and Shino were rallying through the stretch and appeared on their way to a runner-up finish when the 5-year-old mare broke down in her right front leg just strides from the wire, sending Shino crashing to the ground over her head. The force of the impact buried Shino's whip six inches into the track surface.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Slew Valley, himself a giant of a horse, played the metaphorical role of giant-killer here in Saturday's $324,300 King Edward Breeders' Cup at Woodbine.
A Maryland-bred 7-year-old, Slew Valley had joined Reade Baker's outfit here a little more than a month ago, and his King Edward victims included the odds-on choice, Wando, Canada's reigning horse of the year and champion 3-year-old.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Big Tease rallied up the rail while Brandala came four wide to win split divisions of the Mt. Vernon Handicap for New York-bred fillies and mares at Belmont Park.
In the first division, worth $83,700, Big Tease ($9.90), ridden by Richard Migliore and trained by Gary Contessa, covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.67 over a yielding inner turf course for a 1 3/4-length victory Beebe Lake.
SHAKOPEE, Minn. - Be My Friend prevailed in a photo finish to win the $70,000 Lady Canterbury Breeders' Cup at Canterbury Park. The favored Cat's Cat was second by a head, with Border Blues third.
Be My Friend ($60), trained by Sherri Shepherd and ridden by her son, Justin Shepherd, completed the mile in 1:35.55 over firm turf.
AUBURN, Wash. - Demon Warlock sprang a $29.80 surprise in Sunday?s $75,000 Budweiser Emerald Handicap at Emerald Downs, edging the favored Poker Brad by a head after a mile in 1:34.40.
Demon Warlock, who was claimed by owners Tim and Allen Floyd and Mike Nist for just $25,000 in March, stalked the pace of Willie the Cat and Poker Brad through six furlongs in 1:10.20, then dueled through the stretch while bumping repeatedly with Poker Brad. The stewards ruled that the bumping was mutual and allowed the result to stand. Briartic Gold got up for third in the field of eight.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - When Bob Hess Jr. first started training Chandtrue, he thought the 2-year-old colt might merely be, as he put it, a "one-dimensional rocket ship." But Chandtrue has matured with every start, and showed a new dimension on Sunday when rallying from off the pace to score an overpowering victory in the $99,375 Haggin Stakes at Hollywood Park.
The seven-length victory established Chandtrue as the most accomplished 2-year-old in the West. He has now won all three of his starts by a combined margin of 15 1/2 lengths.