Sat, 11/15/2003 - 00:00

Judiths Wild Rush now 3 for 3

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Judiths Wild Rush ($11.50) stamped himself as a serious contender for the Sovereign Award as Canada's champion 2-year-old with a powerful victory in Saturday's $135,625 Display Stakes at Woodbine.

Begborrowanddeal set quick fractions of 22.93 and 46.63 seconds in the 1 1/16-mile race, as Judiths Wild Rush stalked in second under jockey Dino Luciani. Judiths Wild Rush blew by the front-runner heading into the far turn, through three-quarters in 1:11.82, and cruised home on top by 10 lengths over favored Smoocher.

Sat, 11/15/2003 - 00:00

Jones sets earnings record

CYPRESS, Calif. - Trainer Paul Jones set a single-season Quarter Horse earnings record Friday night when La Premier Fleur finished second in the seventh race at Los Alamitos. La Premier Fleur earned $1,687, pushing Jones's earnings for the year to $3,531,720.

The record had belonged to Hall of Famer Blane Schvaneveldt, who earned $3,531,572 in 1984.

"It is an honor to be in the company of Blane Schvaneveldt," Jones said.

Sat, 11/15/2003 - 00:00

Perty Number is Finger Lakes's best

Perty Number, who began the year running for a $4,000 claiming tag with only two career victories, has been named Finger Lakes horse of the year. The award was presented at the Finger Lakes Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association dinner.

A 5-year-old New York-bred mare, Perty Number won only two of her first 17 career starts. Claimed for $4,000 on May 18, Perty Number posted six wins and six seconds in 12 starts this year. She won her first two starts against $10,000 claimers and went on to win four more races against statebred and open allowance competition.

Sat, 11/15/2003 - 00:00

Best of the Rest goes out in style

Jean Raftery/Turfphotos
In what was likely the final race of his career, 8-year-old Best of the Rest wins the Carl G. Rose Classic for the second straight year.

MIAMI - One couldn't blame trainer Eddie Plesa Jr. for getting just a little emotional after leading Best of the Rest into the winner's circle following his 1 1/4-length victory over Tour of the Cat in defense of his title in Saturday's $200,000 Carl G. Rose Classic.

The Rose marked Best of the Rest's first start since his owner-breeder and Plesa's close friend, Bernie Oxenberg, died two weeks earlier.

Sat, 11/15/2003 - 00:00

Chatter Chatter: Tougher race, same results

MIAMI - After winning her previous two starts by a combined 43 lengths, Chatter Chatter had to work a little harder on Saturday to take a two-length victory over Usual Manner in the $150,000 Joe O'Farrell Juvenile Fillies. The O'Farrell was part of the undercard on the $1 million Florida Million Day program at Calder.

Chatter Chatter gave jockey Jerry Bailey his 67th stakes win of the season, leaving him one shy of the single season mark of 68, set by Mike Smith in 1994.

Sat, 11/15/2003 - 00:00

Tracking plan works for Spice Island

Horsephotos
Spice Island ($16.00) gets her first graded stakes win in the Grade 2, $150,000 Long Island Handicap at Aqueduct on Saturday.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Spice Island ran her winning streak to three and notched her first graded stakes victory in Saturday's 1 1/2-mile, Grade 2 at Aqueduct.

Ridden by Victor Carrero, Spice Island tracked the front-runners for most of the three-turn race and then ran down favored Volga in the last 100 yards to win by 1 1/2 lengths. Spice Island was the fourth choice in the 11-horse field and paid $16 to win. After setting most of the pace, Banyu Dewi was third, four lengths behind Spice Island.

Sat, 11/15/2003 - 00:00

Hoh Buzzard makes long trip worthwhile

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Trainer Ben Cecil thought it was worth sending Hoh Buzzard all the way from California for the Mrs. Revere Stakes, although "we were going to look like idiots if she didn't run any good," said Cecil.

Instead, Cecil and owner Gary Tanaka looked absolutely brilliant Saturday afternoon after Hoh Buzzard, ridden by Ryan Fogelsonger, led wire-to-wire in defeating 11 other 3-year-old fillies in the Grade 2, $175,650 at Churchill Downs.

Sat, 11/15/2003 - 00:00

Hawthorne: 'Crazy' connects at 36-1

STICKNEY, Ill. - Owner Frank Calabrese and trainer Wayne Catalano love a sure thing. All summer at Arlington, they send out horses to win claiming races at desperately short odds.

Saturday at Hawthorne, they played a much different game, taking a stab in the $100,000 Hawthorne Oaks with the 36-1 shot Beautiful Crazy, who got up by a head and lit up the board, paying $75.40 to win.

"I could've been a goat, but I guess I'm the hero," Catalano said.

Sat, 11/15/2003 - 00:00

Delta: Prized Amberpro rallies

Prized Amberpro passed the $500,000 mark in earnings when she rallied for a two-length win over Leg's O'Neal in Friday's $75,000 Magnolia, one of two stakes for Louisiana-breds at Delta Downs.

Prized Amberpro ($5.60), ridden by C.J. Woodley, settled in sixth early in the Magnolia, a seven-furlong race for fillies and mares held around two turns. She closed well through the stretch and finished in 1:26.46.

Sat, 11/15/2003 - 00:00

Penn: Chicago shipper scores

Lovely Afternoon made her first five career starts in the Windy City of Chicago, so she must have felt right at home with the blustery conditions at Penn National.

Ridden by Larry Sterling, Lovely Afternoon ($2.80) rallied to score a 1 3/4-length victory in the $53,450 Blue Mountain Futurity for Pennsylvania-bred 2-year-old fillies.