ARCADIA, Calif. - Designed for Luck, a gelding who overcame a career-threatening injury to return to racing this summer, may be peaking at an ideal time.
Sunday, Designed for Luck won the $300,000 at Santa Anita, scoring his most lucrative win and booking a place in the $1.5 million Breeders' Cup Mile on Oct. 25.
"It's satisfying to see the horse, who had no right to come back to racing, do this," trainer Vladimir Cerin said. "This was for real."
ARCADIA, Calif. - Avanzado ended a four-race losing streak with a front-running win in Sunday's $156,625 at Santa Anita, but he is not considered a candidate for the $1 million Breeders' Cup Sprint on Oct. 25
Avanzado, an Argentine-bred, must be supplemented for $200,000, a sum that owner Michael Cooper said was too high. "We won't be going there," he said.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Just a few hundred yards into the $500,000 , Bien Nicole already was far in front. That's usually a no-no in a turf marathon, but when the field passed the wire for the second and final time, Bien Nicole, ridden by Don Pettinger, was the easiest of winners, prevailing by 7 1/4 lengths in the Grade 2 race Sunday at Keeneland.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Smoocher rallied inside from well back, and kissed the field goodbye in the stretch to take the Grade 2, $277,250 Grey Breeders' Cup Stakes for 2-year-olds at Woodbine Sunday.
Smoocher trailed early under jockey Jim McAleney, as Estevan and San Diego Blowout hooked up through fractions of :24.31 and :47.87 in the mile and a sixteenth event. Estevan emerged with lead on the far turn, through three-quarters in 1:12.50, as Smoocher and Niigon loomed into contention.
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Trapper ($12.60), a 3-year-old meeting older, gave young trainer William E. Morey his first stakes victory, capturing the $100,000 California Sprint Championship by a neck over Green Team at Bay Meadows on Saturday.
Trapper, claimed for $32,000 from his debut, sat well off the brisk pace set by Con Quixote and wore down Green Team late to win the six-furlong race in 1:09.26 for his fourth straight victory. Men's Exclusive, the 10-year-old millionaire who won the inaugural running of the race in 1997, was third 1_ (one one-half) lengths behind Green Team.
Randaroo ($21.40) led a parade of longshots under the wire in Saturday's Grade 3, $150,000 Safely Kept Breeders' Cup Handicap at Pimlico.
Trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, Randaroo stalked the pacesetting Follow Me Home through fractions of 22.31 and 45.04 seconds before edging up to beat that rival by three-quarters of a length. The top four betting choices finished off the board in the six-furlong stakes for 3-year-old fillies, triggering a $3,985.60 trifecta with Awesome Charm in third.
ELMONT, N.Y. - It remains to be seen if Azeri will be healthy enough to defend her Breeders' Cup Distaff title. If Azeri does make it, she will have a formidable foe waiting for her in Sightseek.
Sightseek set up the sexy potential matchup when she disposed of six overmatched rivals Saturday, rolling past Bird Town in midstretch and drawing clear to a 4 1/2-length victory in the Grade 1, $750,000 before 7,591 at Belmont Park. Bird Town, who set the pace, held second by 4 3/4 lengths over Buy the Sport.
ELMONT, N.Y. - There was a chill in the air at Belmont Park on Saturday, indicating that indeed autumn has arrived. But trainer Nick Zito couldn't help but think about spring.
In a span of 20 minutes, Zito won a pair of graded stakes for juvenile colts, and while many horsemen would be thinking Breeders' Cup, Zito is thinking Kentucky Derby.
