DEL MAR, Calif. - The California 2-year-old male division found a leader on Sunday.
After four different males won stakes at Hollywood Park and in the early part of the Del Mar meeting, Perfect Moon, the winner of the Hollywood Juvenile Championship on July 19, became the first two-time stakes winner in the $150,000 Best Pal Stakes at Del Mar.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - A well-rested Volga unleashed a dramatic stretch run Sunday afternoon to win the Grade 3, $100,000 Matchmaker Handicap at Monmouth Park.
The 5-year-old mare, who had not raced since December, rolled through the lane to beat Something Ventured by 1 3/4 lengths in the stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles on the turf.
The Matchmaker was the only one of the three scheduled grass races to remain on the turf following overnight showers.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Twisted Wit overhauled 1-2 favorite Stormthebarricade in deep stretch to capture the $163,350 Vandal Stakes for Canadian-bred 2-year-olds at Woodbine Sunday.
With David Clark aboard, Twisted Wit stalked the pace set by Stormthebarricade, who got splits of :22.50 and :46.11 in the six-furlong dash. Stormthebarricade opened up a clear lead at the head of the stretch, but began to stagger with an eighth of a mile left, and was overtaken by Twisted Wit, who completed the distance in a slow 1:13.37. Executive Willie was third in the seven-horse field.
BOSSIER CITY, La. - Golden Rhythm picked up her second stakes win in the last two weeks on Saturday, rallying strongly under Kirk LeBlanc to capture Saturday's Sangue Handicap at Louisiana Downs. Due To Win Again finished a neck back in second followed by Milligram.
LAFAYETTE, La. - Pie N Burger kicked clear impressively the final furlong to win Saturday night's $75,000 Evangeline Mile. Left in the Cole Norman trainee's wake was Compendium, six and a half lengths back, followed by Walk In The Snow, highweight Bonapaw and No It's Not.
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Go Ask Daisy ($24) won her stakes debut, wearing down pacesetting odds-on favorite Smoke Break in the lane to win the $52,100 Mid-Peninsula Stakes for 2-year-old Cal-bred fillies at the Bay Meadows Fair on Saturday.
Go Ask Daisy, fourth in her June 11 debut at Bay Meadows, won a $40,000 maiden claimer in her next start at Hollywood Park in wire-to-wire style. She couldn't match Smoke Break's early fractions of 21.94 and 44.89 in the 5 1/2-furlong race.
DEL MAR, Calif. - An upset win by Singletary in Saturday's $150,000 La Jolla Handicap at Del Mar led to several milestones.
Singletary ($15.60) finished 1 1-16 miles on turf in 1:40.39, a stakes record for the Grade 3 La Jolla, and gave the Little Red Feather Racing partnership and trainer Don Chatlos their must lucrative and prestigious victories.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - In a spectacular and terrifying finish to the 21st running of the on Saturday, Storming Home, who appeared to be a clear winner inside the sixteenth pole, lunged outward in the shadow of the finish wire. Jockey Gary Stevens clung desperately to the reins but was flung to the ground and was struck by an onrushing horse. Ten minutes later, Stevens was taken off the course on a stretcher. And in another ten minutes, to a cascade of boos from a sweating crowd of 28,614, Storming Home was disqualified to fourth, giving Sulamani the victory.
Toccet, a finalist for the Eclipse Award for juvenile champion of 2002, makes his long-awaited return to the races Tuesday in the $35,000 Widener Stakes at Philadelphia Park. The overnight stakes, run at 1 1/16 miles, is designed as a prep to get Toccet to the Grade 3, $750,000 Pennsylvania Derby on Sept. 1.
