Gators N Bears posted a third straight win at his favorite track in capturing the Rumson Stakes.
The Rumson for 3-year-olds going six furlongs topped a trio of $50,000 stakes Sunday afternoon at Monmouth Park.
A pair of one-mile New Jersey-bred races, the Jersey Breeders' Handicap and The Highlands for 3-year-old fillies completed the stakes lineup.
In keeping with the local-breeding theme, the first two finishers in the Rumson were the two New Jersey-breds in the four-horse field.
Chauffe Au Rouge set a new course record while defending his title in the $50,000 Retama Park Turf Breeders' Cup Handicap on Saturday night. Krishavingfunnow, the favorite, finished a half-length back in second, while it was another length and three quarters to third-place finisher Wishingitwas.
Chauffe Au Rouge($8.20) stalked the pace in fifth early, took over in the stretch and went on to cover the the mile and a sixteenth over firm turf in 1:40.80.
"He loves this turf course," said Roman Chapa, who rode the winner for trainer Cole Norman.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Favored Slightlymorelikely ($3.20) led throughout Sunday's $136,250 Ontario Debutante Stakes at Woodbine, winning the six-furlong dash for 2-year-old fillies by a comfortable margin under Todd Kabel.
Slightlymorelikely set quick fractions of :21.85 and :45.42 while being stalked by Wild Glory. She began to extend her lead at the quarter pole, and then drew off to post a six and three-quarter-length score over a closing Verybrightnshiny. Wild Glory finished third in a field reduced to five with the scratch of Beyond the Horizon.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Little sister can get it done, too. Tizdubai, a full sister to Tiznow and Budroyale, ascended to the top of the West Coast's 2-year-old filly division on Saturday by rallying for a four-length victory in the $150,000 Sorrento Stakes on a gorgeous, summer afternoon at Del Mar.
Tizdubai stalked Dirty Diana, the even-money favorite, through early fractions of 22.09 seconds and :44.35 for a half-mile. Tizdubai then swooped past Dirty Diana just inside the furlong pole, and drew clear. Dirty Diana was a clear second, 4 1/2 lengths in front of third-place Solar Fire.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Wando became the first Canadian Triple Crown winner in a decade Saturday at Woodbine with a tremendous effort under Patrick Husbands in the $500,000 .
Wando stalked an honest pace set by Parasail, one of three Sam-Son Farm runners in the 1 1/2-mile turf event for Canadian-bred 3-year-olds. Shoal Water, another Sam-Son horse, made a three-wide bid on the backstretch, which forced Wando to go inside of Parsail along the rail on the far turn.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - With a half-mile left to run in Saturday's $500,000 , Whitmore's Conn dropped back to last and trainer Randy Schulhofer dropped his head.
"I said, 'Oh, no, look at this, he's not going to fire,' " Schulhofer said. "I was very worried."
Around the far turn, Whitmore's Conn began to pick it up, lifting Schulhofer's spirits.
"I was getting excited - it looked like he was fired out of a cannon," Schulhofer said.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - John Veitch was only 9 years old in the summer of 1954 when his father, Sylvester Veitch, won 24 races during the 24-day Saratoga meeting. Now 58, Veitch is about to watch that record fall.
Trainer Todd Pletcher won his 23rd race of the meet on Saturday when Newfound-land was placed first by the stewards in the eighth race after being interfered with by Thompson Rouge in deep stretch. That moved Pletcher within one win of equaling Syl Veitch's mark after just 16 days of the meet. John Veitch, for one, is rooting for Pletcher.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Ladies Din, the 8-year-old millionaire and multiple stakes winner, has been taken out of retirement.
A winner of 12 of 37 starts and $1,966,754, Ladies Din was sent to a local farm in June, but owners Bernie Schiappa and Terry Lanni decided to put the gelding back into training after Schiappa saw him in those surroundings.
"When you looked into his eyes, he didn't look like himself," Schiappa said.
The horse was sent back to trainer Frank Monteleone. On Friday at Del Mar, Ladies Din worked a half-mile in 48.40 seconds.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - It might be blasphemy to suggest, but trainer Todd Pletcher may not have the horse to beat in Monday's Grade 2, $150,000 Adirondack Stakes for juvenile fillies.
Pletcher, who has won both juvenile stakes at this meet and 23 races here overall, sends out Lokoya in the Adirondack, run at 6 1/2 furlongs. Lokoya, a daughter of Woodman, won her maiden by three lengths at Belmont at first asking on July 4.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Ian Jory has trained such major stakes winners as Best Pal, Marvin's Faith, Vying Victor, and Continental Red, the reigning California-bred horse of the year.
In coming months, Jory's personal all-star team could grow to include Just Parkin, who risks an unbeaten streak when he makes his stakes debut in Monday's $100,000 Real Good Deal Stakes for 3-year-olds at Del Mar.
"I think he's the best horse I've had in a long time," Jory said.
