PLEASANTON, Calif. ? Aunt Sophie ($10.20), untroubled by a speed bias on an extremely fast track that produced four track records, wore down pacesetting A B Noodle in the lane to win the Alameda County Fillies & Mares Handicap at the Alameda County Fair on Saturday.
The winning time in the 1 1/16-mile race was 1:40.34, eclipsing the 1:40 3/5 track record set by General Royal on July 11, 1999.
Magic Mission ended a seven-race losing streak with her first stakes win in Saturday's $112,200 Royal Heroine Stakes at Hollywood Park.
Rallying from eighth in a field of nine fillies and mares, Magic Mission outfought pacesetter Little Treasure in deep stretch to win by a head. Ridden by Corey Nakatani for trainer Neil Drysdale, Magic Mission finished a mile on turf in 1:34.25.
Little Treasure finished two lengths in front of Belleski. Favored Southern Oasis had a rough trip. She was blocked in early stretch and could only finished seventh.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Joey Franco was unbeatable at the Hollywood Park spring-summer meeting this year.
After winning the Tiznow Stakes against California-breds on April 26 and the Ack Ack Handicap against open company on May 31, Joey Franco on Saturday won the most important race of his career in the $300,000 Triple Bend Breeders' Cup Invitational Handicap.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Kool Humor held off a stretch bid from Shawklit Man to win the $100,000 Alysheba Breeders' Cup by a length and a quarter Saturday at Lone Star Park. It was another seven and a half lengths back in third to Iceandwater.
The field was reduced to four with the scratch of Yessirgeneralsir.
ELMONT, N.Y. - There was five-sixteenths of a mile left in the 117th running of the at Belmont Park and Mineshaft had cruised to the lead. But, just to his outside, poised to pounce, was Volponi, winner of last year's Breeders' Cup Classic.
What looked like a match race in the making instead turned into a mismatch. Turning for home, jockey Robby Albarado shook the reins at Mineshaft and the 4-year-old A.P. Indy colt took off and cruised to a 2 1/4-length victory before an announced crowd of 18,326 on wall-clock giveaway day at steamy Belmont.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The real battle for jockey David Flores in the $750,000 was securing the mount on Dimitrova, the Irish import. The seemingly easy part was winning Saturday's rich race for 3-year-old fillies at Hollywood Park.
After being given the ride in mid-June, Flores was informed last week that trainer Dermot Weld wanted to use Pat Smullen, his stable jockey in Ireland who had become available. But after appealing to the stewards that he had been given the call, Flores retained the mount. He then made the most of the situation.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Exactly one month since he lost his apprentice allowance, jockey John McKee notched his first stakes victory as a journeyman, and his first in a graded stakes, when he gave Tap the Admiral a flawless ride in winning Saturday's $288,500 at Churchill Downs.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Bobby Frankel's last-minute decision to ship War Zone from California to New York paid off handsomely Saturday when War Zone knifed his way through the field to win the Grade 3, $116,200 Poker Handicap by a half-length.
Trademark, who raced near the pace under Eibar Coa, did well to hold second, a half-length ahead of the pacesetting Saint Verre.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - Balto Star and jockey Jose Velez Jr. teamed up for the biggest win of their respective careers as they combined to pull off a stunning upset Saturday afternoon in the Grade 1, $750,000 United Nations Handicap at Monmouth Park.
Balto Star ($76) held off The Tin Man by a half-length with Lunar Sovereign third. Balto Star set a course record, running the 1 3/8 miles in 2:12.78, erasing the mark of 2:12.81 set by With Anticipation in his U.N. victory last year.
