NEW ORLEANS - New Orleans is one bustling city on Mardi Gras day. The parade routes are jammed, the French Quarter is a madhouse - and the Fair Grounds turf course will be packed with stakes horses.
A full field of 12 was entered for Tuesday's $75,000 Mardi Gras Handicap, a grass race contested at about 7 1/2 furlongs. With a short run to the first turn, this elongated sprint race could get as crazy as the local revelers if the big field stays intact.
LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. - Whosleavingwho, the co-World Champion Quarter Horse of 2002, won his 2003 stakes debut in Saturday's $206,000 Los Alamitos Winter Championship for older Quarter Horses.
Ridden by Joe Badilla, Jr., the 5-year-old Whosleavingwho ($2.80) ran 400 yards in 19.483 seconds, scoring by a length over Agouti, a stakes winner in December.
Trained by Paul Jones, Whosleavingwho did not have an ideal start, but quickly recovered and led by three-quarters of a length midway through the race.
Despite turning back from a mile and a sixteenth to five furlongs on turf, Sound of Gold was prominent throughout for a neck win over Raymond's Dream in the $35,000 Willowbrook for fillies and mares Saturday night at Sam Houston Race Park.
It was another length back in third to Cinnful Bride.
Sound Of Gold($12) covered five furlongs over firm turf in 58.96 seconds. John Jacinto rode the winner for River Ridge Ranch and Paul Pearson.
Fuse It won her second straight stakes Saturday night when she drove to a two and a half length win over even-money favorite Prized Amperbro in the $100,000 Marshland for statebred fillies and mares at Delta Downs in Vinton, La.
It was another four and a quarter lengths back in third to Light Fling.
ARCADIA, Calif. - A late jockey switch and the presence of a red-hot favorite could not prevent Redattore from scoring a front-running win in Saturday's $400,000 .
An hour before the race, Alex Solis replaced Laffit Pincay, Jr. on Redattore. Pincay was involved in a one-horse spill in Saturday's fifth race and took off his final three mounts complaining of body soreness.
When Bob Baffert decides he does not want to train anymore, he can play quarterback, because he knows how to call an audible. When Baffert on Thursday morning found out that the speedy Omega Code would not run in Saturday's $200,000 , he decided to enter the equally speedy Rojo Toro.
Baffert's last-second decision paid dividends, because Rojo Toro successfully stretched out around two turns and captured the one-mile San Rafael, a prep for next month's Santa Anita Derby.
ALBANY, Calif. - Halo Cat ($4) reversed a New Year's Day loss to I'madrifter, stalking the speedster before pulling away in the stretch to win the $61,350 San Carlos Handicap at Golden Gate Fields on Saturday.
I'madrifter, who won the Lafayette Handicap in wire-to-wire style on New Year's Day, again opened an easy lead over Halo Cat. But Halo Cat moved up into the lane and put his head in front at the eighth pole.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Allamerican Bertie made a happy anniversary even happier for her owners Bertram and Elaine Klein when she coasted to an easy 7 3/4-length victory over Smok'n Frolic and four other overmatched rivals in Saturday's $200,000 at Gulfstream Park.
The Kleins, who, with their son Richard, own and bred Allamerican Bertie, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Saturday.
Allamerican Bertie's winning margin was the largest in the 24-year history of the Grade 2 Rampart. She paid $2.80 to win and was responsible for a minus show pool of $88,791.
NEW ORLEANS - Quick Tip likes wet turf, and Quick Tip likes 1 1/8 miles. Quick: Who won the Bayou Breeders' Cup on Saturday at Fair Grounds?
Quick Tip skipped over a yielding turf course and nailed Histoire Sainte in the final strides of the Bayou BC. Rating in midpack behind a soft pace, Quick Tip came between horses coming off the turn, took dead aim on Histoire Sainte, and was up by a neck.
Ridden by Robby Albarado, owned by Will Farish, and trained by Neil Howard, Quick Tip paid $9.60 to win, running 1 1/8 miles in 1:54.61.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Bobby Frankel had the last laugh after all. The trainer kept Medaglia d'Oro out of Saturday's $1 million because he was not satisfied with the weights, but he still won the race with Milwaukee Brew, who became only the second horse to win the Santa Anita Handicap twice, joining the legendary John Henry.
Milwaukee Brew was kept surprisingly close to the lead by jockey Edgar Prado, but the strategy paid off. A moderate pace prevented the late runners from gaining any appreciable ground, as Milwaukee Brew and Congaree had a torrid battle down the stretch.
