Sky Soldier ran his record to 3 for 3 with a four-length victory in the $60,000 at Laurel.
Winner of his first two starts - both six-furlong races at Philadelphia Park - Sky Soldier was stretching out to 1 1/16 miles in the Private Terms. With Rodrigo Madrigal Jr. riding, Sky Soldier took the lead just before the eighth pole and pulled away to win. Skycrossing was second, seven lengths ahead of a fading Moses Jerome.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark - Southern Tour ran down pacesetter Cinnful Bride to successfully defend her title in the $50,000 at Oaklawn Park on Saturday.
In the six-furlong Carousel, Southern Tour ($6.80) sat in fourth early while Cinnful Bride led the field through an opening quarter in 21.70 seconds. Southern Tour advanced around the turn through a half-mile in 45.26 seconds, and won by three-quarters of length, covering six furlongs in 1:11.01.
Brown Eyed Beauty, the favorite, closed for third, 1 1/4 lengths behind Cinnful Bride.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - The lived up to its billing as a two-horse race on Saturday at Aqueduct.
Carson Hollow, the 1-2 favorite in the six-horse field of fillies and mares, defeated Raging Fever by 1 1/4 lengths. Bonefide Reason finished third, 1 3/4 lengths behind Raging Fever, the 2-1 second choice.
TAMPA BAY, Fla. - Trainer Don Rice will be 69 years old this September, but if you think he's headed for a fishing pole and a quiet retirement, think again.
The man they all have to beat when they race at Tampa Bay Downs, Rice is in the midst of another standout meeting. If the past 10 days are any indication, he's odds-on to take his seventh training title here.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Hero's Tribute ended a series of losses against graded stakes company with a four-length victory over 50-1 shot Aeneas and six other rivals in Saturday's $300,000 .
Hero's Tribute finished a wide-running third behind Lido Palace to close out his 2002 campaign in the Grade 2 Clark Handicap at Churchill, ran a troubled fourth to open the year in the Grade 3 Hal's Hope Handicap at Gulfstream, and finished second behind Harlan's Holiday in the Grade 1 Donn Handicap in his most recent start.
ALBANY, Calif. - Stuttgart set a North American record Saturday, winning a 4 1/2-furlong turf race in 49.86 seconds at Golden Gate Fields.
The previous record was 50 seconds flat set by Cake N' Steak on Aug. 9, 1993, at Mountaineer Park. The Golden Gate record was 50.40 seconds, set on May 22, 1994 by Bonne Nuite.
SUNLAND PARK, N.M. - Sunland Park created the $500,000 WinStar Derby hoping to lure Triple Crown hopefuls to the desert. While the field of eight does not include any current Kentucky Derby prospects, several in the field could earn their way into more established 3-year-old races with big performances.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Imitation remains eligible for an entry-level allowance race but will be the starting highweight and likely favorite in Sunday's $75,000 Caltech Handicap, a 1 1/8-mile race on turf.
A field of 11 3-year-olds is entered for the Caltech, including Popular Groom, who will run only if the race is switched to the main track. This is a distinct possibility because torrential downpours soaked the turf course with several inches of rain late Thursday and into Friday morning.
Handicapping Louisiana-breds going a distance on turf regularly involves guesswork. Saturday's $100,000 Red Camelia Handicap at Fair Grounds, a mile turf race for Louisiana-breds, is no exception.
The best horses in the race - Fuse It and Leslie's Love - are accomplished under sprint conditions, but not going a mile on turf. Many of the others enter the race with questionable form or seem inferior from a class perspective.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Ideally, Bare Necessities and Printemps would not be eligible for the $75,000 Santa Lucia Handicap at Santa Anita Sunday.
The two mares have run in graded stakes races this year, but without success.
Printemps won the minor Paseana Handicap in January, but was not a factor in two subsequent Grade 1 races - the Santa Maria and Santa Margarita handicaps. Bare Necessities finished third in the El Encino Stakes and fourth in the La Canada Stakes before rebounding with a convincing win in the Sacramento Handicap at Golden Gate Fields March 9.
