Cat Genius led throughout the $75,000 Sportsman's Paradise for 3-year-olds, winning his comeback from a layoff of more than three months at Delta Downs in Vinton, La. It was 4 1/2 lengths back to Cleaning House in second.
Cat Genius ($3) was making his first start since Nov. 30, when he grabbed a quarter at the start of the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes and finished 12th as the favorite.
Cat Genius covered the seven furlongs, run around two turns, in 1:25.57 under jockey Calvin Borel.
After running second to Xtra Heat in January, Gazillion apparently needed a race to recover. She came back a month later and was beaten as the odds-on favorite in an optional claiming sprint. But Gazillion ($3.60) regained her best form with a 1 1/2-length victory in the $60,000 Conniver Stakes at Laurel Park.
Powers Prospect ($8.40) shipped in from Philadelphia Park and won her first stakes, the $50,000 Wide Country. Ridden by Roberto Alvarado Jr. for trainer Cathi Lynch, the 3-year-old Powers Prospect wired a group of six other 3-year-old fillies and finished a length in front of Blushing Valley.
Giovannetti turned back several challenges en route to a three-quarter-length victory in the $100,000 Phoenix Gold Cup.
Giovannetti was hustled from the gate by jockey Danny Sorenson to set the early pace on a short lead inside three rivals, drew well clear in upper stretch of the six-furlong race, and then held off the late-running R. Baggio. It was another 2 3/4 lengths back to 28-1 Flying Supercom in third.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Switching Sunday's $200,000 Gotham, a Grade 3 prep race for the Kentucky Derby, to Aqueduct's inner track around two turns doesn't look like it has hurt the size of the field.
"It helped it; it looks like a fairly big field," said Andrew Byrnes, the stakes coordinator for the New York Racing Association, on Sunday.
The Gotham was scheduled to be a one-turn mile on the main track, but now will be run around two turns at a mile and 70 yards on the inner track because bad weather has delayed the opening of the main track, at least through Sunday.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - The addition of blinkers put My Trusty Cat closer to the pace on Saturday when she used stalk-and-pounce tactics en route to a five-length win in the $75,000 Honeybee for 3-year-old fillies at Oaklawn Park.
One start before, My Trusty Cat had come from far back to finish third to Lady Tak in the $100,000 Tiffany Lass at Fair Grounds on Jan. 26.
"She was very professional with the blinkers on," said David Vance, who trains My Trusty Cat for Carl Pollard. "I knew after her race in New Orleans they were going to have to go on.
SALEM, N.H. - Joseph E. Carney Jr., president and co-owner of Rockingham Park, died Sunday after a long illness. He was 70.
As a founder of Rockingham Venture Inc., Carney and his partners rebuilt Rockingham in 1984 after a fire destroyed the grandstand in 1980.
Cliff Goodrich, appointed president of Arlington Park in December, will officially assume his duties on March 11, according to a news release. At the same time, Arlington president Steve Sexton will move into his new post as president of Churchill Downs and Ellis Park. Goodrich has been working for Arlington under the title of interim executive vice president since he was named as Sexton's successor late last year.
Goodrich also will serve as senior vice president of Churchill Downs Inc., the parent company of both Churchill and Arlington.
ALBANY, Calif. - Midweek cards at Golden Gate Fields are often lackluster, but Wednesday's has an interesting batch of races.
The feature is a six-furlong allowance race for 3-year-old fillies.
Trainer Jeff Bonde appears to have the two fillies to beat in the race, Jaciro and recent maiden winner Hajji Babe.
"They're both good fillies," Bonde said. "I wish they didn't have to face one another, but sometimes you have to do this to make races fill."
Only three rivals are signed up to face Bonde's pair.
The All Along Breeders' Cup, a Grade 3 turf stakes race that's part of the biggest day of the year at Colonial Downs, has gotten a $50,000 purse boost to $200,000 this season.
Colonial, which will hold 14 stakes races during a six-week, 30-day program that runs from June 13 to July 22, also raised the purses for 11 other stakes races to $50,000 apiece.
The track's signature event, the sixth annual Virginia Derby, will remain a $500,000 race for the second straight year. The 1 1/4-mile turf race for 3-year-olds is scheduled for July 12.