ALBANY, Calif. - Lacie Girl ($6.40) improved her record to 4-0, winning her stakes and route debut by a nose over Lindsay Jean in the $60,600 Star Ball Handicap at Golden Gate Fields on Saturday.
The 3-year-old Lacie Girl won her first three starts in sprints. She sat off fast fractions set by Erica's Smile, who covered the first six furlongs of the 1 1/16-mile race in 1:08.87.
Sunland Park, N. M. - With no horse in the field having experience at a mile and two speedy types as the obvious choices, a late closer figured to win Saturday's $125,000-added Red Hedeman Mile for New Mexico-bred two-year-olds at Sunland Park. As it turned out, Tornados Jack was the horse for the day, circling the field into the stretch and drawing off in the final furlong to win by three and a quarter lengths, getting the mile in 1:39.83 under Garrett Gomez and returning $7.60. The win was Gomez's second of the day, extending his meet leading total to 12 from just 26 mounts.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - You could hear trainer Bob Baffert's jaw drop from 3,000 miles away.
Baffert stayed behind in California while his 4-year-old Congaree destroyed a deep field by 5 1/2 lengths in Saturday's Grade 1, $350,000 at Aqueduct. Aldebaran, a perennial bridesmaid, finished second again, a neck in front of Crafty C.T.
Red Bullet, the surprising 3-1 favorite, finished a well-beaten seventh.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Michael Dickinson earned his lofty reputation in racing as a trainer of older grass horses. So after Soto stayed unbeaten Saturday by defeating 11 other 2-year-olds in the 76th running of the $231,200 at Churchill Downs, Dickinson poked some fun at himself.
"What, this wasn't a grass race for 4-year-olds?" he asked. "How can I win a dirt race with a 2-year-old?"
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Toccet had just crossed the finish line first in Saturday's Grade 2 at Aqueduct, and owner Daniel Borislow had a question.
"Have they run that race in Kentucky yet?" Borislow said, referring to the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes, which was still an hour away at Churchill Downs. "Get the plane."
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Cheap Talk stalked the early pace of Krz Ruckus before rallying for a half-length victory in Saturday's $137,500 Kennedy Road Stakes at Woodbine.
For Cheap Talk, it was his third straight victory and first stakes score.
Krz Ruckus broke sharply and established a clear lead, clicking off an opening quarter in 21.66 seconds and a half-mile in 44.03.
But Cheap Talk, under a snug hold by Patrick Husbands, had Krz Ruckus in his sights and wore him down through the final sixteenth of a mile, completing the six furlongs in 1:09.50.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Take Charge Lady, second in Thursday's Falls City Handicap at Churchill Downs, will definitely run Saturday in the Great State Challenge Distaff at Sam Houston in Texas, said trainer Ken McPeek.
McPeek said Take Charge Lady, who figures as perhaps the heaviest favorite in the six-race Great State series, came out of her runner-up finish to Allamerican Bertie in good order.
Take Charge Lady will be running on eight days' rest in the Distaff, a 1 1/16-mile race that also is expected to attract With Ability, Two Item Limit, and Super High.
MIAMI - Millennium Storm showed he is as game as he is versatile by withstanding numerous challenges on the lead en route to a hard-fought head victory over his uncoupled stablemate Our Finale in the $100,000 Mecke Stakes for 2-year-olds on Saturday at Calder.
The Mecke order of finish mirrored that of a first-level dirt allowance race here two weeks ago, when Millennium Storm relinquished an early lead but reasserted himself and drew off to a 2 3/4-length decision over Our Finale.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Peace Rules on Saturday gave trainer Bobby Frankel his first win in the $200,000 Generous Stakes at Hollywood Park, one of the few Southern California turf stakes the Hall of Fame trainer had yet to conquer.
Racing on the lead throughout under jockey Victor Espinoza, Peace Rules ($7.20) won by 1 1/4 lengths over Lismore Knight, finishing the mile on turf in 1:35.49.
The course was rated firm despite some overnight rain.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - John McKee broke Steve Cauthen's track record for most victories by an apprentice when he rode four winners on the closing-day program Saturday at Churchill Downs.
McKee, 21, won with Broad Breadth ($6.40) in the third race, Bluegrass Spirit ($25.20) in the fifth, Dancer Cielo ($10.60) in the 10th, and Elusive Gentleman ($22.60) in the 12th. He finished the meet with 27 winners, surpassing the total of 24 that Cauthen, an eventual Hall of Fame jockey, compiled as an apprentice at the 1976 fall meet.
