POMONA, Calif. - Last Kiss gave jockey Tyler Baze his fourth of five winners on the Fairplex Park card with a 1 1/4-length upset in the $106,500 Barretts Debutante.
For Last Kiss, a California-bred filly by Slew's Royalty, it was her first victory in three starts. Purchased for $17,000 at the Barretts May Sale of 2-year-olds in training, Last Kiss earned $56,430 to increase her earnings to $69,250. She is trained by Bill Spawr.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - The Monday weather at Arlington Park was crisper than Macho Uno's five-furlong work here, but trainer Joe Orseno said the goal of Macho Uno's breeze was not to light up stopwatches, but to show that he is fit enough to start Sunday in the Washington Park Handicap. And after seeing his star return to the barn following the work, Orseno said Macho Uno was on target for the Grade 2 Washington Park, his Breeders' Cup Classic prep.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - This is the summer of Calabrese, Catalano, and Leving, three guys who have grabbed the Arlington meet, shaking down wins like falling fruit.
Theirs is a tightrope act with a potentially volatile mix of personalities, but it is working.
BALTIMORE - Trainer Tim Ritchey won the Maryland Million Classic last fall with a 30-1 longshot named Sumerset, then lost control of the horse this year after a falling out with the owners. Yet, when the flashbulbs popped after Saturday's Classic at Pimlico, there was Ritchey again, smiling and holding the winner's trophy after Docent's charge from seventh place to the winner's circle.
SAN MATEO, Calif. ? Things didn't go right at the start for World Light ($8.80), but he was able to rally off the pace to defeat Marcutio by one length to win the $68,450 Half Moon Bay Handicap at Bay Meadows on Sunday.
Jockey Ron Warren Jr. said he was told to put World Light into contention early but got pinched back in the 1 1/16-mile turf race.
"They were going too fast so I didn't want to ask him to keep up because there would be no way he'd be able to finish so I just waited," Warren said.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Finality, a tough-luck second in a pair of graded stakes earlier this summer, finally broke through Sunday at Belmont Park, coming from slightly off the pace under John Velazquez to win the $200,000, Grade 2 by a length over the pace-setting Union Place.
Chiselling, the 2-1 favorite who was boxed in along the rail, got up for third, a neck in front of Macaw.
Bossier City, La. - Dream Walkin' Farms' Big Hubie, who just missed in the Barksdale Handicap here on September after lacking room in midstretch, got a clean trip under Tim Doocy to win Sunday's $100,000 Louisiana Downs Handicap. Dynameaux, making his first start since a poor effort in the Fair Grounds Breeders' Cup in February, finished a game second, only a head behind Big Hubie. Barksdale winner Rebridled turned in a late run to report home third. Favored Chauffe Au Rouge, who disappointed in the Barksdale, once again was found lacking in the late going and finished fifth.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Added Edge remained unbeaten in three starts with an authoritative victory in Sunday's $133,250 Swynford Stakes, a seven-furlong dash for 2-year-olds at Woodbine.
Added Edge stalked entrymate Whispered Warning through fractions of :22.70 and :44.79 seconds over a wet-fast track. He joined Whispered Warning on the lead midway on the turn, and drew off inside the eighth pole to prevail by four and three-quarter lengths.
Canasta rallied for the place, while Whispered Warning easily held third in the four-horse field. The final time was 1:23.33 seconds.
FORT ERIE, Ontario - Forever Grand, who was third in this year's Queen Plate, tops the festivities at Fort Erie on Tuesday as the track hosts four stakes that were formerly held at Woodbine.
The $60,000 events are restricted to runners who were offered for sale at one of Woodbine's open yearling sales or 2-year-olds-in-training sales.
The Harry J. Addison Jr. is for colts and geldings, 3 years old and up, and the Harry A. Hindmarsh is for fillies and mares, 3 and up. Both races will be run at 1 1/16 miles.
In five tries on turf, including two stakes races this season, X Country has been unable to do better than one third-place finish. He is also winless when he has been asked to race when the main track is wet.
Put him on a fast track, however, and the 4-year-old X Country is a model of consistency, collecting six wins and five seconds in 17 starts.
Tuesday's $75,000 Fall Handicap at Mountaineer Park will be run on dirt, and if the weather is good the seven rivals X Country faces in the 1 1/8-mile race could be in deep trouble.