ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Portcullis overcame traffic problems at the head of the stretch to capture the $500,000 Breeders' Stakes, the third leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, at Woodbine.
El Soprano finished a neck back in second in the 1 1/2-mile turf race, and Mountain Beacon, coupled with Portcullis in the favored Sam-Son Farm entry, was third.
Winning rider Slade Callaghan said Portcullis showed tremendous grit in overcoming adversity in the race.
Wiseman's Ferry reached the wire just in time to hold off fast-closing The Judge Sez Who by a neck in the $600,000 at Mountaineer Park.
Ridden by Jorge Chavez, Wiseman's Ferry ($5.20) was unchallenged on the lead throughout most of the 1 1/8-mile, Grade 3 race for 3-year-olds until The Judge Sez Who and Jerry Bailey came flying in the stretch.
The Judge Sez Who encountered traffic trouble, said Bailey, who was forced to wait too long until his horse could steer clear of Captain Squire.
DEL MAR, Calif. - The day after Azeri's overpowering victory in the Clement Hirsch Handicap at Del Mar, trainer Laura de Seroux was mulling over the three options she has between now and the $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff on Oct. 26.
Ideally, de Seroux would like to race Azeri one more time, but since the two races most appropriate for Azeri - the Lady's Secret at Santa Anita's Oak Tree meeting, or the Ruffian at Belmont Park - are handicaps, de Seroux could train Azeri up to the Distaff, though that is the least palatable option for her.
SAN MATEO, Calif. - The first thing Jim Ghidella, director of the Thoroughbred Owners of California for Northern California, did after his organization approved Bay Meadows's and Golden Gate Fields's stakes schedule and purse structure was buy a filly at the Del Mar yearling sale.
"I'm very optimistic about racing," Ghidella said. "I have a real feeling we've done a good thing for northern California. This is probably the best thing for Northern California since I've been associated with the TOC."
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Portcullis met his main objective when he captured the Breeders' Stakes, the third leg of Canada's Triple Crown, at Woodbine last Saturday.
Now Portcullis, a gelding owned by Sam-Son Farm and trained by Mark Frostad, may get a well-deserved rest rather than carrying on through the fall turf stakes program here. Portcullis won his seasonal bow at Fair Grounds Jan. 19 and has run at least once in each succeeding month.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - With two and a half weeks remaining in the meet, Eibar Coa looks to be on his way to a second consecutive riding title at Monmouth. With the prospect of another riding title tacked on to the ones he won on the south Florida circuit before arriving at Monmouth, Coa has begun looking to the future.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Despite a $250,000 session topper, Sunday's first night of the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association Del Mar Yearling Sale failed to keep pace with a record sale in 2001.
On Sunday evening at the Del Mar HorsePark, 51 yearlings sold for $2,431,500, an average of $47,676. The average price was down 11 percent from the opening night of the 2001 sale, but higher than the overall 2001 average of $43,663, a record.
Last year, the average price dropped from $52,918 from the first session to $35,418 on the second night.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - In what amounted to a $120,000 paid public workout, 2-5 favorite Orientate ($2.90) rolled to a front-running, two-length victory in Sunday's Grade 2, $200,000 at Saratoga.
Say Florida Sandy, the all-time richest New York-bred, chased Orientate around the track and finished second, three lengths ahead of longshot Multiple Choice. Late Carson, Beau's Town and Texas Glitter completed the order of finish.
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Humorous Lady ($3) broke sharply and built a four-length lead in the opening quarter mile as she won the $50,660 Mid-Peninsula Stakes by eight lengths at the Bay Meadows Fair on Sunday.
Coming off a wire-to-wire victory by a nose in the CTBA Stakes at Del Mar, Humorous Lady was never challenged as she defeated Her Emminence in the 5.5-furlong race. The winning time was 1:02.72.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Trainer Laura de Seroux has carefully spaced the races of Azeri as she marches toward the Breeders' Cup Distaff, and the brilliant filly continued to thrive under that management by strolling to her fifth straight victory, in Sunday's $300,000 at Del Mar.
Azeri breezed home two lengths in front of 23-1 shot Angel Gift, but the margin could have been far greater had jockey Mike Smith loosened his grip on the reins. There was no need. There are bigger prizes to hunt down the road. This was a paid workout.
