LAFAYETTE, La. - One Tough Raiser ran his career record to a perfect 3 for 3, winning the $100,000 D. S. "Shine" Young Futurity at Evangeline. Ruthy Red finished second, followed by Justlikejessejames.
Hustled clear by Steve Bourque soon after the start, One Tough Raiser ($2.80) set all the pace en route to a 2 1/4-length win in 59.40 seconds for the five furlongs. One Tough Raiser, who earned $50,000, is owned by Rolling M Farms and trained by Kearney Segura.
Maysville Slew edged 6-5 favorite Candid Glen by a nose to win the $100,000 Independence Breeders' Cup at Louisiana Downs. It was a head back in third to Rebridled.
Maysville Slew ($14.60) raced near the back of the pack early in the 1 1/16-mile turf race, while Price of Champagne set fractions of 24.66 seconds for the opening quarter and 48.70 for the half while under pressure from Rebridled.
Maysville Slew picked up steam entering the stretch, and rallied up the rail to nail Candid Glen at the wire. He covered the distance over firm turf in 1:43.08.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Trainer Richard Mandella ended a three-month stakes drought when The Tin Man won Thursday's $150,000 at Hollywood Park.
But before the losing streak officially ended, Mandella had to sweat through a stewards' inquiry regarding a bumping incident in the final furlong.
In the end, the judges ruled that The Tin Man ($10.40) did not interfere with Devine Wind, even though the two made contact.
"During the race, I didn't think I had anything to worry about," Mandella said.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - Belle Artiste sat behind slow fractions under jockey Jose Velez Jr. and came charging down the middle of the track to win the $50,000 West Long Branch Stakes at Monmouth by two lengths over True Rose. Superfines Luvey was third.
The Rusty Arnold-trained Belle Artiste ($8.60) covered six furlongs in 1:11.08 over a fast track before a crowd of 10,832. Friday was her first trip to Monmouth, and with her first stakes victory she improved to 5-1-1 in 12 lifetime starts for owner John Peace.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Volponi, who hadn't raced on the turf in a year, posted an upset in Friday's Grade 3, $111,200 at Belmont Park with a 2 1/4-length victory.
Saint Verre finished second and Navesink was a neck back in third in the mile turf race. Shibboleth, the odds-on favorite and 122-pound highweight, finished fifth in the seven-horse field after tiring in the final furlong.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Heavyweight Champ, stakes-placed in three graded races last year, makes his 3-year-old debut at Belmont Park in Sunday's seventh race, a second-level allowance. Heavyweight Champ meets six rivals in the six-furlong race.
Last year, Heavyweight Champ, a speedy Two Punch colt, won two of six starts, with both wins coming at Belmont. He also finished third in the Grade 1 Champagne, second in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special, and third in the Grade 2 Sanford.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - Gerosa has always shown a world of potential, but serious injuries have plagued this talented 5-year-old his whole career. With his gutsy victory Thursday - his first race in more than one year - the undefeated Gerosa may finally be past his problems and have the opportunity to consistently display the talent he has flashed in his few starts.
Given the depth of talent among the regular riders at Delaware Park this season, the race for leading jockey was expected to be extremely competitive.
Ramon Dominguez, however, has turned things into a rout.
Competing against such accomplished jockeys as Mike McCarthy, Jeremy Rose, Anthony Black, and Eddie Martin, the 25-year-old Dominguez is head and shoulders above the rest of the jockey colony.
CHICAGO - Figuring out the Bowl Game Stakes seems fairly straightforward. If Galic Boy is ready to roll after nearly five months on the sidelines, he will probably win.
Galic Boy faces six horses Sunday at Arlington in the $45,000-added Bowl Game, a turf race at 1 1/16 miles. A 7-year-old Irish River horse bred and owned by Arthur Appleton, Galic Boy has established himself as a solid turf horse in the listed stakes to Grade 3 level, winning 10 of 33 starts and more than $383,000 in his career.