MIAMI - Trainer Mark Hennig is among the nation's leaders in stakes races won this year. But none of those previous victories gave him as big a thrill as watching Gold Mover run down Eclipse Award winner Xtra Heat to post a half-length victory in Saturday's $400,000 Handicap at Calder.
The Grade 2 Princess Rooney was the main event on Saturday's $1.4 million Summit of Speed card and also closed out a $1 pick four wager on the day's major stakes that paid $244.40.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Full Moon Madness won his third consecutive stakes in Saturday's $82,173 Answer Do Stakes for California-bred turf sprinters at Hollywood Park.
Ridden by Alex Solis, Full Moon Madness stalked pacesetter Fair Apache for the first half-mile, took the lead in early stretch and won by a length over 16-1 McCordnskuba. Flying Rudolph finished third, two lengths clear of Fair Apache. Men's Exclusive was scratched on Saturday.
Bossier City, La. - Fuse It came into Saturday's Suthern Accent Stakes still eligible for a nonwinners of two in allowance company, she exited the race with one less condition and left in her wake a solid group of filly and maresprinters.
Under clever handling from defending riding champ Kirk LeBlanc, who negotiated traffic into and through the turn, Fuse It ($6.80) challenged for the lead when straightened for home then held off a late charge from Princess Jen to prevail by a neck. Raymond's Dream was another length and three quarters back followed by Little Angel.
MIAMI - Trainer D. Wayne Lukas recently retired sprint star Snow Ridge due to injury. But he has wasted little time finding a suitable replacement in Orientate, who posted his second major sprint stakes victory in two weeks, drawing off to a six-length victory over Echo Eddie in Saturday's $400,000 Smile Sprint Handicap at Calder.
The Smile was the co-feature on Saturday's $1.4 million Summit of Speed program, along with the $400,000 Princess Rooney Handicap.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Trainer Randy Schulhofer says he can't wait to get to Saratoga. The way he's going this summer, one would think he wouldn't want to leave Belmont Park.
Nine days after winning his first New York graded stakes with Owsley in the New York Handicap, Schulhofer sent out Whitmore's Conn to upset the Grade 2, $150,000 by 1 3/4 lengths over Staging Post. It was a head back to Moon Solitaire, who got third by a neck over Startac.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - Trainer Bill White expected Puck to be close to the pace in the Grade 3, $100,000 Long Branch Breeders' Cup on Saturday, so he was a little concerned when Puck was shuffled back at the start and raced far off the pace.
But Puck showed a new running style in the Long Branch, the prep for the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational Aug. 4, closing from off the pace to capture his first graded stakes and second consecutive stakes win. The victory gave the Calder-based White his first win in his first Monmouth start, and also earned Puck a berth in the Haskell in three weeks.
ALTOONA, Iowa - The Prairie Meadows Thoroughbred-Quarter Horse mixed meeting, which begins Monday, offers record purses.
Purses will average $140,000 per day (not including Iowa-bred supplements) for the 45-day meet, about $15,000 per day more than last year's meet. The meet ends Sept. 28.
Track management hopes to build on the momentum established during the 53-day Thoroughbred meeting, which ended on July 6. All-sources handle at that meeting increased more than 17 percent from last year's meet.
Orchard Park disposed of Jeremiah Jack turning into the straight, then held off a late charge from favored Flying Dash to win the $500,000 Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs Saturday.
Orchard Park and jockey Edgar Prado stalked pacesetter Root With Style down the backstretch of the 1 1/4-mile turf race for 3-year-olds, and moved to the lead just inside of Jeremiah Jack coming off the far turn. Flying Dash looked as if he would challenge Orchard Park in mid-straight, but flattened out.
Orchard Park ($6) won by 1 1/2 lengths, running the distance in 2:03.10.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - As Sky Jack bowls along in front in the early stages of Sunday's Hollywood Gold Cup, his trainer, Doug O'Neill, will alternate between watching the race unfold and the timer on the tote board.
If the fractions for the first half-mile are quick, say 22 and 45 seconds, it could doom Sky Jack. Slower fractions of 23 and 46 seconds would give O'Neill and owners Rene and Margie Lambert the hope that Sky Jack can lead his six rivals through the Gold Cup distance of 1 1/4 miles.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - In the summer, there's not a lot of original programming, and trainer Paco Gonzalez would like nothing more than to see a repeat of the Affirmed Handicap when he sends out Came Home in Sunday's $500,000 Swaps Stakes at Hollywood Park.
"If he runs the way he did last time, he's going to be very tough," Gonzalez said from his Santa Anita stable on Friday morning. "He came out of his last race very good. Everything looks good. I couldn't ask for anything better."
