INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Adoration won her second consecutive stakes in the $250,000 Hollywood Breeders' Cup Oaks at Hollywood Park, leaving trainer David Hofmans convinced that she is only beginning to show her best.
"If we can get her to relax a little more, she'll be a top filly," Hofmans said.
Canterbury Park's leading rider, Derek Bell, on Friday became the first rider in the track's 15-year history to ride six winners on a single card.
Bell won the second through sixth races aboard Call Me Elaine ($8.60), Zen's Silverbuck ($4.40), KC Jazz ($8.80), To Wit ($4), and Slewp'a Doop ($17.60). At that point the ninth jockey to have won five races on a Canterbury card, Bell set the track standard in the eighth race, the first Quarter Horse race of the evening, on The Hot Corner ($9.20)
Prized Stamp has run either second or third in all five of her races this season, but hasn't won in nearly 14 months. Does that mean she's the kind of horse who teases bettors by almost always finishing in the money, but rarely wins? Or has Prized Stamp been a victim of superior competition?
Those are some of the questions handicappers must answer when assessing Prized Stamp's chances in Tuesday night's $75,000 Golden Sylvia Handicap at Mountaineer Park.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Favored El Ruller ($3) turned back a serious challenge from outsider Skeet to take the $134,375 Victoria Stakes by 2 1/2 lengths at Woodbine.
El Ruller broke on top and set quick fractions over a sloppy track in the five-furlong sprint for 2-year-olds. Skeet pressed the pace along the rail, but El Ruller drew off in the final furlong, and covered the distance in 58.29 seconds.
"He's a very mature horse," said Ray Sabourin, who rode El Ruller. "He had [Skeet] measured the whole way."
Grundlefoot ($5) blew past even-money favorite Private Ryan, the early pacesetter, with a quarter-mile remaining and held off a late charge by Lyracist to prevail by three-quarters of a length in the $100,000 Baltimore Breeders' Cup Handicap at Pimlico. Private Ryan finished third.
The 5-year-old Grundlefoot, trained by Gary Capuano, is now
4 for 8 lifetime at Pimlico. He covered 1 1/8 miles over a fast track in 1:49.65.
Trainer Don Reeder had the option of running True Passion in a four-other-than allowance race at Monmouth Park or a six-figure stakes at Delaware Park.
Fortunately for Reeder, he made the right move by choosing the $100,900 Wilmington Handicap.
True Passion ($12.80) wired a quality field of older sprinters by 2 1/2 lengths in his stakes debut, covering six furlongs over a wet-fast track in 1:09.81.
True Passion, who began the year racing in nonwinners-of-three lifetime claiming events, has now won five straight races.
MIAMI - Rain or shine, turf or dirt, Cellars Shiraz is the top
3-year-old filly in south Florida. She proved that by splashing to an easy nine-length victory over Four Pennies and four other outclassed rivals in the $100,000 Office Queen Stakes at Calder Race Course.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Seeking Daylight, who missed his entire 3-year-old campaign recovering from a broken leg, began to make up for lost time Saturday when he romped to an
8 1/4-length victory in the Grade 2, $250,000 before 6,306 at Belmont Park.
Country Be Gold, a 23-1 shot, rallied from last to get second by a neck over 40-1 shot Griffinite. It was another half-length back to 6-5 favorite E Dubai.
ALTOONA, Iowa - In a race that featured several troubled trips, Hi Tech Honeycomb and jockey Sidney Lejeune Jr. rallied to a widening 3 1/4-length victory in Friday night's $60,000 Panthers Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Prairie Meadows.
Hi Tech Honeycomb ($9.20) settled in midpack early before moving up from between horses to challenge for command briefly on the backstretch.
She remained within range four-wide on the second turn before taking the lead in midstretch. Hi Tech Honeycomb covered the mile in 1:37.46.