New York-based trainer Nick Zito took four of his best 3-year-olds to Pimlico, including Preakness starters Straight Gin and Crimson Hero. One of Zito's other shippers who didn't go quite as far south as Baltimore may soon be considered among the
3-year-old stars of Zito's barn.
Nothing Flat, who has yet to finish worse than second in four career starts, made an impressive stakes debut by scoring a three-quarter length victory in the $75,000 Francis LaBelle Memorial at Delaware Park.
MIAMI, Fla. - Wertz, by reputation a front-running turf horse, showed his versatility on Saturday when rallying from off the pace over a sloppy main track to defeat three rivals in Calder's $75,000 Carterista Handicap.
Wertz had won 11 of his previous 13 victories on grass, three of the wins coming in succession at the 2002 Gulfstream Park meet. But when heavy rains forced management to switch the Carterista from the turf to the wet main course, trainer Joe Calascibetta opted to keep Wertz in the race, which scratched down from 12 scheduled starters to a field of four.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Anglian Prince, the longest shot in the five-horse field, blew by heavy favorite Ford Every Stream early in the stretch and held off a late bid from Tails of the Crypt to win Saturday's Grade 3 Marine Stakes at Woodbine.
Racing in a tightly bunched field, Anglian Prince pressed the pace along the inside in the 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds, as Ford Every Stream set splits of 23.84 and 47.50 seconds.
Anglian Prince drew even with Fort Every Stream on the far turn, before drawing off for a 1 3/4-length victory under Jim McAleney.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - September Secret had little trouble handling her first stakes assignment in Saturday's $106,300 Railbird Stakes at Hollywood Park.
Always near the front, she pulled away in the stretch to win the seven-furlong race for 3-year-old fillies by four lengths despite not changing leads in the stretch.
"I wasn't going to worry about it," jockey Pat Valenzuela said. "She was getting to the wire all alone."
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Peu a Peu ($7.40) sat off a slow pace set by entrymate Polaire and rallied to defeat defending champion Janet by two lengths and break a 23-year-old course record in the Grade 3 Yerba Buena Breeders' Cup Handicap Saturday at Bay Meadows.
The German-bred Peu a Peu, making her United States debut for trainer Bobby Frankel, set a Longden Turf Course record of 2:16.39 for the 1 3/8-mile race, breaking the record of 2:16.40 set by Golden Doc Ray on Oct. 6, 1979.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Megans Bluff won the $112,900 Mint Julep Handicap for the second year in a row Saturday at Churchill Downs, holding off a stretch-long bid by Cozy Island to capture the Grade 3 race by a neck.
Megans Bluff, the 118-pound highweight in a field of eight fillies and mares, returned $9.60 as third choice. She ran the 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.87 over a good turf. Cozy Island finished another three lengths ahead of Solvig, the 2-1 favorite.
WINNIPEG, Manitoba - Miss Sandy Dee will be the one to beat in Monday's $30,000 Victoria Day, where a field six fillies and mares will go 5 1/2 furlongs in the first stakes race of the season at Assiniboia Downs.
Last year, Miss Sandy Dee won the Winnipeg Sun and Matron on her way to being named the top local older mare.
Trained by Patti Ross, Miss Sandy Dee will be making her first start of 2002. Second in the Victoria Day last year behind Ispymytie, the distance may be her only downfall as all 10 of her lifetime wins have come between six and nine furlongs.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - You would think that Texas-based trainer Donnie Von Hemel would like to forget the only time he ran a horse at Woodbine.
Von Hemel, who will saddle unbeaten Pin Oak Stable runner See How She Runs in Monday's Grade 1 Selene Stakes, sent out odds-on favorite Clever Trevor here in the 1989 Molson Million, but went home disappointed when Clever Trevor finished fourth, in a race won by Prized.
STICKNEY, Ill. - Graded stakes experience should go a long way in an optional claimer at Hawthorne Race Coursein Monday's featured ninth race. Lakenheath won a Grade 3, Vicki Vallencourt just was third in a Grade 2, and they should be the two favorites.
War Emblem, installed as the second choice in the Preakness morning line in spite of his convincing win in the Kentucky Derby, is the favorite with bettors through the close of early wagering Friday at odds of 5-2. Medaglia d'Oro, the Preakness morning line favorite, is next at odds of 7-2. Derby runner-up Proud Citizen is not getting much respect with the public early on at odds of 11-1. Complete odds for Preakness 127 at the close of wagering Friday:
No. - Horse - Odds
1 U S S Tinosa 13-1
2 Magic Weisner 23-1
3 Straight Gin 25-1