LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Day Trader stayed closest to a wicked pace, then went on to capture the inaugural running of the $109,600 Matt Winn Stakes on Saturday at Churchill Downs.
Day Trader, owned by Overbrook Farm and trained by D. Wayne Lukas, paid $12 as the fourth choice in the Matt Winn, a newly created, six-furlong race for 3-year-olds.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas-Wiseman's Ferry, who chased former stablemate Johannesburg last year in Ireland, became a stakes winner in his third North American start when he led throughout to win the Grade 3, $500,000 Lone Star Park Derby by 2 3/4 lengths over Tracemark.
It was another 4 1/2 lengths back in third to Peekskill.
Smoked Em, the 3-1 favorite, finished fifth in the Lone Star Derby, which for the first time in six runnings was held after the Kentucky Derby. The new date helped the race attract a record-sized field of 14.
MIAMI - At the age of 9, Stormy Do's stakes days may be over. But the once-classy gelding is still fast and will be tough to beat when he goes against seven other optional claiming and allowance runners in Monday's $29,000 feature at Calder.
In his younger days, Stormy Do was among the leaders of the local sprint division. A homebred owned and trained by Jerry Bozzo, he has an impressive resume that includes a second and two thirds in the Kenny Noe Jr. Handicap, a second in the Groomstick Handicap, and numerous allowance and overnight handicap victories.
CICERO, Ill. - If you talk about consistency, about an animal that wants to be a racehorse, you had better talk about Talknow.
A 5-year-old horse owned by Emilio and Tom Tomillo, who also trains him, Talknow has made 22 starts in three years of racing. Only four times has he failed to finish in the top three, and on 16 occasions Talknow has finished first or second.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Trainer John Salzman said there is truly only one way to find out whether the trip to Dubai and back has dulled , and that is to run his filly.
Salzman entered Xtra Heat, last year's champion 3-year-old filly, in Sunday's $150,000 at Belmont Park. It is Xtra Heat's first race since finishing third against males in the Dubai Golden Shaheen on March 23.
Xtra Heat, who is based at Laurel Park, is a standout over five fillies and mares in the six-furlong Genuine Risk, a Grade 2.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Madame Roar rolled into Woodbine six weeks ago from her Maryland base and embarrassed the locals with a front-running, six-length victory in the five-furlong La Voyageuse Handicap.
Madame Roar will try to turn the trick again, this time going 6 1/2 furlongs, in Sunday's $162,450 George C. Hendrie Handicap, a Grade 3 race for fillies and mares.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The California handicap division has crumbled. Send in the replacements, whoever they are.
Six modest older horses race 1 1/16 miles Sunday in the Grade 2 Mervyn LeRoy Handicap at Hollywood Park. They seek a $150,000 purse and leadership of a rudderless division. Face it - Tiznow's retirement left a colossal void. It will not be filled Sunday; the Mervyn LeRoy field is mostly sugar.
CALGARY, Alberta - Sly Lady, who was impressive drawing off to a handy victory in a prep race last time out, heads a field of nine 3-year-old fillies here Sunday in the race she prepped for, the $40,000 Mount Royal.
Sly Lady's 4 1/2-length victory over Brass to Diamonds last out, on April 28, was accomplished in the excellent time of 1:11.60 over a good surface, and rider Real Simard had plenty of horse left at the wire.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Is Lord Shogun going to be one of the leaders of the 3-year-old division at Hastings Park, or is he just another horse with a lot of speed who looked impressive beating an unproven group of maidens in his last start as a 2-year-old? The answer may come Sunday when Lord Shogun squares off against eight other 3-year-olds in a $50,000 optional race at 6 1/2 furlongs.
One of the clues as to where Lord Shogun is headed could be in the company line of his last race. The horse he beat by 6 3/4 lengths, the filly Elana D'Amour, is now a stakes winner.
