HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Kentucky Derby contenders Repent and Booklet got in their final south Florida works of the season Saturday morning at Gulfstream Park. Both 3-year-olds were scheduled to leave their winter home and ship to Kentucky on Sunday.
Repent, with jockey Jerry Bailey aboard, worked five furlongs in 1:00.40 seconds. Booklet went a half mile in 49.20 seconds with exercise rider Allen Rennie up.
JAMAICA, N.Y. - Aqueduct's winner's circle was a familiar spot for owner Edward P. Evans and trainer Mark Hennig during the holiday weekend. After winning Friday's Next Move Handicap with With Ability, Evans and Hennig won Saturday's $142,300 with Raging Fever.
Raging Fever, the 6-5 favorite and 120-pound highweight of the Grade 2 Distaff, was a 3 3/4-length winner over Prized Stamp. It was another 1 3/4 lengths back to La Galerie in third. Cat Cay, the second choice, finished fourth. Shiny Band and Two Item Limit completed the order of finish.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - If the starting lineup for Sunday's $75,000 Caltech Handicap looks familiar, it should. Three of the seven entrants, including likely favorites Lord Juban and Worldly Victor, scratched from Friday's Gravelines Stakes.
The Gravelines, like the Caltech, was carded for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles on the turf, but unlike the Caltech it was restricted to Florida-breds and run under allowance, not handicap, conditions.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - The march to the $1 million Queen's Plate begins Sunday at Woodbine for most of the eight Canadian-bred
3-year-olds in the $164,700 Achieve-ment Handicap, but the likely favorite in the six-furlong dash, Rare Friends, probably isn't headed for June 23 Plate.
Bob Tiller, who trains Rare Friends, last year's champion 2-year-old, feels he has a crack sprinter on his hands and says he isn't seriously considering the 1 1/4-mile Plate at this time.
ARCADIA, Calif. - The eight fillies and mares in Sunday's $75,000 Santa Lucia Handicap at Santa Anita have raced against the circuit's top females on both dirt and turf this year.
The only thing missing from their collective portfolios is the stakes win that one will claim in the restricted Santa Lucia. Run over 1 1/16 miles, the Santa Lucia is designed as a confidence-booster for fillies and mares who have been racing or an easy start in stakes company for less-experienced fillies launching their stakes careers.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Beau's Town and Kings Command both surged late to win the $50,000 in a dead heat at Oaklawn Park on Friday. Chindi rallied for third in the six-furlong race, which was decided before an ontrack crowd of 11,334.
Beau's Town ($3.40) and Kings Command ($3.60) both raced off a hot early pace, which was set by Boots On Sunday with Slider in close pursuit. The winners covered the distance over a fast track in 1:09.14. The win was Beau's Town's fifth in a row, and the fourth on the card for his trainer, Cole Norman. He was ridden by Anthony Lovato.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Maryland shipper Madame Roar set a rapid pace and kept on going for an emphatic six-length victory in Friday's $102,800 at Woodbine.
Madame Roar jumped out to a clear lead and set splits of 21.71 seconds and 44.26 in the five-furlong dash for fillies and mares. She had an eight-length lead at the eighth pole, and coasted home on top in a final time of 57 seconds.
"She's the quickest horse I've ever been on," said Jono Jones, who rode Madame Roar.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Orchard Park continued to stake his claim as one of the better 3-year-old turf horses in the country with his fourth straight victory, an easy 2 1/4-length win over Emergency Status, in Friday's $82,050 Gravelines Stakes at Gulfstream Park. The Gravelines was restricted to Florida-bred 3-year-olds.
JAMAICA, N.Y. - With Ability, who had raced strictly in sprints until three starts ago, became a graded stakes winner around two turns in the $108,600 at Aqueduct on Friday.
With Ability, with Javier Castellano in the saddle, set an uncontested pace in the 1 1/8-mile, Grade 3 Next Move and motored home a 5 1/4-length winner over Irving's Baby. Diversa finished third, two lengths behind Irving's Baby. Transcendental, the 8-5 favorite in the seven-horse field of fillies and mares, finished fourth without apparent excuse.
ALBANY, Calif. - Trainer Bob Hess has a chance to prove himself right in the $55,000-added Emeryville Stakes at Golden Gate Fields on Sunday.
Hess has entered Yourfinalanswer in the six-furlong race for 3-year-old fillies.
He hopes she lives up to his long-held expectations.
"I thought before she even ran last year that she was the best filly in northern California," he said. "I liked the way she moves and her attitude. She's a tough filly."