ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Spanish Decree came up the rail under a crafty ride from Jack Barton to capture Sunday's $134,375 Lady Angela Stakes at Woodbine.
It was the first stakes victory for Spanish Decree, who stalked front-running Whistling Maid through splits of :22.70 and :46.06 in the seven-furlong dash. She hit the front at the quarter pole, and gradually drew off for a 4 3/4-length score over a closing Oh Livia D.
HALLANDLAE BEACH, Fla. - Charitabledonation overcame her own inexperience to register an easy four and one quarter length victory over 7-5 favorite Stormy Frolic in Sunday's $75,000 Christmas Past Stakes giving trainer Mark Hennig, jockey Eibar Coa and owner-breeder Edward P Evans a sweep of both weekend stakes at Gulfstream Park. The same trio also combined to win Saturday's Hallandale Beach Handicap with Gygistar.
OLDSMAR, Fla. - The king of the hill is going to play catch me if you can.
Terry Houghton, who holds a 10-win edge over nearest challenger Manoel Cruz in the battle for leading rider through Friday, will be heading north on April 23 to prepare to defend his riding title at Great Lakes Downs in Michigan. Houghton won the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 riding titles here and finished second to Derek Bell last season. His agent, Frank "The Greek" Garoufalis, explained the future plans of Houghton, who has won 77 races at the current stand.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Buddha, who established himself as one of the favorites for the Kentucky Derby by winning the April 13 Wood Memorial, showed no signs of being knocked out from that hard race when he worked six furlongs in 1:14.47 Sunday morning over Belmont Park's training track.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Astra became the first repeat winner of the $250,000 Santa Barbara Handicap at Santa Anita on Sunday, scoring one the most convincing wins of her career.
Ridden by Kent Desormeaux, Astra had an ideal trip in a slowly run race.
For the first time, Desormeaux kept Astra on the rail behind the pace of 26.09 and 50.82 seconds set by Polaire.
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Under a confident ride by Russell Baze, Lost At Sea ($7.60) sat off the early pace of Yourfinalanswer, moved into contention on the second turn and pulled away down the stretch to win the $55,912 San Jose Stakes at Bay Meadows on Saturday.
Lost At Sea, making her first start since an allowance race victory at Golden Gate Fields on Feb. 3, defeated Genteel World by two lengths, winning the one-mile race in 1:36.00. Favored Daddy's Gold ran last in the field of five 3-year-old fillies.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Dianehill, making her first start since being badly beaten in the Barbara Fritchie in February, rallied off a rapid pace to win the $84,900 Stravinsky Stakes, the secondary feature on the Lexington Stakes undercard Saturday at Keeneland.
Dianehill prevailed by a half-length over Senorita Ziggy in the Stravinsky, a 5 1/2-furlong race for fillies and mares. The winner returned $7 as the second choice.
CICERO, Ill. - Sams Tune's workout tab is riddled with bullets, and if she fires her best shot Monday, Sams Tune will win the featured seventh race at Sportsman's Park.
Off since mid-September, Sams Tune returns to racing in a third-level allowance sprint with a $35,000 claiming option, and faces a solid group of eight other horses. And if she runs to her very fast works, Sams Tune will be tough indeed.
Sams Tune's last four works all were bullets, two of them at Hawthorne, two of them over the Sportsman's surface, on which Sams Tune never has raced.
CICERO, Ill. - Jockey Jorge Chavez, unfamiliar with Sportsman's Park, looked around in confusion for the winner's circle as he came back toward the stands with Hail the Chief after Saturday's National Jockey Club Handicap. It was the only misstep Chavez and Hail the Chief made.
Taking an early lead with a powerful burst of speed from the gate, Hail the Chief set a fast pace on a dull racetrack, but still had plenty left for the stretch, running away from a solid field to win the Grade 3, $200,000 NJC Handicap by 11 1/4 lengths.
JAMAICA, N.Y. - Raging Fever overcame a sloppy track and a surprising early pace challenge from Atelier to win Saturday's Grade 3, $158,300 Bed o' Roses Breeders' Cup Handicap by three-quarters of a length before 5,648 at Aqueduct.
Atelier finished second, 5 3/4 lengths ahead of Shiny Band. Critical Eye, Belle Artiste, and Senora Claudia completed the order of finish.