ARCADIA, Calif. - Bella Bellucci won the $80,925 on Sunday with a last-to-first move in the final furlong.
Making her first start since finishing third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies last October, Bella Bellucci remained on target for the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs on May 3 with her second stakes win in the Santa Paula.
Trainer Neil Drysdale said Bella Bellucci will have another prep in the Grade 3 Comely Stakes over a mile at Aqueduct on April 14.
ALBANY, Calif. - Mellow Fellow made a bid for Horse of the Meeting honors as he won his fifth straight race and second stakes, capturing the $61,125 at Golden Gate Fields on Sunday.
Mellow Fellow let Tony's Royalty cut out a fast early pace of 21.19 and 43.55 before making his patented wide move into the lane. He won the six-furlong race by 6.5 lengths over Tony's Royalty in 1:08.66 as he won for the fourth time during the current meeting. His career record is 10 wins, four seconds and three thirds in 23 starts with $307,263 in earnings.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Trainer Christophe Clement figured to win his fourth straight Orchid Handicap with Moon Queen. But when Clement was forced to withhold the 121 pound highweight from the race due to a minor injury he found an able substitute in Julie Jalouse who ran down 6-5 favorite Sweetest Thing in the final strides to post a neck victory in Sunday's $200,000 at Gulfstream Park.
ARCADIA, Calif. - The winter officially ended for Golden Apples on Saturday when she won her seasonal debut in the $150,000 Santa Ana Handicap at Santa Anita against an outstanding field of older fillies and mares.
Since November, when Golden Apples finished third in the Matriarch Stakes at Hollywood Park, trainer Ben Cecil had anxiously awaited the continuation of the 4-year-old filly's career in the Grade 2 Santa Anita.
"It's hard when you've got your best horse sitting in the barn, but it was worth it in the end," Cecil said.
FLORENCE, Ky. - Perfect Drift was up in the final strides Saturday to win a three-horse photo in the $500,000 , earning a starting berth in the Kentucky Derby and vindicating trainer Murray Johnson's decision to summon his longtime friend Eddie Delahoussaye from California to ride the colt.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Favored Wake at Noon overhauled 18-1 shot Balancethebudget in deep stretch to capture Saturday's $101,800 Briartic Handicap, Woodbine's opening day feature.
Balancethebudget led the way in the five-furlong dash after the expected pacemaker, Olympian, stumbled at the break. Balancethebudget zipped a quarter in a wind-assisted 21.21 seconds, and had clear lead at the eighth pole, but Wake at Noon wore him down and prevailed by three-quarters of a length. Mr. Epperson was third in the five-horse field.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Windward Passage scored one for the locals when he overtook 8-5 favorite Ocean Sound in the stretch to win the Grade 3, $100,000 Rebel by a length. It was 3 1/4 lengths back in third to Dusty Spike.
The Rebel is the final local prep for the Grade 2, $500,000 Arkansas Derby on April 13. Steve Asmussen, who trains Windward Passage for Team Valor, also won the first local prep for the Arkansas Derby when he sent out Private Emblem to win the Southwest Stakes on March 2.
Asmussen said Windward Passage will be pointed to the Arkansas Derby.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Stuck in a speed duel with three rivals on the backstretch, jockey Kent Desormeaux decided to press the pace with Roman Dancer in Saturday's $79,275 San Pedro Stakes at Santa Anita.
"We were racing in a straight line across the track," Desormeaux said. "I figured I better clear these and see what happened. When I called on him, he took off."
