Art Fair, reserved off the pace by Bill Troilo, edged clear from Honest Deceiver to post a 19-1 upset Saturday in the $50,000 Cincinnati Trophy Stakes at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky.
Art Fair, a Kentucky-bred owned by Billy Hays and trained by Joe Woodard, prevailed by 1 1/2 lengths in the 6 1/2-furlong race, finishing in 1:18.07 over a fast track. She returned $40.80 to win.
NEW ORLEANS - Screen Idol looked good winning his debut at Fair Grounds three weeks ago. He looked even better Saturday when he thumped seven rivals in the $75,000 Crescent City Derby.
A strong finish in a sprint race does not always translate into two-turn ability, but Screen Idol, off a closing half-length triumph in his six-furlong debut, improved significantly in the 1 1/16-mile Crescent City, which was restricted to Louisiana-breds.
JAMAICA, N.Y. - Evening Attire captured his third consecutive stakes in Saturday's $109,200 Aqueduct Handicap when he sped through the snow for a 2 3/4-length win over Ground Storm.
With Shaun Bridgmohan in the saddle, Evening Attire came from off the pace with a quick move leaving the backstretch and surged to a narrow lead around the far turn. Evening Attire increased his advantage and was never threatened in the stretch despite leaping over the tire tracks left by starting gate.
Tempest Fugit finished third, 4 3/4 lengths behind Ground Storm in the Grade 3 stakes.
JAMAICA, N.Y. - Spin Zone beat Maybry's Boy by a nostril in a first-level allowance race at Aqueduct in December. Spin Zone's win took on added meaning when Maybry's Boy came back to win the Grade 3 Spectacular Bid at Gulfstream on Jan. 3.
On Monday at Aqueduct, it's Spin Zone's chance to earn his first stakes win in the $75,000-added Fred "Cappy" Capossela Stakes. Spin Zone meets four other 3-year-olds in the six-furlong Capossela, the feature of the holiday card.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Ayanna never has won a race without leading every step of the way. Rich Musique never has won a race without leading every step of the way. Both have repeatedly run opening quarter-miles in 21 seconds and change. With both entered in Monday's Grade 2, $150,000 Santa Ynez Stakes at Santa Anita, the scene is set for a spirited duel over seven furlongs.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Free of Love, a source of both elation and frustration for trainer Rick Violette during his 3-year-old campaign, will look for a bit of a confidence boost when he takes on third-level optional claiming allowance company in Monday's $38,000 feature at Gulfstream Park.
Free of Love moved to the upper echelon of the 3-year-old division last summer by finishing second in Saratoga's Grade 1 Jim Dandy Stakes.
NEW ORLEANS - With rain cascading onto the Fair Grounds turf course Saturday afternoon, the odds on Monday's feature staying on grass began rising steadily. Since Red Mountain was entered in the race, that figures.
Red Mountain has been rained out of his last two Fair Grounds grass races, which is unfortunate, since he performs well on this course. Fortunately, he also likes the main track, and turf or dirt, Red Mountain is a horse to be reckoned with in this high-end allowance.
ARCADIA, Calif. - One week after he was scratched from the San Fernando Breeders' Cup Stakes because of a brief illness, I Love Silver worked Saturday morning at Santa Anita, and he left his trainer, Dean Greenman, scratching his head.
I Love Silver, who was third in the Malibu Stakes on opening day Dec. 26, is being prepared for the Grade 2, $400,000 Strub Stakes on Feb. 2. He has had a habit of lugging in, a problem Greenman believes is mental, not physical. So in an attempt to get I Love Silver to run straight, he put both blinkers, and a more severe bit, on the horse.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Ron McAnally and Bruce Headley will try to beat each other Sunday in the Grade 2 El Encino Stakes at Santa Anita. But going in, the trainers agree on one key aspect of this 1 1/16-mile race for 4-year-old fillies.
"The pace won't be as fast as last time," said McAnally, who starts likely favorite, Affluent.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Those who have followed turf racing at Gulfstream Park this winter know the course is extremely biased toward closers. The problem in handicapping Sunday's $100,000 Mac Diarmida Handicap is the majority of horses in the field are late-running sorts.
The Grade 3 Mac Diarmida, run at 1 3/8 miles, drew an overflow field of 17 runners. Only 12 will be permitted to start.
