Sat, 01/05/2002 - 00:00

Santa Anita pick six carryover hits $166,344

ARCADIA, Calif. - Bettors failed to solve the pick six puzzle on Saturday at Santa Anita, leaving a carryover of $166,344 for bettors to chase on Sunday's program.

Sunday's pick six covers the fourth through ninth races. Here's a look at the pick six races, the leading contenders and the changes as of scratch time on Saturday morning.

In the fourth race, Midnite Slew and Thrillion are scratched. Constraint, who is taking a substantial drop in class, is the 8-5 morning-line favorite for trainer Bob Baffert.

Sat, 01/05/2002 - 00:00

Wooden Phone captures San Pasqual

ARCADIA, Calif. - Despite a trip that his owner described as "the worst he's had," Wooden Phone won Saturday's $200,000 San Pasqual Handicap* (click here for chart) at Santa Anita, joining the list of contenders for the $1 million Santa Anita Handicap in March.

Little went right for Wooden Phone in the Grade 2 San Pasqual Handicap, run over 1 1-16 miles. Customarily a frontrunner, Wooden Phone never made the lead. He rallied wide on both turns and on the backstretch and still prevailed by a head over Euchre.

Sat, 01/05/2002 - 00:00

Botts, Churchill racing secretary, eulogized

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Jerry Botts was remembered Saturday as a consummate professional who lived the last 16 years of his life working at his dream job as racing secretary at Churchill Downs.

Botts, who died Jan. 1 after having been diagnosed with lung and liver cancer just several days beforehand, was eulogized at a 40-minute memorial service by John Asher, a fellow vice president at Churchill. Although Botts, who was 54, was never married and had no children, he nevertheless was a "family man," said Asher.

Sat, 01/05/2002 - 00:00

A going away gift for Moubarak

Bill Denver/Equi-Photos
Pisces, under Roger Velez, wins the Grade 2 Appleton Handicap Saturday in only his second start in a stakes.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Mohammed Moubarak will switch from trainer to racing manager for his principal client, the Buckram Oak Stable, within the next several weeks. But before trading in his stopwatch for a briefcase, Moubarak registered one of the most noteworthy victories of his career when Pisces won Saturday's $150,000 Appleton Handicap* (click here for chart) by a head over North East Bound before a crowd of 29,889.

Sat, 01/05/2002 - 00:00

Potential aplenty in this field

NEW ORLEANS - There are two allowance races on Fair Grounds's Monday card, but don't miss the maidens.

The sixth of 10 races here Monday, a six-furlong sprint for freshly turned 3-year-old colts, might well be the deepest maiden special weight race of this meet. Besides several horses who already have run well in the afternoon, it drew a pair of impressive schooling race winners as well as a first-time starter from the Ronnie Werner stable, a haven of precocious horses.

Sat, 01/05/2002 - 00:00

Serazzo drops from stakes ranks

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Trainer John Kimmel hopes a drop in class and the climate of south Florida will translate into a victory for Serazzo, who heads a 10-horse field entered in a nine-furlong classified allowance turf race Monday at Gulfstream Park.

Since winning a third-level allowance race at Keeneland in April, Serazzo has competed in three consecutive stakes without success. He finished last in the Grade 3 Elkhorn, fifth in the Sycamore, and eighth in the Grade 2 Red Smith Handicap. He was beaten only four lengths in the Red Smith.

Sat, 01/05/2002 - 00:00

Monarchos on target for Donn

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Kentucky Derby winner Monarchos* (click here for PP's) worked six furlongs from the gate under regular jockey Jorge Chavez on Saturday as he continues to train well for his 4-year-old debut in the Grade 1 Donn Handicap on Feb. 9.

"He hasn't started in six months and he'll need a gate work somewhere along the line, so I thought I'd just get it out of the way and work him an easy six furlongs today," said Monarchos's trainer, John Ward.

Sat, 01/05/2002 - 00:00

Turfway: Perfect Drift wins Prevue

Perfect Drift made a strong move between horses on the turn, and then drew off to a convincing victory in the $47,500 Turfway Prevue at Turfway Park.

Jockey Tony D'Amico, who was aboard for trainer Murray Johnson, gave just one hard crack of his whip to Perfect Drift as the Dynaformer colt prevailed by four lengths over front-running World Champion. Thunder on Land finished third in a field reduced to seven 3-year-olds by three early scratches.

The winner paid $7 after finishing 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:18.15 over a fast track.

Sat, 01/05/2002 - 00:00

Fair Grounds: Horse for the course

NEW ORLEANS - His race had come off the turf, his stiffening 7-year-old bones hadn't been in competition in two months, and sheets of rain swept over Fair Grounds when Northcote Road went to the post in the $75,000 Colonel Bradley Handicap.

He was a cinch.

Sat, 01/05/2002 - 00:00

Iron Deputy has time to sightsee

JAMAICA, N.Y. - Iron Deputy, making his two-turn debut, drew off to win Saturday's $83,300 Count Fleet Stakes* (click here for chart) at Aqueduct by 2 3/4 lengths over D'Coach.

Nine 3-year-olds ran in the Count Fleet after the scratch of Saratoga Blues.

Under Richard Migliore, Iron Deputy was rated off an honest pace in fourth, moved four wide around the turn, and spurted clear in upper stretch. D'Coach, the slight favorite over Iron Deputy, finished 3 1/2 lengths in front of No Parole, the third-place finisher.