ARCADIA, Calif. - The rise of Mizzen Mast in the handicap division on dirt in the last two months has been a stroke of luck, trainer Bobby Frankel admits.
"He trained well on it and I have a lot of grass horses," Frankel said. "It worked out right."
On Saturday at Santa Anita, Mizzen Mast remained perfect on dirt with a convincing win in the $400,000 Strub Stakes*, a prep for the $1 million Santa Anita Handicap on March 2.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - After dueling with Royal Lad for more than five furlongs of Saturday's seven-furlong * at Gulfstream Park, Showmeitall had to brace for a fresh challenger in the final furlong of the Grade 2 race for 3-year-olds.
Monthir, a late-addition to the field, was the recipient of a perfect trip under Pat Day and looked poised to go past Showmeitall. When Monthir and Showmeitall got to the wire of the $150,000 Hutcheson, many of the 13,575 in attendance thought Showmeitall had succumbed in the final stride - including Manny Tortora, trainer of Showmeitall.
High winds caused an early end to Friday night's racing program at Penn National Race Course in Grantville, Pa. After the first four races were run, the jockeys met and agreed not to ride for the remainder of the card due to what they felt were unsafe conditions. Racing resumed Saturday night.
Request for Parole pulled away from Perfect Drift to post a 1 1/2-length victory in the $49,500 WEBN Frog Stakes at Turfway Park.
Request for Parole was always close under Brian Peck, then got the best of Perfect Drift after a stretch duel, finishing one mile in 1:36.92 over a fast track. Perfect Drift finished another 3 1/2 lengths ahead of Thunder on Land in a field of 10 3-year-olds.
ALBANY, Calif. - Heavily favored Janet, winner of two Grade 1 stakes last year, cruised to an easy 1 3/4-length win in Saturday's Grade 3 Brown Bess Handicap at Golden Gate Fields.
The 5-year-old Janet ($3), winner of 8 of 22 lifetime starts, sat comfortably in second in a paceless field of five older fillies and mares. When David Flores asked her to run in the stretch, she quickly went past pacesetter Impeachable and won the 1 1/16-mile turf race in 1:44.14 over a good course. Impeachable held off the closing charge of Alexine to finish second by a neck.
NEW ORLEANS - Mystery Giver scored a major victory for Illinois-breds by defeating a solid field of older turf horses Saturday in the $147,000 Fair Grounds Breeders' Cup Handicap.
Mystery Giver, deftly guided by leading rider Eddie Martin Jr., edged away late from Even the Score to win the about 1 1/8-mile turf race by 1 1/4 lengths. He returned $9.20 to win as second choice in a field of 13.
NEW ORLEANS - Al Stall Jr. said Bold Answer very much reminds him of a mare he trained just a few years ago, which, said Stall, "is a good thing."
Bold Answer, who is scheduled to face nine other filly and mare turf runners in Monday's $36,000 allowance feature at Fair Grounds, reminds Stall of Formal Tango, who won several grass stakes and over $400,000. "They look and act so much alike, it's amazing," said Stall, noting that both are by the prolific turf sire, Dynaformer. "I hope this filly has the same kind of heart."
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Though his primary objective for the meet is the $300,000, Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Handicap on March 30, Duckhorn could very well prep for that race in Saturday's Donn Handicap, trainer Patrick Byrne said.
Duckhorn, who defeated Lido Palace in the Grade 2 Hawthorne Gold Cup last May, has not been out since July 21 when he finished third in the Washington Park Handicap at Arlington. Duckhorn came out of that race with a chip in his ankle that was surgically removed.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Came Home, the winner of the Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga last year, won his 3-year-old debut in Saturday's $150,000 * at Santa Anita.
Making his first start since finishing seventh in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Belmont Park last October, Came Home ($3.40) closed from fourth on the backstretch to win the third stakes of his career in the Grade 2 San Vicente.
Ridden by Chris McCarron, Came Home was on the inside early, following Werblin, Popular, and Mighty David, who contributed to a pace of 22.58 and 44.81 seconds.
