NEW ORLEANS - Trainer Steve Asmussen called Sunday's Thelma Stakes* (click here for chart) "a bridge" for his 3-year-old filly, Lake Lady. She's clearly crossed over to the other side now.
Making the jump from hyped allowance winner to stakes horses proved a minor obstacle for the vastly talented Lake Lady, who won the $75,000 Thelma Stakes convincingly despite being given a ride that was intended to impart valuable racing lessons rather than produce a blowout win.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla.- A New Twist had to wait seven weeks and travel 1,000 miles to for an opportunity to avenge her setback at the hands of Forest Heiress in the Valley Stream Handicap. But the added experience and new environment did the trick as A New Twist easily turned the tables on Forest Heiress with a convincing three and one half length victory over the 1-5 favorite in Sunday's $100,000 Old Hat Stakes* (click here for chart).
ALBANY, Calif. - Owner-breeder John Harris is making a habit of
winning stakes races at Golden Gate Fields named for his top former stars.
On Saturday, his Super Tuesday won the $100,000 Work The Crowd Handicap for Cal-bred fillies and mares. Super Tuesday wore down stubborn pacesetter Yes We Do late to win the one-mile race over a soft turf course by a neck in 1:40.35.
Super Tuesday is sired by Political Ambition, also the sire of Work The Crowd.
"It's great to win this race," Harris said. "She reminds me of Work The Crowd (whom Harris co-owned)."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
