NORTH RANDALL, Ohio - Western Pride ($2.80), who in his last start won the $500,000 West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer Park, set all of the pace under Dana Whitney to take the $25,000 Ohio Derby Prep at Thistledown by 6 1/4 lengths over four 3-year-old rivals.
Owned by Theresa McArthur and trained by Richard Estvanko, Western Pride will make his next start in the Grade 2 $300,000 Ohio Derby on Sept. 29.
Promise of War ($22.80) stalked the pace before drawing off to an upset in the $75,000 Tri State Handicap, the closing-day feature at Ellis Park.
Promise of War finished 2 1/2 lengths ahead of late-closing Chorwon, the even-money favorite in a field of nine older horses.
Rare Cure ($20.60) rode a golden rail to an upset win in the $50,000 Prelude at Louisiana Downs.
The 1 1/8 mile-race for 3-year-olds is the local prep for the Grade 1 $500,000 Super Derby, and for his win in the race, Rare Cure earned a fees-paid berth to the Super Derby, to be run Sept. 23.
Every race on the card through the Prelude was won wire to wire on the rail.
In deep stretch, Rare Cure held off Quadrophonic Sound to win by a neck.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Favored Rare Friends remained unbeaten in three starts with an impressive front-running score in the $102,800 Simcoe Stakes, the first of six stakes on the Woodbine card restricted to graduates of local yearling sales.
Rare Friends ($6.20) prevailed by 2 3/4 lengths over Mighty Quinn, who was three lengths clear of third-place finisher Molly's Wisdom in the seven-furlong dash for male 2-year-olds.
Miss Noire ($15.80) rallied to collar Parisia in the final strides for a three-quarter-length tally in the $102,700 Muskoka for 2-year-old fillies.
Mr. Livingston set a stakes record and equaled the one-mile course record when he rallied to defeat the pacesetting Honorable Pic by a head in the $150,000 Miami Mile Breeders' Cup Handicap at Calder.
Mr. Livingston ($11.80) saved ground under jockey Abel Castellano Jr. while racing just off the pace of Honorable Pic, angled outside the leader for the stretch run and was up in the final strides.
He completed the distance in 1:33.75 over a firm course.
John Grabowski had ridden Shesastonecoldfox and Smokieisabandit to two wins apiece. When the 2-year-olds, both trained by Anthony Ferraro, faced each other for the first time in the $137,900 New York Breeders' Futurity at Finger Lakes, Grabowski logically chose the colt Smokieisabandit over the filly Shesastonecoldfox.
Michael Davila, picking up the mount on Shesastonecoldfox ($4.50), guided her to a wire-to-wire 1 3/4-length victory in the 39th running of the Futurity. Grabowski, meanwhile, was fifth aboard Smokieisabandit.
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Native Desert and Spinelessjellyfish, the two heavy favorites, finished in a dead heat for first after a furious stretch duel in the $100,000 California Turf Championship at Bay Meadows.
Native Desert caught Spinelessjellyfish near midstretch of the one-mile turf race, and the two battled it out from there.
Native Desert, who had won this race two of the past three years, went off at 3-5, while Spinelessjellyfish, who had split two of four recent decisions with Native Desert, was 8-5. Both paid $2.10 to win. The final time was 1:36.37.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Speedster Kris's Sleigh softened up the Sea O'Erin field at Arlington Park, and his stablemate, Intern, swept past, giving owner-trainer Louis Roussel his first stakes win in almost two years.
Ninth after three-quarters of the one-mile turf race, Intern rallied strongly through the stretch under jockey Eddie Martin to beat a game Minor Wisdom by a neck and touch off a spirited post-race celebration led by Roussel, who last won a stakes race in December 1999.
CINCINNATI - Harlan's Holiday, an Ohio-bred based in Kentucky with trainer Ken McPeek, outlasted Request for Parade in a lengthy stretch duel Monday in the $200,000 Cradle Stakes, completing an unprecedented sweep for Ohio-breds in the two showcase races at River Downs.
Harlan's Honey, ridden by Tony D'Amico, made a strong move to gain command on the backstretch of the 1 1/16-mile Cradle, then was taken to the limit by Request for Parole, the 2-1 favorite, to win by a neck. Arctic Sand closed late to finish 10 lengths back in third.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - City Zip wasted little time getting back to winning sprint races by taking the $100,000 Bergen County Stakes on the opening-day program Monday at The Meadowlands.
The 3-year-old City Zip ($2.80) was back just nine days after finishing third in the King's Bishop Stakes at Saratoga - a race that snapped a string of three straight wins. He overcame a wide trip under jockey Jose Ferrer to get the better of four other rivals in 1:08.67.