SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Victory Ride, the dominant winner of the Grade 1 Test Stakes last month, broke her right front leg while working out Saturday morning at Saratoga. Although the injury is not life-threatening, it could end her career.
Victory Ride was scheduled to be operated on by Dr. Larry Bramlage on Sunday at an equine hospital on the grounds of Saratoga. Bramlage, in town for Sunday's Jockey Club Round Table, was scheduled to insert three or four screws into the cannon bone.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Opinions will be varied and value should be plentiful in Monday's wide-open $150,000 Lake Placid Handicap at Saratoga.
A field of 15 was entered for the Grade 2 race run at nine furlongs over the Mellon turf course. Only 12 will be permitted to run.
The Lake Placid brings together 10 of the 18 horses who ran in two divisions of the Lake George Handicap on July 30. Light Dancer, winner of the faster division, is back, while Voodoo Dancer, winner of the other division, ran in Saturday's Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks.
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Ninebanks, a recent $50,000 claim by trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, looms a standout when he makes his northern California debut in Monday's $32,000 allowance feature for 3-year-olds at Bay Meadows. The race is at a mile on the grass on closing day of the 12-day San Mateo County Fair meeting.
Ninebanks will be coupled in the wagering with Defensive, who is also trained by Hollendorfer, and the entry looms a prohibitive favorite.
FORT ERIE, Ontario - Beau Gentleman heads a field of nine runners in the $50,000 Peninsula Stakes at Fort Erie on Monday. The seven-furlong turf race is one of seven new stakes run here this year. The Peninsula is restricted to Canadian-foaled horses who have started at least twice at Fort Erie this year.
Beau Gentleman will be trying for his second consecutive stakes win for trainer Lynn Simon. Beau Gentleman, a
5-year-old gelding, captured the 1 1/16-mile Benburb Stakes on the turf July 22.
NORTH RANDALL, Ohio - Watch Me Fire made the lead with a bold move entering the stretch and widened out to a 6 1/2-length tally over 1-10 favorite Joanies Bella in the $30,000 Loyalty Stakes on Saturday at Thistledown. Dinkers Millennium finished third, 3 1/2 lengths farther back in the field of six Ohio-bred 2-year-olds.
Watch Me Fire was ridden by William Troilo and is trained by William J. Napier. He got the six furlongs in 1:10.86 over the fast racing strip and returned $26.80 to win.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Hopeful Moment benefited from a hotly contested pace battle to capture the $131,125 Shepperton Stakes at Woodbine Saturday.
Hopeful Moment stalked favored Krz Ruckus and Saratoga shipper Trailthefox, who dueled through fractions of 21.94 and 44.08 seconds in the 6 1/2-furlong dash for Ontario-sired runners. He blew by the leaders at the eighth pole and coasted home by 4 1/2 lengths in a quick 1:15.85.
MIAMI - Fappie's Notebook served notice he will be a force to reckon with in the local handicap division when he returned from a four-month layoff and outfinished his uncoupled stablemate, Alice's Notebook, to post a half-length victory in Saturday's $60,000 Groomstick Handicap.
Fappie's Notebook, who had not started since winning Hialeah's
Buster's Daydream, the 1-5 favorite, finished off the board in Saturday's $100,000 Ellis Park Juvenile, and the result was triple-digit show payoffs on the top three finishers. Request for Parole won the seven-furlong race and paid $24, $17.60, and $134.60. Runner-up Twin Talk returned $22.20 and $195.80, and third-place finisher Classic Hero paid $230.60.
Buster's Daydream made what appeared to be a winning move on the turn, but he suddenly flattened out and finished fourth.
Xtra Heat, coming off a rare loss, romped to a six-length victory in the $112,000 Straight Deal Breeders' Cup Handicap Saturday at Pimlico. She ran the six furlongs in 1:09.07, just off the track record of 1:09 set by Northern Wolf in 1990.
The victory was the 15th in 18 starts for Xtra Heat, who had finished second in her previous race, the Grade 1 Test Stakes at Saratoga. Owned by Kenneth Taylor and trained by John Salzman, Xtra Heat has now earned nearly $900,000. She returned $2.60 on Saturday.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Sarafan won his first stakes in the United States in Friday's $76,350 Harry Brubaker Handicap at Del Mar.
Sent off at 12-1, Sarafan closed from sixth at the top of the stretch and caught pacesetter I've Decided to win the restricted race by a head. I've Decided, the 8-5 favorite, held second, finishing a nose in front of Lonesome Dude in the field of nine.
Ridden by Victor Espinoza, Sarafan finished 1 1/16 miles on turf in 1:40.62, missing Ice Hot's 1986 course record by .62 seconds.