Eden's Moon was an easy winner of Saturday's $250,000 Las Virgenes Stakes at Santa Anita Park, but the talented bay miss had to survive an objection lodged by runner-up Reneesgotzip's trainer before she could give owner Kaleem Shah his first Grade 1 victory.
Sagamore Farm's Millionreasonswhy made her sophomore bow a winning one on Saturday when capturing the $77,750 Wide Country Stakes at Laurel Park by 1 1/4 lengths with jockey Horacio Karamanos in the irons.
The bay miss went ran three wide around the turn after stalking the pace on the backstretch, grabbed command on the outside of 4-5 favorite Dance to Bristol and drew off under a hand ride to complete seven furlongs on the good dirt in 1:24.
On Santa Anita's Big 'Cap undercard on Saturday, the unbeaten Reneesgotzip tops a cast of eight three-year-old fillies for the Grade 1, $250,000 Las Virgenes Stakes going a mile.
For the second consecutive year America’s reigning champion 2-year-old filly is missing from the 24 wagering interests in Churchill Downs’ lone Kentucky Oaks Future Wager (“KOFW”) pool, a development that has left “All Others” (#24) as a strong early favorite over a wide-open group of 23 promising 3-year-old fillies included in the three-day betting pool that opens on Friday, March 2.
Peras International's Yara was sent off the 64-1 second longest shot in Saturday's Grade 2, $350,000 Davona Dale Stakes at Gulfstream Park, but dueled 4-5 favorite Grace Hall into a neck loss when crossing under the wire first. The Put It Back filly paid out huge to her backers, returning $131, $38 and $14.40 for the victory under jockey Jesus Castanon.
Summer Applause earned even-money favoritism in the January 21 Silverbulletday Stakes following an dominating seven-length victory in her Fair Grounds debut against optional claiming rivals on New Year's Eve, but could do no better than second on that day while making her first start for new trainer Bret Calhoun. One month later and the public jumped ship on the bay lass as she was sent off the 3-1 third choice in Saturday's Grade 3, $194,000 Rachel Alexandra Stakes.
For much of Thursday's Group 3, $250,000 U.A.E. Oaks, runaway pacesetter Mary Fildes threatened to pull a shocker. But Godolphin's Falls of Lora rallied from well back to foil the audacious front runner, handing the team its incredible eighth victory in just 12 runnings of the fillies' classic.
Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies runner-up Grace Hall is set to launch her sophomore campaign on Saturday as the probable favorite and horse to beat in the Grade 2, $250,000 Davona Dale Stakes at Gulfstream Park. The 1 1/16-mile race has drawn nine total runners, including Disposablepleasure, who will be Grace Hall's main threat.
Saturday's Grade 3 Rachel Alexandra at Fair Grounds lost an entrant Monday when the undefeated sophomore filly Applauding was withdrawn following a four-furlong breeze in :50 4/5 over the fast main track at Fair Grounds.
"She didn't work to my satisfaction and I'm going to scratch her," trainer Al Stall Jr. said. "She just wasn't herself. I don't know if something's bugging her internally or what. She just wasn't right."
Believe You Can will only have to contend with six rivals in Saturday's Grade 3, $200,000 Rachel Alexandra Stakes at Fair Grounds, but her biggest threat looks to come from a filly making her stakes bow in the 1 1/16-mile race.
Grade 3 winner Now I Know, the Oklahoma-bred gray who saw her undefeated status snapped in the $75,000 Martha Washington at Oaklawn Park last Saturday, has been retired after exiting the one-mile race with a fractured left knee.
Trainer Don Von Hemel, who co-owns and co-bred the three-year-old filly with Wayne Stockseth, told Daily Racing Form that Now I Know would be sent to Oklahoma City for possible surgery. She will eventually be bred.
Amie's Dini was the second choice in Saturday's $75,000 Martha Washington Stakes at Oaklawn Park, but ran like a favorite when holding previously unbeaten 1-2 choice Now I Know by 1 3/4 lengths on the wire.
Dual Grade 2-winning filly On Fire Baby will be pointed toward the Grade 3, $125,000 Honeybee at Oaklawn Park on March 10 as trainer Gary 'Red Dog' Hartlage seeks the best schedule to get the talented three-year-old to peak at Churchill Downs in the first week of May.
"It's all about the best road for getting to Louisville," Hartlage said. "I have no problem waiting a few more weeks with the way she's been training if this puts on that road."
Dixie Strike (Dixie Union), the lesser half of an entry bet down to 4-5, saved chalk players with a strong stretch rally in Saturday's $105,000 Florida Oaks at Tampa Bay Downs.
Owned by John Oxley and trained by Mark Casse, Dixie Strike was ridden here by Jose Lezcano.
"I think Dixie Strike could be a Kentucky Oaks filly," Casse said. "We're going to have to map out a plan to get there."
Trainer Mark Casse will invade Tampa Bay Downs on Saturday with a trio of three-year-olds looking to take the next step on the road to Churchill Downs. Sovereign Award finalist Prospective, a son of Malibu Moon, will go in the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes while Northern Passion and Dixie Strike will line up in the $150,000 Florida Oaks for three-year-old fillies on turf.
Broadway's Alibi ran lights out in the slop at Gulfstream Park on Sunday when dominating the Grade 2, $200,000 Forward Gal Stakes under jockey John Velazquez. The dark bay daughter of Vindication was making her stakes bow in the seven-furlong contest and frolicked home a 16 3/4 length winner over the sealed dirt for trainer Todd Pletcher.
"She's fast," Pletcher stated. "I don't know about distance. I guess we'll have to find out at some point."
Phil Daniels et al's Willa B Awesome lived up to her name on Saturday with a nice front-running win in the Grade 3, $100,000 Santa Ysabel Stakes at Santa Anita. The Walther Solis trainee headed straight to the front when the gates opened and had more than enough in reserve to withstand the late run of 3-1 second favorite Killer Graces in the lane.
Despite owning just one prior start, Lanni Family Trust's Reneesgotzip ran away with the Grade 2, $150,000 Santa Ynez Stakes at Santa Anita on Sunday. Ridden by Corey Nakatani, the Peter Miller trainee finished 6 1/2 furlongs on the fast dirt in 1:15 1/5, returning $4, $2.80 and $2.60 as the even-money favorite.
Peachtree Stable's Sacristy, a smashing Churchill Downs maiden winner in her first opportunity on dirt, followed up promptly in her stakes debut in Sunday's Grade 3, $100,000 Old Hat Stakes at Gulfstream Park. Trained by Wayne Catalano and ridden by Kent Desormeaux, the 6-5 choice unleashed a powerful rally down the stretch and drew off by 1 3/4 lengths. The newly-minted sophomore took 1:10 4/5 to complete six furlongs on the fast track, returning $4.60, $2.80 and $2.40.
Borislow et al's Killer Graces fanned three-wide rounding the turn of Saturday's Grade 1, $402,000 Hollywood Starlet Stakes and rallied in the lane to be a half-length in front of Charm the Maker on the wire of the 8 1/2-furlong affair. Jockey Joe Talamo piloted the Jerry Hollendorfer pupil to finish in 1:44 on Hollywood Park's Cushion Track.
