Maryland-based Miss Behaviour proved she was ready for prime time and kept her record unblemished by outlasting the odds-on Sweet Whiskey by one length to capture Sunday’s $200,000, Grade 2 Matron at Belmont Park.
Miss Behaviour, a Pennsylvania-bred daughter of Jump Start, is stabled at Bowie with trainer Phil Schoenthal but won her first two career starts at Parx and Monmouth Park, including the Sorority by 8 1/4 widening lengths earlier this month.
OKLAHOMA CITY – Wine Police held off a determined rail bid from Alsvid for a three-quarter-length win in the $150,000 Remington Park Sprint Cup. The race was one of six stakes on a special Sunday afternoon card led by the Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby.
Wine Police ($6.80) was quick to move into tracking position in the Sprint Cup and pushed leader Beggarthyneighbor through an opening quarter-mile in 22.29 seconds. The eventual winner overtook that one through a half-mile in 45.25 and went on to cover the six furlongs on a fast track in 1:09.67.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Mucho Macho Man became a Grade 1 winner in his 22nd start with a convincing victory in Saturday’s $250,000 Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita. The win left trainer Kathy Ritvo anxious to run the horse here Nov. 2 in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic, where he will take on local handicap star Game On Dude in the race over 1 1/4 miles.
“He’s a nice horse, but mine is, too,” Ritvo said Sunday.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Though no decision has been made, Princess of Sylmar most likely will not run again this year but will be pointed to a 2014 campaign, her owner said Sunday.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Led by authoritative winner Ron the Greek, the top three finishers from Saturday’s $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park are expected to head west for the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita on Nov. 2, their connections said Sunday.
Ron the Greek, who finished fourth in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic, also at Santa Anita, had gone winless in five consecutive starts prior to Saturday’s Gold Cup.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A fast pace figured to set things up for a closer in the Jefferson Cup, and that scenario played out in favor of General Election, who was up in the final strides Saturday night to win the 37th running of the Grade 3 turf race at Churchill Downs.
With Joe Rocco Jr. aboard for WinStar Farm and trainer Kellyn Gorder, General Election rallied to prevail by a neck over Redwood Kitten, with Gentleman’s Kitten another 2 1/4 lengths back in a field of seven 3-year-olds. The second- and third-place finishers both are Ken and Sarah Ramsey homebreds.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Fort Larned passed his final test in preparation for a shot at a Breeders’ Cup repeat when leading throughout as a huge favorite Saturday night in the inaugural running of the $191,275 Homecoming Classic at Churchill Downs.
Fort Larned used his superior speed to open a lead of about six lengths down the backstretch of the 1 1/8-mile race before finishing 1 1/2 lengths ahead of Windswept. The 5-year-old Fort Larned returned $2.60 to win after finishing in 1:48.58 over a fast track.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Pontchatrain got her first stakes win in Saturday’s Unzip Me Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Santa Anita, giving Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens his fourth win of the 11-race program and his third in a stakes.
Pontchatrain ($13) kicked clear of 11 rivals in the final furlong, winning by three lengths over 50-1 Tribal Spy. Warren’s Venada was third.
Pontchatrain ran about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course in 1:11.86.
As expected, odds-on favorite Marks Mine won the $63,750 Harvest Stakes at the San Joaquin Fair in Stockton on Saturday.
But few expected her to win the way she did, dueling head-and-head the entire six furlongs of the stakes for fillies and mares with longest shot on the board, 36-1 Kitty Marie, before edging away late for a one-half length victory in 1:09.48.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Mucho Macho Man might not be based in California, but he sure likes it here.
Second in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic, Mucho Macho Man served notice that he will be formidable in that race again this year with an emphatic, 4 1/4-length victory Saturday in the Grade 1, $250,000 Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita.
The Awesome Again offers a fees-paid berth to the $5 million BC Classic here Nov. 2 through the Win and You’re In program.
