GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – Lone Star Park experienced small gains in average daily handle and attendance after rallying in the final weeks of its 50-date meet that ended Saturday. The track drew more than 55,000 patrons over the last four dates of the meet, which included two nights of fireworks following the races.
“Every day has been great the last three or four weeks of the meet,” said Drew Shubeck, president and general manager of Lone Star.
Marquis Downs had its fourth weather-related cancelation of 2013 when Saturday night's card was called off.
Originally scheduled for 26 days, with racing Fridays and Saturdays, the Marquis Downs meeting was to begin June 14 but did not get under way until June 22. Four consecutive cards were then run prior to Saturday's cancelation.
Marquis had budgeted for 192 races to be run this year. Two of the canceled cards were rescheduled for Sept. 21-22, one week after the meet's originally scheduled ending.
ALTOONA, Iowa – Big Sugarush, under an enterprising ride from the meet's leading rider, David Mello, seized command from the outset, withstood the challenge of heavy favorite Rushin' Rubietta, and edged clear to take Saturday's $80,255 Iowa Stallion Stakes by 4 1/4 lengths.
Trained by Tim Martin, Big Sugarush, an Oklahoma-bred 3-year-old, made the substantial rise in class from a conditioned claiming race to stakes company with aplomb. In his last race, the Kipling gelding defeated a group of $6,250 claimers who each had not won three races lifetime by a length.
Jockey Sheldon Russell completed a three-stakes win night on the Virginia Commonwealth Turf Festival card at Colonial Downs when he guided favored Dannhauser to a two-length score in the Bert Allen Stakes.
All five stakes were worth $50,000 and restricted to Virginia-breds.
The 5-year-old Dannhauser ($3.80) was making his first start since October, but is extremely fond of Colonial’s turf course, where he is 3 for 4. Dannhauser, trained by Kathleen O’Connell, ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:47.75.
Look Quickly stalked favored Side Letter and made a strong move in the final eighth of a mile to capture the $63,750 Juan Gonzalez Memorial Stakes at the Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton, Calif., on Saturday.
The 2-year-old Look Quickly ($12.60), a daughter of Run Away and Hide, showed more speed than in her winning debut one month ago at Golden Gate Fields. She was fifth at the first call that day before circling her rivals.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Trainer Bret Calhoun won three of the four stakes that made up the closing day card at Lone Star Park on Saturday, sending out Coyote Legend to a gritty win in the $50,000 Assault, and sweeping both $100,000 divisions of the Texas Thoroughbred Association Sales Futurity with Closing Report and Circustown Flyer.
The stakes, which were all restricted, made up the annual Stars of Texas Day. Purses for the races were $300,000, making the program one of the richest of the meet at Lone Star.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Game On Dude was good even before jockey Mike Smith got on him, but he seems to have gotten even better since. They ran their record to 5 for 5 on Saturday at Betfair Hollywood Park with a front-running victory in the Grade 1, $500,000 Hollywood Gold Cup, a win that push Game On Dude past the $5-million mark in career earnings.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - Joe Bravo felt he was little unlucky with Big Blue Kitten in the Grade 2 Monmouth Stakes last month, shaking clear a tad too late to catch Boisterous.
This time Big Blue Kitten got the big prize, the Grade 1, $525,000 United Nations Stakes on Saturday at Monmouth Park.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - Raging Daoust edged Big Sur by a nose in a battle of longshots in the Grade 3, $157,500 Salvator Mile on Saturday at Monmouth Park.
Raging Daoust paid $69 for the upset victory, giving Buddy Carlesimo one of the biggest wins in his career.
MIAMI - Starship Truffles proved that Grade 1 winners can come from just about anywhere.
One week after winning a $6,250 starter allowance race, Starship Truffles dominated Grade 1 opposition, cruising to a 3 3/4-length victory over the unlucky Judy the Beauty in Saturday’s Princess Rooney Handicap at Calder Race Course.
The Princess Rooney shared top billing on Calder’s Summit of Speed program, which ran in direct conflict with an eight-race card conducted just eight miles away at Gulfstream Park.
