PLEASANTON, Calif. – For Positive Response ($8), it was a case of "if at first you don't succeed, try again," as he captured the $57,500 County of Alameda Handicap at the Alameda County Fair on Saturday.

The 5-year-old Pomeroy gelding finished second in last year's edition of the race, which was then called The Alamedan. But this year, with the early scratch of morning-line favorite Summer Hit, there was no stopping the multiple stakes winner.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – When Centralinteligence was ready to return from a lengthy layoff earlier this meet at Betfair Hollywood Park, trainer Ron Ellis and co-owner Bob Feld designed a schedule that they hoped would have Centralinteligence peaking for the Grade 1, $250,750 Triple Bend Handicap on Saturday.

Maybe they should go work for the CIA because their cloak-and-dagger plan paid off handsomely, with Centralinteligence scoring an 8-1 upset win by an emphatic 3 1/2 lengths.

Finewineatnine became a stakes winner Saturday at Arapahoe Park, when he contested the pace then fought for a head win over Cover Trick in the $42,018 Colorado Thoroughbred Breeders Association Derby. It was another 3 1/2 lengths back in third to the 3-5 favorite, Busta Twist.

Finewineatnine ($8.40) dueled with One Storm through fractions of 23.82 seconds for the opening quarter, 48.77 for the half-mile, and 1:14.38 for six furlongs. The eventual winner  shook that rival then held off Cover Trick, covering 1 1/16 miles for statebreds in 1:48.96.

Commander paid $4.60 for his convincing win in the $50,000 Spangled Jimmy for 3-year-olds and up at Northlands Park on Saturday.

Commander was winless in three starts this year, but with Jorge Espitia aboard, Commander returned to the form that saw him win four straight stakes at Northlands last year before heading to Hastings, where he won two more stakes, including the Grade 3 Premiers.

OCEANPORT, N.J. – Laughing beat 2-5 favorite Dayatthespa by three-quarters of a length Saturday in the Grade 3, $99,000 Eatontown Handicap for fillies and mares on the turf at Monmouth Park.

Laughing, a 5-year-old trained by Alan Goldberg, was sick over the winter, delaying her return. She came back fit and ready, but the spot looked daunting with Dayatthespa in the lineup.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - It didn't work out the way trainer Bret Calhoun expected, but it worked out nonetheless for Cozze Up Lady, who bulled between horses past the three-sixteenths pole and won the Grade 3, $150,000 Chicago Handicap by three-quarters of a length. Queen's Award finished second, and Grade 1-winning favorite Aubby K was third in her synthetic-surface debut.

As with the New York Stakes a race earlier, Saturday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Victory Ride Stakes went to the longest shot on the toteboard, when Baby J ($23.00), seemingly beaten in midstretch, altered course and came again to overtake next-to-longest shot Bridgehampton.

 A well-beaten third as the favorite in an allowance race 15 days earlier, the speedy Baby J dashed to the lead through fractions of 22.14 and 45.13 seconds while hounded by Bridgehampton, who was exiting a maiden win in her second career start.

Stop us if you've heard this one before.

For the second straight Saturday, Bill Mott pulled off a stakes upset with a Juddmonte Farms-owned runner, reprising Close Hatches' shocker over 1-5 Dreaming of Julia in last week's Mother Goose with a similarly decisive triumph by Starformer in the $200,000 New York Stakes.

But while Close Hatches was second choice at 4-1, Starformer ($33.60) was the rank outsider among eight fillies and mares in the New York Stakes, which was her first victory at the Grade 2 level after three previous Grade 3 tallies.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – A year ago on June 29, trainer Mike Mitchell was undergoing surgery for a brain tumor. Winning a Grade 1 race on the one-year anniversary of that date was a lot better, obviously.

Obviously, utilizing his usual front-running style, and his penchant to keep on going, scored the first Grade 1 win of his career on Saturday at Betfair Hollywood Park in the $300,000 Shoemaker Mile, an emotional victory for everyone connected to Mitchell.

“A year ago was his surgery,” said his wife, Denise. “It’s kind of a big deal.”

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Black Hornet ($6.50) buzzed to the lead on the turn and never looked back to take the $150,000 Achievement Stakes for 3-year-olds at Woodbine on Saturday.

Black Hornet tracked the rapid Click through an opening quarter-mile in 21.90 seconds, and then took control before getting the half in a sizzling 44.49 seconds. He kicked clear in the stretch to score comfortably by 2 3/4 lengths in 1:09.46 for the six furlongs.

Justin Stein rode Black Hornet for Winview Racing Stable and trainer Pat Parente.