LOUISVILLE, Ky. – At times this spring, trainer Bob Baffert viewed Code West as his Belmont horse, but ultimately, he chose to not run Code West in the race.
Instead, Code West turned into his Matt Winn horse, winning the Grade 3, $113,100 race Saturday evening at Churchill Downs on the Stephen Foster Handicap undercard. The win gave Baffert his fourth victory in the race and his 100th win at Churchill Downs.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – At times this spring, trainer Bob Baffert viewed Code West as his Belmont horse, but ultimately, he chose to not run Code West in the race.
Instead, Code West turned into his Matt Winn horse, winning the Grade 3, $113,100 race Saturday evening at Churchill Downs on the Stephen Foster Handicap undercard. The win gave Baffert his fourth victory in the race and his 100th win at Churchill Downs.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Joel Rosario won the Kentucky Derby on a 5-1 shot, and it wasn’t a surprise at all, even in a 19-horse field. Orb was the favorite at that price.
But when Rosario coasted home first Saturday night on a 5-1 shot named Funny Proposition among just five fillies and mares in the Grade 2, $186,375 Fleur de Lis Handicap, there were huge gasps of astonishment from the Downs After Dark crowd at Churchill Downs.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – There is a pick-six carryover at Betfair Hollywood Park of $130,527 for Sunday’s nine-race program.
Going into the last race Saturday, there were two horses in a maiden claimer for sprinters who could have prevented a carryover. Royal Weekend finished fifth, and Secret Memo was ninth.
Sunday’s pick six covers the fourth through ninth races on a program that begins at 1 p.m. Pacific. There also is a carryover of $31,988 in the super high five, held on the ninth race.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Byrama was closing rapidly on pacesetter Royal Tiger on the turn Saturday’s $250,250 Vanity Handicap at Betfair Hollywood Park when jockey Gary Stevens altered his strategy.
With More Chocolate ranging on the outside of Byrama as the field neared the stretch, Stevens knew he needed to react to stay ahead of that well-regarded rival.
“I knew she was the horse to beat, and I put her away,” Stevens said.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The first-time starter Kobe’s Back had such a lofty reputation among the 2-year-olds trained at Betfair Hollywood Park that he was the 9-5 favorite in Saturday’s $101,000 Willard Proctor Memorial Stakes.
The hype was justified.
Despite spotting his rivals about four lengths after a poor start, Kobe’s Back rallied past eight rivals in the stretch to win the Proctor by a convincing 3 1/4 lengths. Kobe’s Back ($5.60) ran 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:05.42.
E F Five won the $35,000 Aspen at Arapahoe Park for the second time in three years on Saturday, when he defeated defending champ and favorite Wally Van by three-quarters of a length. E F Five also won the Aspen in 2011.
E F Five ($10.80) was prominent through fractions of 21.32 seconds for the opening quarter and 43.86 for the half-mile, before completing the six furlongs for Colorado-breds in 1:09.43. Kelly Bridges was aboard for trainer Kenneth Gleason.
E F Five races for Linda Robertson. He registered his fifth career stakes win in the Aspen.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - It all came together for Ju Ju Eyeballs as she extended her winning streak to four in the $62,400 Crank It Up Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on the turf Saturday at Monmouth Park.
Not bad for a $15,000 claim last December at Gulfsteam Park.
She has certainly hit her best stride for trainer Jason Servis, especially since switching to grass for the last three races.
The early trailer in the 5 1/2 furlong dash, Ju Ju Eyeballs and jockey Paco Lopez roared into contention with a three-wide sweep on the turn.
Skydreamin, an $80,000 purchase at the Ocala March 2-year-olds-in-training sale, proved gamest in the lane as he captured the $55,000 Lost in the Fog Stakes in his racing debut Saturday at Golden Gate Fields.
Skydreamin ($5.20) scored a hard-fought victory after a thrilling three-way battle through the stretch after running into trouble early and racing greenly.
A son of Sky Mesa, Skydreamin broke well from post 2, but veered in and bumped favored Olympic Jumble. Skydreamin fell back to last, five lengths behind Olympic Jumble after the opening quarter.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Sprouts won the first stakes of the year for 2-year-old fillies in Southern California in Saturday’s $100,250 Cinderella, a milestone win for trainer Edward Freeman.
Freeman, 53, won his first stakes in Southern California with Sprouts, who became the first stakes winner for her stallion, Square Eddie.
Ridden by Mario Gutierrez for Paul and Zillah Reddam – the jockey and owners who won the 2012 Kentucky Derby with I’ll Have Another – Sprouts ($8) won the Cinderella by 3 1/2 lengths over Pleasant Miss, a 5-2 shot, with Time for Angie third.
