INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Clubhouse Ride, Liaison, and Oilisblackgold – the first three finishers of Saturday’s $150,500 Californian Stakes – are bound for the $500,000 Hollywood Gold Cup on July 6, their trainers said.
Clubhouse Ride, a 5-year-old horse trained by Craig Lewis, took the Grade 2 Californian by 2 1/4 lengths over Liaison for his first graded stakes win in his 28th career start.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Mizdirection, the winner of the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint against males last November and three stakes this year at Santa Anita, worked five furlongs in 1:00.20 on turf Sunday, preparing for Saturday’s $500,000 Just A Game Stakes for fillies and mares over a mile on turf at Belmont Park.
Mizdirection was ridden by Mike Smith and worked alone. Trainer Mike Puype timed the work in 59.80 seconds.
“She’s rolling,” Puype said as he watched Mizdirection work around the turn.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens took off his mounts at Betfair Hollywood Park on Sunday, a day after being unseated in a turf race.
Stevens, who is booked to ride Preakness Stakes winner Oxbow in Saturday’s Belmont Stakes in New York, was scheduled to have two mounts Sunday.
He worked one horse Sunday morning but said he was “pretty sore” and chose not to ride. Later in the morning, Stevens, 50, said he went to a hospital near Santa Anita for precautionary X-rays on his ribs.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Laugh Track ($4.90) caught 7-10 favorite Essence Hit Man in the final strides to land his first stakes win Sunday at Woodbine in the Grade 3, $156,000 Vigil.
Essence Hit Man, Canada’s champion sprinter in each of the past two years, set a slow pace with an opening quarter-mile in 23.17 seconds and got the half in 45.02 in the seven-furlong event. Laugh Track closed the gap from second exiting the turn and then wore down Essence Hit Man in the final sixteenth to prevail by a half-length in 1:21.85. Longshots Burnum and City Wolf completed the order of finish.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Unlimited Budget all but solidified her status as a starter for Saturday’s 145th Belmont Stakes with a strong workout Sunday at Belmont Park, which would make her the first filly to start in the Belmont since Rags to Riches won the race in 2007.
OPELOUSAS, La. – Controlling the pace throughout under kind handling by Donnie Meche, Lattin Devil cruised home to win Saturday night’s $50,000 Ragin Cajun Stakes at Evangeline Downs. It was 3 1/2 lengths back to Warren’s Rebel in second and another head to Don’t Be Mad in third.
The final time for the seven-furlong affair for Louisiana-bred 3-year-olds was 1:22.81 over a fast track.
Trainer Trey Wood won the richest race at Remington Park in Oklahoma City for the second consecutive year Saturday night, when Big Biz Perry led throughout to capture the Grade 1, $1,075,260 Heritage Place Futurity for Quarter Horses. Last year, Wood won the race with BP Cartels Alibi.
ALTOONA, Iowa – Our Double Play, in his first start around two turns, put forth a strong effort on the front end and fended off a rallying Bashaar for a 1 1/2-length win in the $60,000 Prairie Mile on Saturday night.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Kentucky Derby winner Orb headed a star-studded group of Belmont Stakes hopefuls, all of whom breezed a half-mile over a very fast Belmont strip early Sunday morning.
Orb, with regular exercise rider Jenn Patterson aboard, went a very easy half-mile in 48.30 seconds in company with stablemate Hymn Book. Orb posted a 24.95 opening quarter-mile split, finished well while just cruising inside his slightly pressured mate, then galloped out a strong five furlongs in 1:00.28 before pulling up six furlongs in 1:13.77.
[bc_video_id:294100:]ELMONT, N.Y. – If there was any doubt about Orb’s starting status for Saturday’s Belmont Stakes – and there really wasn’t – it was removed early Sunday morning when the Kentucky Derby winner worked a solid half-mile in 48.30 seconds over a lightning-quick main track at Belmont Park.
