ARCADIA, Calif. - The best horse crossed the wire first in the Grade 2 on Saturday at Santa Anita. However, Megahertz racked up two rivals at the head of the stretch in the mile and an eighth turf stake for fillies and mares, and it took stewards just five minutes to disqualify the odds-on favorite from first and place her last for interference, which resulted in Katdogawn inheriting the win in the $150,000 race.
ALBANY, Calif. - Snorter ($6) got through a small opening along the rail and won his stakes debut, capturing the $100,000 Grade 3 on Saturday in the fastest mile run at the current Golden Gate Fields meeting.
He defeated pacesetting Yougottawanna by one length in 1:33.92.
The 4-year-old colt, trained by Bobby Frankel, has now won three straight races.
Snorter sat behind the honest 22.88, 46.14 fractions set by Yougottawanna, who held on gamely in the stretch to finish second a neck in front of Taste of Paradise, who broke out and was wide early.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Randaroo took another step towards becoming a Grade 1 winner, whereas Storm Flag Flying took a step backward in her attempt to regain her championship form, in Saturday's Grade 2, at Aqueduct.
Randaroo, under a measured ride by Richard Migliore, led gate to wire to win the $150,000 Distaff by 3 1/2 lengths. Longshot Chirimoya finished second, 2 1/4 lengths ahead of the disappointing Storm Flag Flying. Fit Performer finished last.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Most horses need to race themselves into shape. A rare few are at their best when fresh. Among them is Speightstown, who returned from a 10-month layoff to score a 4 1/2-length victory over Pretty Wild in Saturday's $100,000 Artax Handicap at Gulfstream Park.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Eternal Cup rallied from well off a hot pace to win the $50,000 Carousel Stakes at Oaklawn Park by a neck on Saturday. Surf N Sand finished second, 1 1/4 lengths in front of third-place finisher See How She Runs.
The race was marred by the spill of Puffy Shirt going into the turn of the six-furlong race. She went down along the rail with jockey Tim Doocy, and later got up and was vanned off the track. Doocy walked away from the fall and did not appear to sustain major injuries.
PORTLAND, Ore. - An evenly matched field of seven older sprinters, each eligible to be claimed for $6,250 to $5,000, will vie at six furlongs in Monday's top offering at Portland Meadows.
Though favoritism is up for grabs, Stately Jack Flash figures strongly off his most recent outing, a closing second to City Parkway in a 5 1/2 furlong test for $5,000 claimers March 15. That was the third straight win for City Parkway, who jumped up to the stakes ranks in Saturday's Governor's Speed Handicap.
STICKNEY, Ill. - War Emblem two years ago, Ten Most Wanted last season - the decision two years ago to move the Illinois Derby out of its traditional spot one week after the Kentucky Derby has paid off. Now the $500,000 Illinois Derby is a Kentucky Derby prep race, and this year's edition is scheduled for Saturday at National Jockey Club's meet at Hawthorne Park.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - The friendly rivalry between trainers Bill Mott and Christophe Clement, which takes place on a regular basis over turf courses up and down the East Coast, will be renewed again in Monday's main event at Gulfstream Park.
This time Mott seems to go in with the upper hand, having a pair of strong contenders for the second-level allowance race in Gloriosa and Erase. Clement counters with Spangled, who will be making her U.S. debut in the about 1 1/8-mile grass feature.
OLDSMAR, Fla. - Terry Houghton has had a long, often painful, road back to the saddle. When the meet began in December, he'd been away from the game for 14 months after suffering serious head injuries in a spill at Great Lakes Downs in 2002, and it was uncertain whether he could compete with the other riders.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Tiger Hunt has been withdrawn from consideration for Saturday's Grade 2, $500,000 Illinois Derby because it would be too much of a push to make a race of that caliber, said his trainer, Ralph Nicks. The earliest comeback races Tiger Hunt will be considered for are the $75,000 Northern Spur Breeders' Cup at Oaklawn on April 10, or the Grade 2, $325,000 Coolmore Lexington Stakes at Keeneland on April 17.
