ALBANY, Calif. - Giovannetti ($19.80), loser of a hard-fought duel to El Dorado Shooter last year in the Ken Maddy Sprint Handicap, reversed things Saturday at Golden Gate Fields, going wire-to-wire to win the $100,000 six-furlong stakes for Cal-breds.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Fun House tried something new in her 22nd career start in Saturday's $150,000 at Santa Anita: She raced for the first time on a wet turf course, and scored her first stakes win.
Ridden by Gary Stevens, Fun House ($24) rallied from fourth in a field of seven fillies and mares to score by 2 3-4 lengths over Katdogawn.
Fun House, 5, finished a mile on a good turf course in 1:36.13.
"The turf is really soft and she enjoyed it," Stevens said. "It shaped up I dreamed it would. She settled real nicely and I had a ton of horse."
GRAND ISLAND, Neb. - Tonight Rainbow proved too much in the stretch as he battled outside Herewegoagain and then edged clear late to capture Saturday's $10,875 Grasmick Handicap at Fonner Park, ending Leaping Plum's hopes of capturing a ninth edition of the half-mile race.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - The most anxious moments for the connections of Kitten's Joy came before the running of Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 at Gulfstream Park.
Kitten's Joy, the 3-5 favorite, got a bit hot in the paddock and again during the post parade, leading jockey Jerry Bailey to wonder how much horse he would have in the race.
The answer was plenty, as Kitten's Joy exploded when swung off the hedge by Bailey turning for home and drew off to a convincing 1 3/4-length victory in the Palm Beach. Kitten's Joy is now undefeated in four turf starts.
NEW ORLEANS - With Mystery Giver waiting for the $500,000 Mervin Muniz Handicap next month, Tuesday's Mardi Gras Handicap should crown his top local challenger.
The Mardi Gras, a 7 1/2-furlong grass race, offers a purse one-tenth the size of the Muniz (formerly the Explosive Bid Handicap). That's unfortunate, because the Mardi Gras field is excellent. Among the chief contenders are Herculated and Skate Away, each of whom could give Mystery Giver or any Muniz ship-in plenty of fight.
PORTLAND, Ore. - Star of Elttaes will make his Portland Meadows debut in Monday's feature race, a 5 1/2-furlong sprint for older allowance runners.
Star of Elttaes, a career winner of seven races and nearly $80,000, was claimed by owner Amy Thurmond out of his last start at Hastings on Nov. 22, a 6 1/2- furlong race for $8,000 optional claimers. The 6-year-old Star of Elttaes won that outing by a resounding six lengths and was transferred to the care of red-hot local trainer Jacqui Navarre, for whom he has registered four straight bullet workouts.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - The big sigh of relief you may have heard emanating from Gulfstream Park last week came from trainer Timmy Hills. After enduring a "humbling" 1-for-41 start to the meet, Hills has won with three of his last five starters.
Hills, who won two races Wednesday and one more Saturday, hopes that portends better things for the second half of the meet. Hills hopes to keep the momemtum rolling into next Saturday, when he sends out Vous in the Grade 3, $100,000 Herecomesthebride Stakes at Gulfstream Park.
Danny Peitz would rather race at Oaklawn Park instead of Fair Grounds each winter if all things were equal. But they're not.
"You've got to go where there's a turf course, especially since I'm a little top-heavy with grass horses right now," said Peitz, a veteran trainer from Little Rock, Ark. "I'd love to race at Oaklawn because it's home for me. But I like it in New Orleans, too, and we've had some success in the five years I've been coming here."
OLDSMAR, Fla. - Kaufy Mate, who disappointed when he broke slowly and ran seventh in the Pasco Stakes as the 3-2 betting choice here Jan. 17, rewarded those who stuck with him Saturday when he scored a hard-earned 1 3/4-length win over heavily favored The Cliff's Edge in the $100,000 at Tampa Bay Downs.
Under a heady ride by Ramsey Zimmerman, Kaufy Mate ($71.40) pressed pacesetter Misguided Left from the outset, rallied outside to take the lead leaving the second turn, then shook off challenges from The Cliff's Edge and Zakocity to edge clear late under strong handling.
