Cielo Girl rallied through the stretch for a half-length win in the $50,000 Sweetheart Stakes at Delta Downs on Saturday night. Bloody Liz and Fuse It finished in a dead-heat for second.
Cielo Girl ($6) settled in fifth early in the seven furlong race for fillies and mares, angled out in the stretch and ran down the leaders. She covered the distance, which was run around two turns, in 1:30.46. The track ws rated muddy.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Second of June, who finished second to Read the Foototes in Saturday's Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park, came out of the race with a condylar fracture of a cannon bone and was scheduled to have surgery at noon on Sunday, trainer Bill Cesare said Sunday morning.
The surgery was going to be performed by Dr. Stephen Selway at a clinic at Gulfstream Park.
"The fracture's not displaced, and it's not real wide, but it's there," Cesare said. "It shouldn't effect him, other than time."
ALBANY, Calif. - Pheiffer ($19.20) sat just off the early pace of Goldy Rock and pulled away in the lane to win the $56,650 Richmond Handicap at Golden Gate Fields on Saturday.
The 6-year-old mare was second one length behind Goldy Rock through a 21.96 opening quarter. She was within one-half length after a 44.43 half mile. Talk Me Again, expected to contest the lead, broke slowly from the rail and was never a factor in the race.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Wins by two longshots at Santa Anita on Saturday has led to a pick six carryover of $137,427 for Sunday's nine-race program.
Sunday's nine-race program begins at 12:30 p.m. The pick six covers the fourth through ninth races.
Two of the pick six races are stakes - the $70,000 Daytona Handicap on the hillside turf course in the seventh race and the $250,000 Las Virgenes Stakes for 3-year-old fillies in the eight.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Read the Footnotes was surrendering recent activity and a race over the track to favored Second of June in Saturday's Grade 2, $250,000 at Gulfstream Park, but Read the Footnotes still overcame those obstacles to prevail by neck after a thrilling stretch drive.
With jockey Jerry Bailey aboard, Read the Footnotes wore down favored Second of June in the final yards in this final prep for the March 13 Florida Derby. The way both colts ran Saturday, their rematch four weeks hence will be eagerly anticipated.
ARCADIA, Calif. - stole the Grade 2 Bayakoa Handicap at Hollywood Park in December with a front-running style that proved impossible to catch. She pulled away in the final furlong to win her stakes debut by 3 1/4 lengths.
Star Parade returns in Monday's $250,000 Santa Maria Handicap at Santa Anita and will try to use the same tactics against a tougher field.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Saltwater Runner, who is perfect in three career starts, will test her skills around two turns for the first time in Monday's $50,000 Martha Washington Stakes at Oaklawn Park.
The one-mile race for 3-year-old fillies has been increased from six furlongs, its distance since it was inaugurated in 1979, to serve as an additional prep for the Grade 2 Fantasy. A full field of 12 will go, including Wacky Patty, a Grade 3 winner, and Run Cat Run, a promising sort who was sixth to Ashado last out in the Grade 2 Demoiselle at Aqueduct.
OLDSMAR, Fla. - Secret Romeo admirers, and there are more than a few around, were puzzled when the 6-year-old came up short after looking like a winner a furlong out in both the Pelican Stakes on Dec. 27 and a Jan. 10 allowance prep for the Super Stakes.
PORTLAND, Ore. - Razor-sharp Moneycat, who has won three straight, steps up seeking No. 4 at Portland Meadows in Monday's feature.
"He's been running good, but we've jumped him up a little bit," trainer Dan Tanory said.
Moneycat has been running for a $2,500 tag, but will run for $3,200 in Monday's six-furlong sprint.
The step up should be viewed as a positive for Tanory, who has done little wrong of late. He has saddled nine winners from 16 starters and also has a pair of second-place finishes.
There are a half-dozen horses in Monday's General George Handicap at Laurel Park capable of running within six or seven points of the 113 Beyer Speed Figure that Badge of Silver earned in his first start in more than 10 months.
None of them, however, possesses the kind of early speed Badge of Silver can generate. So unless Badge of Silver gets tired going a furlong farther than he ran three weeks ago at Fair Grounds, he might be uncatchable in the Grade 2, $200,000 General George at seven furlongs.
