Jockey Carlos Marquez Jr. has been diagnosed with a collapsed lung and four broken ribs following a spill in the fifth race Saturday at Oaklawn Park. Roman Chapa and Luis Quinonez were also involved in the accident, but both escaped serious injury and rode on Sunday.
Marquez is expected to spend the next few days in St. Joseph's Hospital in Hot Springs, according to track officials. There is no timeline for his return.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Island Fashion became the undisputed leader of the Santa Anita female sprinters with her victory in Sunday's $250,000 Santa Monica Handicap.
The win came four weeks after she scored a six-length win in the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes against 3-year-old fillies. Despite her impressive sprint wins, she is unlikely to remain in shorter races. As the winner of the Alabama Stakes over 1 1-4 miles at Saratoga last August, Island Fashion is proven over longer distances and is expected to try such races in coming months.
NEW ORLEANS - Dolphus Morrison keeps breeding his broodmares to mid-level stallions and coming up with high-quality racehorses. Here's another one. Lotta Kim overcame a difficult trip and won the $100,000 Tiffany Lass Stakes at Fair Grounds.
Lotta Kim's winning margin was only three-quarters of a length, but she was pushed in at the start and raced in tight quarters, and jockey Robby Albarado rode her easily to the finish. Moreover, Lotta Kim hadn't started since finishing second Nov. 29 in the Grade 2 Golden Rod Stakes at Churchill Downs.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla.- Request For Parole has split his time evenly between turf and dirt over the first 26 starts of his career. But after rallying to a 1 1/2-length victory over the pacesetting Slew Valley in Sunday's $100,000 Mac Diarmida Handicap at Gulfstream Park, it is fairly obvious where Request For Parole will be doing most of his racing from now on.
"He was a nice 3-year-old but then had an injury and it took him a while to come back," said Stanley Hough who trains Request For Parole for Jeri and Sam Knighton. "But the turf seems to have given him a new life."
Lucky Tunnel closed with a rush to win the $29,100 Super Bowl Stakes for 3-year-old fillies by three and three-quarter lengths on Saturday night at Sam Houston Race Park. Rare Glitter, the even-money favorite, finished second, a head in front of third-place finisher Cookin's Cast.
Lucky Tunnel ($6.40) trailed the field early in the six-furlong race, while Cookin's Cast led through fractions of 22.34 seconds for the opening quarter and 45.63 seconds for the half-mile mark. Lucky Tunnel rallied through the stretch, covering the distance over a sloppy track in 1:11.85.
ALBANY, Calif. - Odds-on favorite Ema Bovary ($2.80) survived a rough trip down the backstretch, sliced through an opening at the top of the lane and won the $62,600 Orinda Handicap at Golden Gate Fields on Saturday.
The 5-year-old Chilean-bred mare defeated Christmas Time by two lengths in the six-furlong race, covering the distance in 1:08.59. Pheiffer was third another length back.
Ema Bovary was last early as rival jockeys seemed intent on preventing her from getting position.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Southern Image is making a convincing argument for national attention this winter at Santa Anita.
After posting an upset in the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes last month, Southern Image won Saturday's $1 million for California-breds and Florida-breds at Santa Anita, easily handling his first start over 1 1/8 miles.
Ridden by Victor Espinoza, Southern Image attended a fast pace throughout and finished three lengths in front of pacesetter Excess Summer. Southern Image ($8.20) was timed in 1:47.67.
PORTLAND, Ore. - Belle Fourche and Wampum Wager, the top two finishers in the Jane Driggers Debutante here on Oregon-bred Day, Dec. 13, will head a field of six 3-year-old fillies in Monday's six-furlong allowance feature at Portland Meadows.
NEW ORLEANS - No question, Badge of Silver has not forgotten how to sprint. Making his first start since March 9, Badge of Silver won a Fair Grounds allowance race by 2 3/4 lengths on Friday, running the fastest six furlongs of this Fair Grounds meet, 1:08.88.
Now it is on to the real races. Badge of Silver appears to have come out of his win in good physical condition, and he's on target to start next in the $500,000 New Orleans Handicap on Feb. 29.
NEW ORLEANS - Last Monday, much to trainer David Carroll's dismay, Fire Slam popped a quarter crack on his left hind foot. Somewhere around Wednesday afternoon, Fire Slam seemed unlikely to make the on Saturday at Fair Grounds. By Friday, his injured foot was feeling better, and three hours before the Lecomte, a blacksmith put a fiberglass patch on the hoof. And then Fire Slam went out and won the Lecomte by two lengths over Shadowland.
It was a solid performance from a promising 3-year-old colt - and a brave one.
