LEXINGTON, Ky. - Since the Keeneland fall meet started Oct. 3, there has been no hotter trainer in North America than Nick Zito.
Zito enjoyed one of the most memorable 24-hour periods of his 30-plus-year training career on opening weekend. After winning two of Keeneland's major stakes - the Phoenix Breeders' Cup Stakes with Najran and the Breeders' Futurity with Eurosilver - he won the Grade 1 Champagne at Belmont with Birdstone.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - The locals have had a tough go of it in recent editions of the E.P. Taylor Stakes, the Grade 1 turf race for fillies and mares that is the companion feature to the Canadian International here Sunday.
Hero's Love, in 1993, and Fly for Avie, in 2000, have been the only Woodbine-based runners to win the Taylor in its last 25 runnings, with European 3-year-old fillies taking away most of the laurels.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Trainer Barbara Minshall will hold a very strong hand in Wednesday's $129,000 Deputy Minister Stakes at Woodbine if she decides to run both Battlements and Snake Pit in the seven-furlong dash for Ontario-sired 3-year-olds.
Battlements captured the six-furlong Afleet Stakes with authority June 21. He reappeared two months later, against older Ontario-sired opponents in the Shepperton Stakes. He trailed in the seven-horse field after a wide trip, but was beaten only 3 1/4 lengths.
Mobil ($3.90) went over the $1 million mark in career earnings with a 6 3/4-length score in Monday's Grade 3, $159,900 Ontario Derby at Woodbine. He opened up a clear lead at the three-sixteenths pole before loafing a little in midstretch, but proved a comfortable winner in 1:51.99 in the 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-olds.
"He's earned $1 million the hard way," said Todd Kabel, who rode Mobil. "He strutted his stuff today, but you could see that he's a tired horse."
Cape Power was just as sharp in the main event as he was in his prep a month ago.
A 4-year-old colt trained by Tim Grams and ridden by Anthony Mawing, Cape Power ($4.40) drew clear to a 2 3/4-length victory in the $225,000 West Virginia Breeders' Classic, one of eight stakes for West Virginia-bred, -sired, or -raised horses on Saturday at Charles Town.
Cape Power prepped for the 1 1/8-mile Classic by winning the seven-furlong Robert Hilton Memorial on Sept. 13. He has now won 6 of 18 lifetime starts, all at Charles Town.
MUSKEGON, Mich. - On Saturday's Michigan Sire Stakes card, which featured six races for the progeny of Michigan stallions, Sefas Rose won a Sire Stakes for the third straight year, and Goldinrunner established himself as the top handicap runner in the state. Each of the six races was worth just over $120,000.
In the Sire Stakes for fillies and mares, Sefas Rose took command from the outset and won by nine lengths in 1:54.41 for 1 1/8 miles under jockey Freddie Mata.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Valentine Dancer rallied from eighth to score the first stakes win of her career in Sunday's $113,900 Harold Ramser Handicap at Santa Anita.
The victory occurred in Valentine Dancer's seventh appearance in a stakes. She had been second or third in three stakes since early July.
"She's already had a nice career," trainer Craig Lewis said. "I hope it continues."
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Pheiffer ($17.40) took the lead out of the gate and held off the determined rally of odds-on favorite Lacie Girl by a nose after the two brushed near the 16th pole in the Charles H. Russell Handicap on Sunday at Bay Meadows.
Lacie Girl showed more speed than usual early but was three wide down the backstretch and around the turn of the six-furlong race. She challenged Pheiffer down the stretch, but each time she moved up, Pheiffer would repel the challenge. Pheiffer won by the narrowest of noses in 1:09.21.
FRESNO, Calif. - Odds-on favorite My Captain ($3.40) scored his third straight stakes victory, capturing the $50,600 Bull Dog Handicap at the Big Fresno Fair on Sunday.
Just as he had done in winning the Ernest Finley at Santa Rosa and the Big Jag at Bay Meadows, My Captain sat just off the pace down the backstretch before unleashing a strong closing kick.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - My Vintage Port ($19.20) parlayed an ideal stalking trip into a daylight victory in the $250,000 Princess Elizabeth Stakes for 2-year-olds fillies at Woodbine Sunday.
Dream About, the 1-5 favorite, finished a well-beaten fourth in the mile and a sixteenth event, which had no show wagering. With the bulk of the place pool riding on Dream About, My Vintage Port returned a fat $21 to place, while runner-up Silver Bird paid $14 to place.