ARCADIA, Calif. - Hall of Fame jockey Bill Shoemaker, who won 8,833 races and four Kentucky Derbys, died early Sunday at his home in nearby San Marino. He was 72.
Friends of Shoemaker said he died in his sleep.
Shoemaker won more than 1,000 stakes, and 42 riding titles at Southern California tracks. He held the record as world's winningest rider for 29 years, surpassing John Longden with his 6,033th winner in 1970. He lost the mark to Laffit Pincay, Jr., in late 1999.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Sunday's nine-race program at Santa Anita will feature a pick six carryover of $132,847, only the second carryover of the Oak Tree meeting that began on Sept. 28.
Sunday's pick six covers the fourth through ninth races, featuring five races on dirt and the $100,000 Harold Ramser Handicap over a mile on turf for 3-year-old fillies.
The fourth race is run over a mile for 3-year-old $14,000 to $16,000 claimers. Mist of the Empire is the 3-1 morning line favorite in a field of nine.
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Frisco Belle ($7.40), a runner-up in three of her previous four stakes starts, launched a strong rally on the second turn and powered to victory in the $74,100 Palo Alto Handicap at Bay Meadows on Saturday.
Frisco Belle sat off Watch Out World's fast pace in the one-mile race for 3-year-old fillies. She got a ground-saving trip early, slipped between horses on the second turn then eased out into the lane before outkicking Watch Out World and Midnight Rhapsody. She defeated Watch Out World by two lengths, winning in 1:36.47.
BOSSIER CITY, La. - White Star runs some of his biggest races during the annual Breeders' Festival of statebred stakes at Louisiana Downs and Saturday was no exception as he rolled to an explosive, two and three-quarter length win over Jay's Buddy Bob in the featured $82,500 Shiskabob.
The race was one of 12 statebred stakes on the Breeders' Festival card, which was worth more than $600,000. In all, eight stakes for Thoroughbreds were decided, while the remaining four races were dedicated to Quarter Horses.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Added Edge, who had Kentucky Derby aspirations early in the year, will try to get back into the winner's circle Monday at Woodbine in the $159,900 Ontario Derby, formerly the Col. R.S. McLaughlin Handicap.
Mobil, one of four other 3-year-olds in the 1 1/8-mile race, will vault over the $1 million mark in career earnings with a victory. Also on the card is the $168,000 Carotene Stakes, a 1 1/8-mile turf race for 3-year-old fillies.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Film Maker was up in the final stride to hang a narrow defeat on front-running Maiden Tower in a thrilling 20th running of the $500,000 at Keeneland on Saturday.
Film Maker, ridden by Edgar Prado, returned $25.20 to win as eighth choice in a field of 10 3-year-old fillies. The stewards called an inquiry into the stretch duel between the top two finishers but allowed the original results to stand.
"There was a little contact, but the other horse, I thought, made the initial contact," said Prado. "The stewards made the right decision."
ELMONT, N.Y. - Trainer John Kimmel did not see it as overly ambitious when he entered Andover Lady in last month's Grade 1 Garden City Breeders' Cup Handicap off just an entry-level allowance win.
"I thought she had a big chance to win that race," said Kimmel, whose filly ran seventh in the Garden City. "I was very disappointed in that performance."
Kimmel believes he found an excuse for that effort and is looking for Andover Lady to rebound in Monday's Grade 3, $100,000 Pebbles Handicap at Belmont Park.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Returning to the comfort of Santa Anita could help Groom on the Run end a five-race losing streak in a $49,000 optional claimer on Monday.
Groom on the Run's last victory came in an optional claimer over 1 1/8 miles on turf here in February. Monday, the 4-year-old gelding is one of seven starters in a turf race over 1 1/4 miles.
Trained by Dean Greenman for Kirk and Judy Robison, Groom on the Run is part of a moderate field. Several of the starters have run well recently, but the race lacks a standout.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Trainer J. Willard Thompson can't disguise his feelings about Brass Arrow's last race. "It was very disappointing," Thompson said. "I don't know why he didn't run that afternoon. He had trained very well."
Shipped to Belmont Park for a New York-bred allowance race, Brass Arrow was sent off at 5-1 after three pace-pressing starts at Monmouth Park that produced three straight thirds.
Brass Arrow again pressed the pace, but came up empty in the stretch. He wound up beaten 21 lengths, the worst defeat of his 10-race career.
EDMONTON, Alberta - Monday's $75,000 Canadian Juvenile at Northlands Park appears to shape up as a rematch between Tigger Bay and Fly Esteem.
Tigger Bay, who joined Red Smith's stable after running third in the Winnipeg Futurity, led throughout in his Northlands debut Sept. 1 to win the $50,000 Birdcatcher by 3 1/4 lengths over Fly Esteem.
Fly Esteem has not been worse than third in four outings and captured the restricted one-mile Alberta Premier's Futurity in his most recent start.
