ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Smoocher rallied inside from well back, and kissed the field goodbye in the stretch to take the Grade 2, $277,250 Grey Breeders' Cup Stakes for 2-year-olds at Woodbine Sunday.
Smoocher trailed early under jockey Jim McAleney, as Estevan and San Diego Blowout hooked up through fractions of :24.31 and :47.87 in the mile and a sixteenth event. Estevan emerged with lead on the far turn, through three-quarters in 1:12.50, as Smoocher and Niigon loomed into contention.
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Trapper ($12.60), a 3-year-old meeting older, gave young trainer William E. Morey his first stakes victory, capturing the $100,000 California Sprint Championship by a neck over Green Team at Bay Meadows on Saturday.
Trapper, claimed for $32,000 from his debut, sat well off the brisk pace set by Con Quixote and wore down Green Team late to win the six-furlong race in 1:09.26 for his fourth straight victory. Men's Exclusive, the 10-year-old millionaire who won the inaugural running of the race in 1997, was third 1_ (one one-half) lengths behind Green Team.
Randaroo ($21.40) led a parade of longshots under the wire in Saturday's Grade 3, $150,000 Safely Kept Breeders' Cup Handicap at Pimlico.
Trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, Randaroo stalked the pacesetting Follow Me Home through fractions of 22.31 and 45.04 seconds before edging up to beat that rival by three-quarters of a length. The top four betting choices finished off the board in the six-furlong stakes for 3-year-old fillies, triggering a $3,985.60 trifecta with Awesome Charm in third.
ELMONT, N.Y. - It remains to be seen if Azeri will be healthy enough to defend her Breeders' Cup Distaff title. If Azeri does make it, she will have a formidable foe waiting for her in Sightseek.
Sightseek set up the sexy potential matchup when she disposed of six overmatched rivals Saturday, rolling past Bird Town in midstretch and drawing clear to a 4 1/2-length victory in the Grade 1, $750,000 before 7,591 at Belmont Park. Bird Town, who set the pace, held second by 4 3/4 lengths over Buy the Sport.
ELMONT, N.Y. - There was a chill in the air at Belmont Park on Saturday, indicating that indeed autumn has arrived. But trainer Nick Zito couldn't help but think about spring.
In a span of 20 minutes, Zito won a pair of graded stakes for juvenile colts, and while many horsemen would be thinking Breeders' Cup, Zito is thinking Kentucky Derby.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Freefourinternet came from last to first to win Saturday's $350,000 at Belmont Park by a nose over Proud Man.
Proud Man was a length in front of his stablemate, Rouvres, the third-place finisher. Decarchy, the 2-1 favorite and 118-pound highweight, was fourth. Millennium Dragon, Runspastum, Pay the Preacher, North East Bound, Mercenary, and Del Mar Show completed the order of finish.
Joan Scott, who took out her trainer's license just last year, trains Freefourinternet. The Grade 2 Kelso was Scott's first stakes win.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Even though he stayed put in New York, Nick Zito cut a massive presence at the first two days of the Keeneland meet.
Less than 24 hours after Zito won the Phoenix Breeders' Cup with Najran for Buckram Oak Farm, he capped a spectacular opening weekend when Eurosilver, also carrying the Buckram Oak colors, drove to a smashing 4 3/4-length victory Saturday in the $400,000 .
About 20 minutes after Eurosilver crossed the line at Keeneland, Zito won the Champagne Stakes at Belmont with Birdstone for owner Marylou Whitney.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Canadian legend Roger Attfield has saddled nine horses in the Breeders' Cup, but none since 1997. The drought probably ended Saturday for the veteran trainer when Perfect Soul earned a berth in the BC Mile by driving to a hard-fought victory in the Grade 1, $600,000 , richest race of the Keeneland fall meet.
ARCADIA, Calif. - It took a year for Pleasantly Perfect to get back to the winner's circle. Now, he has a chance to pick up right where he left off last year and go into the Breeders' Cup Classic with a chance to win this country's richest race.
