ELMONT, N.Y. - The Breeders' Cup Distaff picked up an unlikely starter Saturday when the usually speedy Mandy's Gold rallied from last to win the $300,000, Grade 1 by 2 1/4 lengths before 8,819 at Belmont Park.
You, part of an early pace duel with Raging Fever, finished second, 2 1/2 lengths ahead of Shine Again. Minister's Baby and Raging Fever, the 9-5 favorite, completed the order of finish in the 1 1/16-mile race.
POMONA, Calif. - Early this year, Asong for Billy was a two-start maiden claimer heading nowhere. Enter trainer Paul Aguirre, who claimed the gelding for $40,000 and developed him into one of the surprises of summer.
Asong for Billy defeated maidens in his first start for Aguirre and owner Wong's Stable Inc., then followed with a romping win Aug. 21 that suggested stakes potential. Facing winners and switching to grass, Asong for Billy rolled by 5 1/2 lengths, earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 90.
After starting out his 5-year-old season with two nice allowance wins and a solid second in a minor stakes, Jubileo appeared sharp enough that trainer Tom Voss entered him in the Grade 3 Fourstardave Handicap at Saratoga.
But Voss never got to find out if Jublileo was up to the challenge as the race was washed off the turf. Jubileo ran anyway, finishing last.
Jubileo gets a chance to prove that his bad performance in the mud was a fluke when he returns to the grass for Monday's $55,000 Leader of the Band Stakes at Delaware Park.
AUBURN, Wash. - Longacres Mile winner Sabertooth takes on six rivals Monday in the 1 1/16-mile, $60,000 Washington Championship.
Sabertooth, a 4-year-old son of Petersburg trained by Jim Penney, will be trying to emulate stablemate Edneator, who confirmed his quality in the Washington Championship after pulling off a stunning upset in the 2000 Longacres Mile.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Startac ended 13 months of frustration for his connections while extending Volponi's recent string of hard luck by rallying along the rail in the stretch to win Saturday's $200,000, Grade 2 by three-quarters of a length.
Volponi, who was beaten a neck in the Grade 2 Bernard Baruch Handicap and two lengths in the Grade 1 Sword Dancer Invitational, held second after setting the pace for more than one mile in the 1 1/8-mile turf race. He finished two lengths ahead of Dr. Kashnikow.
FLORENCE, Ky. - Pure Prize got a perfect trip from just off the pace and held off favored Dollar Bill to post his first career stakes victory Saturday in the $400,000 , centerpiece race of the ninth annual Kentucky Cup at Turfway Park.
Ridden by Mike Smith, who had won two of the four earlier Kentucky Cup races, Pure Prize surged past front-runners Abreeze and There's Zealous and held on to win the
Grade 2 Classic by three-quarters of a length. Bred and owned by the Phipps Stable, he returned $16.80 after finishing 1 1/8 miles in 1:51.24 over a fast track.
FLORENCE, Ky. - Trip stayed perfect at Turfway Park with an easy win as the favorite in the secondary feature of Saturday's Kentucky Cup card, the $200,000 Turfway Breeders' Cup.
Trip, a 5-year-old Claiborne Farm homebred, has won four times in as many starts at Turfway, all of them stakes. A Lord at War mare now trained by Shug McGaughey, Trip won the Bourbonette as a 3-year-old, then the Fairway Fun and the Turfway B.C. last year. At other tracks, Trip, now an earner of $888,773, has won 7 of 23 starts.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - As hot as trainer Laura de Seroux has been in graded stakes races this year, Rene Douglas has been even hotter riding stakes winners at Arlington. Put those two together with the most talented filly in Arlington's Pucker Up Stakes, Little Treasure, and you had a sure winner.
MUSKEGON, Mich. - Spring Winds will have to spot his six rivals from two to 12 pounds when he heads a field of seven in the $45,000 Mackinac Handicap at Great Lakes Downs on Monday evening. The Mackinac, at 1 1/16 miles for 3-year-old statebred colts and geldings, is the sixth of nine races.
Spring Winds will carry 123 pounds on the strength of his wins in this meet's Lansing and Dowling Stakes. In between those races, he was fourth in the Spartan Stakes. Accountable Guy, the winner of the Spartan, and runner-up Equi Power will again face Spring Winds in the Mackinac.
