DEL MAR, Calif. - Came Home, who has dominated 3-year-old racing on the West Coast this year, pulled an upset in Sunday's $1 million at Del Mar, a which was marred by a post-race injury to his entrymate Bosque Redondo.
Came Home ($23) beat 13 others including War Emblem, the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner. The even-money favorite, War Emblem led briefly in early stretch, but finished sixth, fading in the final furlong.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - The sun rose again Sunday at Saratoga and Shine Again rose to the occasion again in the Grade 1 Handicap.
Duplicating her sterling performance in last year's Ballerina, Shine Again persevered through the stretch under Jean-Luc Samyn to run down the classy duo of Raging Fever and Mandy's Gold and win the $250,000 Ballerina by one-half length. Raging Fever, the 6-5 favorite, finished second, 1 1-4 lengths ahead of Mandy's Gold.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Dublino held off a late surge from Megahertz to win an epic running of the $300,000 on Saturday. At the finish, only a nose separated the two top 3-year-old turf fillies in California.
For Dublino, the victory avenged a disqualification in the American Oaks at Hollywood Park last month when she was demoted from first to second for intefering with runner-up Megahertz in the stretch.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Medaglia d'Oro overcame the only obstacle his trainer felt he had by handling a sloppy track, then he turned back the late run of Repent to win Saturday's $1 million by a half-length on a raw, rainy day at Saratoga.
Repent, making his first start off a 140-day layoff, ran a strong race to be second, 7 1/2 lengths ahead of Nothing Flat. Like a Hero, Puzzlement, Quest, Gold Dollar, Saint Marden, and Shah Jehan completed the order of finish.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Owner Edward P. Evans and trainer Mark Hennig, the connections behind Grade 1 Personal Ensign winner Summer Colony on Friday, were back in the winner's circle 24 hours later with Gygistar, the winner of the $200,000 .
The Grade 1 King's Bishop, which topped the Travers undercard, featured eight 3-year-old sprinters after the scratch of Najran earlier in the day.
With his win in the King's Bishop, Gygistar is undefeated in five start this year, including four stakes.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Capsized, who had been 0 for 8 in graded stakes company, finally cleared that hurdle Saturday when the 6-year-old splashed his way to a 3 1/4-length victory in the $200,000 at sloppy Saratoga.
Scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on turf, the Fourstardave was moved to 1 1/8 miles on dirt due to heavy rains that pelted Saratoga all day long. Originally a Grade 2, the Fourstardave was automatically downgraded to a Grade 3 because of the surface switch. It could be reinstated pending review by the Graded Stakes Committee.
Trainer Neil Drysdale may have thought he had found an easy spot for Double Cat to make her stakes debut in Tuesday's $55,000 Quill at Delaware Park. But the overnight stakes, which will be run at one mile on the turf, came up far tougher than Drysdale may have suspected.
Stakes winners Lady of the Future, Shag, and Rhum - all of whom have been posting Beyer Speed Figures in the mid-90's - are among the horses Double Cat must face in the Quill.
DEL MAR, Calif. - After running in group stakes in England and Germany earlier this summer, Atarama should find the field in a $60,000 allowance race at Del Mar on Monday to be an easier group.
A victory by Atarama would give Kristin Mulhall, 20, her first winner as a trainer.
Kristin Mulhall is the daughter of Richard Mulhall, the racing manager of The Thoroughbred Corporation, the stable that owns Kentucky Derby winner War Emblem.
Atarama is owned by The Thoroughbred Corp. She was one of six European horses sent to Kristin Mulhall in mid-summer.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Trainer Barry Abrams has a simple explanation for the progress that Kachamandi has shown this summer.
"On the turf, he became a good horse," Abrams said.
Friday, Kachamandi ($17.60) pulled an upset in the restricted $75,125 Harry Brubaker Stakes at Del Mar. The turf stakes was Kachamandi's first major win in 10 starts in this country. Last year, in Chile, Kachamandi won a Group 3 race on dirt.
If Delaware Park presented an award to the season's most improved filly sprinter, Bruanna would be the likely winner.
Since late May, when she was running for a $35,000 claiming tag, Bruanna has reeled off four consecutive wins while rising in class to stakes company. The last two wins have come since the 4-year-old Bruanna was claimed by trainer Mike Gorham.
Bruanna will seek to extend her winning streak to five races when she tries for her second stakes triumph in Monday's $55,000 Veiled Look, a six-furlong sprint for fillies and mares.
