ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - With the 21st Arlington Million in the rear-view mirror, deep breaths have been drawn and long sighs exhaled.
Now comes the post-Million era of the long Arlington Park meet, one that figures to have a different feel than any in track history because of the impending arrival of the Oct. 26 World Thoroughbred Championships.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Disturbingthepeace became the first horse since 1991 to sweep Del Mar's major stakes races for sprinters with a hard-fought victory over Hot Market in Sunday's $150,000 Pat O'Brien Handicap.
The victory was the sixth straight for Disturbingthepeace, who has steadily progressed from a California-bred allowance sprinter to the West's best around one turn. But the 3-5 favorite gave his backers, and trainer Darrell Vienna, some anxious moments, because Hot Market would not go quietly.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - With a satellite stable at Monmouth for the first time this summer, New York trainer Mark Hennig sent Cat's at Home here to start his 5-year-old campaign with an eye on the Grade 2 Iselin Handicap as a long-term goal for the multiple Grade 3 winner.
With three starts over the racetrack leading up to the $350,000 Iselin at Monmouth Sunday, 10-1 Cat's at Home proved his affinity for Monmouth with a wire-to-wire victory by three-quarters of a length over second-choice Bowman's Band. Runspastum was a neck back of Bowman's Band in third.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Trainer Jimmy Toner said it's premature to put Wonder Again in the same class as Soaring Softly and Memories of Silver, two wonderful turf fillies he trained during the 1990's. But after Wonder Again's 2 1/4-length win in Sunday's $150,000 Lake Placid Handicap at Saratoga, Toner can't help but wonder if he's got another star in his barn.
"She's coming along at a pretty good clip," Toner said in the winner's circle after Wonder Again's stakes debut in the Grade 2 Lake Placid.
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Ninebanks ($8.80) sat in perfect stalking position while a bit wide down the backstretch, stayed in the clear and was a 1 1/2-length winner of the $53,700 San Matean Handicap at the Bay Meadows Fair on Sunday.
Ninebanks sat behind Dr. Park and Suspicious Minds early and let Suspicious Minds take over in the stretch of the 1 1/16-mile turf race before jockey Ron Warren turned him loose. He rallied well, beating Suspicious Minds by 1 1/2 lengths in 1:42.10.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Wando established himself as the leading Woodbine-based Canadian-bred 2-year-old with a runaway victory in Sunday's $164,550 Vandal Stakes.
Wando dueled with Biddy's Lad through splits of :22.29 seconds and :45.72 in the six-furlong dash, which was pared down to a four-horse field with the scratches of Frankiefourfinger, Goldies Legacy, Magic Jack and Mr. Believable.
Wando kicked clear at the head of the stretch, and drew off for a 7-3/4-length score in a time of 1:11.90 seconds. Snake Pit finished second, 2 3/4 lengths ahead of Shipman.
Bossier City, La - The stakes wins keep coming for leading trainer Cole Norman as Kenneth Murphy's That Tat kicked down pacesetter Honor Me to capture Sunday's $40,000 Folklore Handicap. Unrullah Bull, also trained by Norman, finished third followed by 6-5 favorite Boots On Sunday who pressured Honor
Me through a quick opening half mile of :44.56 before faltering down the lane. The Folklore was Norman's sixth stakes win through 31 days of racing.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Gary Biszantz, the chairman of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, targeted veterinarians for administering unnecessary medications to horses and called for the racing industry "to go back to thinking that the horse, safety and fairness is more important" then medication during a speech Sunday at the Jockey Club Round Table Conference on Matters Pertaining to Racing at the Sheraton Hotel in Saratoga Springs.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - You, the five-time Grade 1 winner who finished third in Saturday's Alabama Stakes, will not race again this year, trainer Bobby Frankel said Sunday morning. She will return as a 4-year-old, most likely starting her campaign at the Belmont Park spring meet of 2003.
Frankel said there was nothing physically wrong with You, but he doesn't believe his filly could unseat Kentucky Oaks and Alabama winner Farda Amiga for the Eclipse Award as the 3-year-old filly champion.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Inesperado maintained his unbeaten record in the U.S. with a victory in Saturday's $150,000 La Jolla Handicap at Del Mar.
Inesperado ($6.40) ran 1 1-16 miles on turf in 1:43.92 and had an ideal trip under jockey Eddie Delahoussaye.
Inesperado stalked pacesetter Regiment through a slow pace of 25.16 and 50.87 seconds. Delahoussaye urged Inesperado into a challenging position on the final turn, took the lead in early stretch and won by two lengths over Regiment, the even-money favorite.