- Wide Country S. — Taris, trainer Todd Beattie, owner Commonwealth New Era Racing
- Miracle Wood S. — Extrasexyhippzster, trainer Michael Trombetta, owner Kirwan Equine Group and Edward Hipps, bred by his owners in Pennsylvania
- Native Dancer S. — Bold Curlin, trainer Michael Trombetta, owner Harry C. and Tom O. Meyerhoff, bred by Two Sisters’ Farm Inc. in Pennsylvania
- What a Summer S. — Winning Image, trainer Michael Aro, owner Martin Scafidi[/boxify]
It was something of a mixed bag at Laurel Park over the weekend. On the one hand was a very good card, with perhaps the best Miracle Wood field we’ve seen and three other stakes. On the other was the broken infield toteboard/giant screen and the recalcitrant heating that left dining room patrons (to say nothing of pressbox denizens) grumbling…
It was a terrific Saturday for trainer Mike Trombetta (here), who won the Miracle Wood with quickly improving three year-old Extrasexyhippzster and the Native Dancer with red-hot Bold Curlin. The latter has now won four of 11 starts and still seems to be improving. The former may have put himself in consideration for bigger things come the spring. The son of Stroll beat a top-notch Miracle Wood field by nearly four lengths and earned a Beyer of 92 (for comparison purposes, Cairo Prince, celebrated Holy Bull winner that same day at Gulfstream, got a 95 Beyer)…
Nice to see Winning Image (here) back on the winning track in the What a Summer. The seven year-old mare did what she does: sped to the lead and didn’t look back in moving her earnings towards the $600,000 mark. Three year-old filly Taris was the easiest kind of winner in the Wide Country and is now two-for-two…
The Saturday card at Charles Town got off to a rough beginning with a four-horse spill in the second. Concrete Cat bumped with Mister Meehan and then fell after clipping the heels of Shock Me Kaz. In the ensuing mess, Mister Meehan fell over his fallen rival, as did J T Max. Love Those CDs swerved to avoid the fallen horse and lost his rider in the process. Concrete Cat had to be euthanized, while the others walked off on their own. No word yet on the riders. Favored Cross Town Rival won the nickel claimer by nine lengths…
Trainer Hugh McMahon and rider J.D. Acosta teamed up to take both of the evening’s allowance races. Four year-old Joey N took the seventh, a 4 1/2 furlong event, and Baby Time dead-heated with Clear Reception for the win in the eighth. The first four finishers in the eighth were within 3/4 of a length of each other…
At Penn National, three year-old Starry Moon — a three year-old Malibu Moon colt out of four-time stake winner Hartigan, by Include — may be onto something. Recently third in the Frank Whiteley Stakes at Laurel, he dropped back into allowance company and, at 9-10, blitzed his rivals by 11 lengths. He owns two wins from four career starts…
The evening saw three longshot winners: 58-1 De Romance, 10.90-1 The Mixer, and 15.70-1 Jersey Frere…
It was a good weekend for Frankie Pennington at Parx Racing. The journeyman jock won three times on Saturday, including guiding Reign of Kings to a 22-1 upset in the day’s featured allowance race. In that race, favored Zealevo stumbled leaving the gate and lost rider Edwin Gonzalez…
Favorites won seven of nine Saturday races at Parx. The lone exceptions were Reign of Kings in the eighth (22.80-1) and Rage of Aquarius (4.70-1) in the first…
On Sunday’s Parx card, all three maiden races, all claiming events, were won easily: Four Cents (5.40-1) won by five, Rhonda K (13.70-1) won by 3 1/2, and Convoy Captain (3.60-1) cruised by 4 3/4. Convoy Captain covered the seven-furlong distance in a zippy 1:22 4/5 under rider William Otero to win the $25,000 maiden claimer…
(Featured image, of Taris winning the Wide Country Stakes, by Laurie Asseo.)
