In brief

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Seyyed M. Nilforushan's Unusual Hottie (Unusual Heat) captured her first stakes victory in Saturday's $100,500 Fran's Valentine at Hollywood Park against state-breds. The four-year-old filly stalked the pace inside, came out for room in upper stretch and gained the lead late to prevail by three-quarters of a length. The Jeff Mullins trainee covered one mile in 1:34 1/5 over the firm turf with Joe Talamo aboard. "Man, she sure is sweet to ride," Talamo praised his mount. "Everything went perfect. I saved all the ground, swung out and she just took off. I could see the horse outside me starting to get out on the turn, so it was easy to get through." The bay was entering in here off an optional claiming win over this course last month. "I thought she needed her last race, but she won anyway," Mullins said. "We were pointing for this race and didn't want to empty the tank. This was her second race in three weeks, so she'll probably get a little rest now." Added her owner, "This filly had a severe case of pneumonia as a yearling. We didn't know if she was going to make it. After last year, she was drawn out and tired, so we thought we'd send her to the farm for a breather and some spoiling." Unusual Hottie now has a career line which reads 13-6-3-2, $289,498...

Spendthrift Farm LLC's Treasured Up (Medaglia d'Oro) ran down the leader just before the wire to win by a head in Saturday's $64,652 Keertana Stakes at Churchill Downs for her first stakes victory. The Al Stall Jr. charge tucked in to save ground, responded when roused with three furlongs to go, came five wide and got up in the final yards. With Shaun Bridgmohan in the saddle, the four-year-old filly covered 1 3/8 miles in 2:15 over the firm turf. The dark bay won an optional claimer back in March over Fair Ground's turf course and was exiting a third-place finish in an allowance race over Keeneland's course just last month. With Saturday's stakes score, Treasured Up boosted her bankroll to $168,533 from a 12-4-1-3 line...

Samuel H. Rogers Jr.'s homebred Close It Out (Closing Argument) was much the best as the 3-5 favorite in the $55,000 Champali Stakes at Calder on Saturday. The Steve Towne pupil settled after being bothered at the start, rallied off the rail to take over inside the eighth-pole and then drew away in the six-furlong contest over the fast main track. The five-year-old gelding stopped the clock in 1:11 for a 4 1/2-length win. The bay was exiting a fourth-place finish in the Gulfstream Park Sprint Championship (G3) back on February 9 and, with Saturday's score, captured his third stakes victory. Close It Out now has a career mark of 28-7-5-8, $368,361...

Italy's racing crisis serves as a grim backdrop to Sunday's renewal of the Derby Italiano (Ity-G2), but classic glory remains as prized as ever, and for a brief period the connections of the contenders can suspend reality. In the absence of a real poster boy from the domestic scene in the mold of Rakti, Worthadd and Crackerjack King, this edition has a wide-open feel. Re-opposing after filling the first three places in the Capannelle's April 28 Premio Parioli respectively, Best Tango (Mujahid), Fairy Nayef (Nayef) and Lodovico Il Moro (Shamardal) have stamina to prove over this additional three-furlong trip with the pedigree evidence strongest in support of the runner-up. Scuderia Blueberry's homebred will have more time to distribute his staying power more evenly here, having attempted to draw the sting from pacier rivals from the front in the country's equivalent of the Two Thousand Guineas. The pick of the Stefano Botti trio may be Scuderia Effevi's Celticus (Stroll), who had three of Sunday's rivals --Demeteor (Mujahid), Notti Magiche (Montjeu) and Wish Come True (Aussie Rules) -- back in second, third and fourth respectively in the Premio Emanuele Filiberto over 10 furlongs here April 21, while the British invader Boite (Authorized) warrants respect from the Peter Chapple-Hyam yard, successful twice in this contest. Eledy Srl's half-brother to the 2010 Derby Italiano runner-up Ansiei won a decent 10-furlong maiden at Pontefract at the beginning of this month and is out to avenge his sibling's short-head defeat at the hands of the aforementioned Worthadd...

Ciao Bella Luna (Tribal Rule) seeks to validate her winning run in the Beaumont (G2) at Keeneland on April 14 when lining up against five rivals Sunday in the $70,000 Railbird going seven furlongs at Hollywood Park. The Jerry Hollendorfer trainee was sent off at 7-1 in the Beaumont following a seven-place effort in the China Doll on Santa Anita's turf in early March. The bay miss opened her career with a pair of wins at Golden Gate Fields before making her juvenile finale a runner-up placing in the Golden Gate Debutante last fall. Her only try on a conventional dirt course resulted in a well-beaten ninth in the Silverbulletday in her sophomore bow on January 19 at Fair Grounds, and Ciao Bella Luna seemed to relish the return to a synthetic surface in the Beaumont. Rafael Bejarano has the call on the sophomore filly as she faces Hail Mary (Old Topper), a romping 9 3/4-length winner of the Warren's Thoroughbreds on Gold Rush Day, and Santa Anita Oaks (G1) runner-up Iotapa (Afleet Alex)...

Across the country at Belmont Park on Sunday, Beaumont fourth-placer Fearless Jacq (Soviet Star) heads an eight-filly field entered in the $85,000 Miss Otis at six furlongs on Big Sandy's inner turf. Fearless Jacq was trying a synthetic track for the first time in the Beaumont after competing on turf in her prior four races. Among her main competition on Sunday are Exchange Cat (Exchange Rate), who was runner-up while making her stakes bow in the one-mile Tweedside on Belmont's grass last out; Coarsegold (Giant's Causeway), placed first in the Secret Grace after running second in the Gulfstream contest on March 31; and Funfair (More Than Ready), who will be returning to turf and competition following an unplaced synthetic try in a Presque Isle Downs stakes when last seen in late September...

Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Center in Georgetown, Kentucky, will host "Calvin Borel Day at Old Friends" on Monday and fans will have the opportunity to meet the three-time Kentucky Derby winning jockey who was recently elected to Racing's Hall of Fame. Borel will be available to sign autographs and take pictures with fans from 1-4 p.m. (EDT). He also will visit with Ready's Rocket, who was retired to Old Friends last year. Ready's Rocket won 11 races at Churchill Downs, which is more than any other horse since 1991, when detailed information was gathered by Equibase. Borel was aboard for 10 of those triumphs. "He's the kind of horse that made me," Borel said. "He was consistent and horses that last that long are the ones that make you. They're the ones that are going to win for you every couple of weeks. I'm looking forward to seeing him again." Overall, Ready's Rocket won 20 of his 74 starts and earned $261,636. For more information on "Calvin Borel Day at Old Friends," or to RSVP, call Old Friends at 502-863-1775 or visit oldfriendsequine.org.

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