Under a confident ride from Shaun Bridgmohan, Pyro saved ground along the rail in the backstretch, shot between horses in upper stretch, and pulled away from longshot My Pal Charlie to win going away.
On her third try, Proud Spell finally beat Indian Blessing, coming home 2 1/2 lengths in front of her previously unbeaten rival in the Grade II, $400,000 Fair Grounds Oaks.
Trained by Larry Jones and ridden by Gabriel Saez, Proud Spell covered the race's 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.01, and paid $5.80 to win as the second favorite.
Circular Quay, left, outfought a stubborn Grasshopper, right, in a terrific stretch duel to take the $500,000 New Orleans Handicap (gr. II) by a neck March 8.
Going off as the 6-1 fourth choice in a field of six, Circular Quay paid $15, $5.20, and $3.80. The exacta (4-3) was worth $43.60, while the trifecta (4-3-6) with 17-1 Reporting for Duty returned $248.60.
Nashoba's Key, by Silver Hawk out of the Irish mare Nashoba, by Caerleon, earned $180,000 for her eighth lifetime win in 10 starts. She has now banked $1,252,090.
A $220,000 Ocala sale as a 2-year-old last June, Visionaire earned his first stakes victory. He has three victories in five starts with earnings of $228,260 and has never been out of the money. The victory was worth $150,000. Reiley McDonald bred the chestnut, who is out of the French Deputy mare Scarlet Tango, in Kentucky.
The Jerry Hollendorfer trained mare drew away from the comebacker Brownie Points in the final furlong to win easily by 3 1/2 lengths for jockey Robby Albarado. She completed the 1 1/16-mile event for older fillies and mares in 1:43.86.
Odds-on choice Jonesboro finally shook loose of a stubborn Gouldings Green in the final furlong to post a front-running victory in the $149,000 Razorback Breeders' Cup Handicap (gr. III) at Oaklawn Park March 8.
Tracy Farmer’s Commentator proved to be back in the top form he was nearly three years ago when he won the 2005 Whitney Handicap (gr. I), this time trouncing five rivals to take the $200,000 Richter Scale Sprint Handicap (gr. II) by 13 ¾ lengths March 8 at Gulfstream Park.
Making her stakes debut, Stronach Stables’ homebred Spring Waltz split rivals at the furlong marker, surged to the lead at the sixteenth-pole, and romped to the wire under Javier Castellano with an impressive 3 ¼-length victory in the $200,000 Rampart Handicap (gr. II) March 9 on the Gulfstream Park dirt.
Betting favorite Sir Greeley saved ground in the early going, moved along that same path in the upper stretch to take the lead, and held on gamely under Eibar Coa for a 3/4-length victory in the $100,000 Toboggan Handicap (gr. II) March 8 in the slop at Aqueduct.
Robert Scarborough’s 5-year-old Mauralakana dove through a narrow gap between horses to score trainer Christopher Clement a sixth career victory in the $100,000 The Very One Handicap (gr. IIIT) at Gulfstream Park March 8.
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