Travesura was overlooked at odds of 11-1 in the circumstances. She was overshadowed by such rivals as multiple Group 3-placed Premier Steps, the 4-5 favorite in her American debut for Chad Brown, and Surfer Girl romper Flashy Ways, looking to rebound off a troubled 11th in the Juvenile Fillies Turf. But the pace scenario appeared soft on paper, and Travesura took full advantage.
Westrock Stables' Den's Legacy sat chilly behind the leading trio for more than six furlongs, dove through a gap along the inside at the top of the stretch, and charged home a half-length winner of the Grade 3, $100,000 Generous at Hollywood Park on Saturday. The son of Medaglia d'Oro safely held off a late bid from Rising Legend and completed one mile on firm turf in 1:36 1/5.
John C. Oxley's Uncaptured rallied to the lead on the far turn and gamely fought a serious challenge from Frac Daddy through the stretch to prove best in Saturday's Grade 2, $177,150 Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs. The Mark Casse-trained colt confirmed his status as one of the early favorites for the 2013 Run for the Roses, earning 10 points in the new "Road to the Kentucky Derby" series for the gutsy neck score, and Uncaptured swept both graded events at Churchill Downs this fall, posting a 5 1/4-length score in the Grade 3 Iroquois on October 28.
Twilight Eclipse, a three-year-old Purim gelding making only his sixth career start, registered an 11-1 upset of Saturday's Grade 2, $150,000 W.L. McKnight Handicap at Calder. His stalk-and-pounce rally under Manoel Cruz resulted in a 1 3/4-length triumph in a time of 2:26 3/5 for 1 1/2 miles on the firm turf.
Csaba nearly stole the whole prize and Ducduc just failed to overhaul his rival in the latter stages. In the end, both horses settled for a dead-heat in Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Fred W. Hooper, reaching the finish line together in the 1 1/8-mile event at Calder.
Stay Thirsty culminated both a notable career and a sensational week for owner Mike Repole and trainer Todd Pletcher with a nail-biting victory over the filly Groupie Doll in Saturday's Grade 1 $343,000 Cigar Mile Handicap at Aqueduct.
Godolphin Racing's Dance Card gave jockey Ramon Dominguez his fifth win on Saturday's card at Aqueduct when posting an easy four-length victory in the Grade 1, $350,000 Gazelle as the wire-to-wire winner.
Emollient tried to snatch victory away from Repole Stable's Unlimited Budget in Saturday's Grade 2, $237,500 Demoiselle at Aqueduct, but the Street Sense filly would not be denied, scoring by 1 1/4 lengths on the wire and improving her mark to a perfect two-for-two.
Naveed Chowhan's Seaneen Girl battled it out with Gal About Town in the stretch of Saturday's Grade 2, $167,550 Golden Rod at Churchill Downs before just getting up for a half-length score as the 31-1 longest shot in the nine-filly field.
Repole Stable's Overanalyze was confronted by Normandy Invasion down the stretch in Saturday's Grade 2, $250,000 Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct, but the Todd Pletcher trainee fought back resiliently to reclaim the advantage at the wire.
The day after a fantastic renewal of the Grade 1 Clark Handicap under the Twin Spires, the top three finishers were in fine order in their stalls at Churchill Downs, but definite plans for each horse have yet to be decided.
Michael Lauffer and Bill Cubbedge's homebred Shackleford concluded his racing career in grand style Friday, winning the Grade 1, $447,000 Clark Handicap over his home track at Churchill Downs, and the distinguished colt now heads to stud at Darby Dan Farm in Lexington, Kentucky.
Repole Stable's Caixa Eletronica turned Thursday's Grade 3, $147,000 Fall Highweight Handicap into a mismatch, winning Aqueduct's traditional Thanksgiving Day feature by a widening four-length margin. The seven-year-old horse chased in second as pacesetter and 6-5 favorite This Ones for Phil established opening splits in :22 2/5 and :44 4/5 on a short lead, drew even after turning into the stretch and dominated the latter stages, finishing six furlongs in 1:08 3/5 on the fast track.
Japanese superstar Orfevre suffered an agonizing defeat at the hands of the unheralded French filly Solemia in the Group 1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe last out, but aims to turn the tables back on his own home turf in Sunday's Grade 1 Japan Cup at Tokyo.
Data Link, hero of the Grade 1 Maker's Mark Mile and Grade 2 Monmouth Stakes in course-record time earlier this year, was coming off a pair of losses. The elegant bay couldn't catch Dominus while giving him eight pounds in the Grade 2 Bernard Baruch Handicap at Saratoga September 1, and he was most recently a troubled fifth to Wise Dan in the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland October 6.
Nearly seven months after landing the Grade 3 San Francisco Mile on turf at 8-1, Chappell Alpine Farms' Hudson Landing took a Grade 3 event on the Golden Gate Fields Tapeta surface in Friday's $100,000 All American.
Phipps Stable's Boisterous, winner of the Grade 2 Red Smith Handicap and Grade 3 Knickerbocker in his last two starts, will carry the top weight of 124 pounds when he faces 11 rivals in Sunday's 35th running of the Grade 3, $100,000 River City Handicap at Churchill Downs. The 1 1/8-mile turf affair highlights the 11-race closing-day program.
Dayatthespa, who has won five in a row at three different tracks, will try to keep her streak alive in the $250,000 Matriarch Stakes on Sunday at Hollywood Park. The one mile event for older fillies and mares is part of a Grade 1 grass doubleheader on the final day of the Turf Festival. The 10-race program also includes the $250,000 Hollywood Derby, which drew an overflow of 15 three-year-olds at 1 1/4 miles.
No filly or mare in the 23-year existence of the Cigar Mile has won the one-mile fixture at Aqueduct, though few have tried. Fresh off a championship clinching win in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, Groupie Doll will attempt to make a little history before the year is out when she faces six male rivals in Saturday's renewal of the $350,000 handicap.
After Mackie Racing's Kya One finished a belated fifth to Naples Bay in her U.S. debut in the Grade 3 Noble Damsel over a mile at Belmont Park, trainer Chad Brown explained that his new recruit really needed more ground. That proposition was tested, and confirmed, in Thursday's Grade 3, $100,000 My Charmer Handicap at Calder, where Kya One profited from an extra furlong to defeat Naples Bay by a cozy 1 1/4 lengths.
Bob Baffert was virtually assured of continuing his stranglehold on Thursday's Grade 3, $100,000 Hollywood Prevue Stakes by entering four of the five runners, and the Hall of Famer's quartet duly gobbled up the top four placings in the Thanksgiving Day feature. Less predictable, however, was the identity of the Baffert-trained winner -- Really Mr Greely, the 11-1 longest shot on the board, who led throughout to upset 4-5 favorite Super Ninety Nine.
After posting convincing wins in the Grade 3 Turnback the Alarm and Lady's Secret, Afleeting Lady made it three in a row on the Thanksgiving Day program at Churchill Downs, scoring by a 2 1/4-length margin in the Grade 2, $162,450 Falls City Handicap.
Allowed to settle just off the early pace, Maggi Moss's Delaunay took command in upper stretch and drew off for a 2 1/2-length tally in the 87th running of Fair Grounds' $98,000 Thanksgiving Handicap, the New Orleans oval's tradition-rich annual opening day highlight, giving nine-time Fair Grounds trainer champion Tom Amoss his first winner in the Turkey Day feature attraction.
Robert Masterson's Nefertini earned the biggest win of her 10-race career with a game performance in Friday's Grade 2, $196,000 Go for Wand Handicap at Aqueduct.
The New York Racing Association (NYRA) posted an 11.5 percent gain in total handle during the recently concluded Belmont Park fall meet, with additional increases in NYRA Rewards account wagering and wagering on NYRA races. Belmont Park's fall meet ran 36 days from September 8 to October 28, 2012.
HANDICAPPING INSIGHTS
The final Saturday of the Tropical meet at Calder features two graded stakes, the Grade 2, $150,000 W.L. McKnight Handicap and the Grade 3, $100,000 Fred W. Hooper Handicap.
The Hollywood Park Turf Festival continues Saturday with a pair of Grade 3 stakes for two-year-olds, the $100,000 Generous and $100,000 Miesque for fillies, and both races will be contested at a mile on turf. John Sadler will try to become only the second trainer to win the Generous in consecutive years when he sends out a pair, Rising Legend and Under Review, and he is responsible for top contender Pussycat Lips in the Miesque later on the program.
After posting a 5 1/2-length score in the Iroquois Stakes on October 28, Uncaptured will look to keep his momentum rolling while stretching back out to a two-turn distance in Saturday's Grade 2, $150,000 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs. The Lion Heart colt can enhance his reputation as a leading Kentucky Derby candidate with a strong showing in the 1 1/16-mile event.
AQUEDUCT NOTEBOOK
Shackleford, whose Grade 1 exploits include the 2011 Preakness and the Metropolitan Handicap last May, will bow out of the racing scene Friday in the Grade 1, $400,000 Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs. The 1 1/8-mile Clark, which dates to Churchill's founding year of 1875, anchors the 12-race Black Friday program, with the Clark set to go off shortly after sunset.
HOLLYWOOD NOTEBOOK
He's won more than $6 million at the Dubai World Cup Carnival over the years and globe-trotting trainer Mike de Kock is hoping that his current group of new hopefuls can add to his Dubai spoils.
Ultimate Eagle, who capped a four-race winning streak in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby at last year's Turf Festival, will kick off the 2012 Festival by making his comeback in Friday's Grade 2, $250,000 Citation Handicap at Hollywood Park. Sidelined for nine months since weakening to 10th in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap, the Michael Pender trainee will clash with stablemate and defending champion Jeranimo; East Coast shipper Data Link and his frequent foe Doubles Partner; and former Argentinean Horse of the Year Interaction.
The 14th edition of the $850,000 Claiming Crown promises to make opening day at Gulfstream Park an even more special occasion on December 1, judging from the long and talented list of nominees for the seven-race series that will be renewed for the first time at the Hallandale Beach, Florida, track.
The North American International Catalogue Standards Committee (NAICSC) on Monday announced that effective January 1, 2014, additional quality control requirements will be implemented for races in North America eligible for non-Listed black-type in SITA catalogues (those compliant with guidelines required by the Society of International Thoroughbred Auctioneers).
Shoppers searching for ideas for unique holiday gifts have the opportunity to present family members, friends and business associates with a view of Churchill Downs' venerable Twin Spires on Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks Days with an online advance purchase of either general admission tickets to those great racing and entertainment events, or two-day reserved seats for Derby and Oaks in the track's new Section 110 venue.
Five fillies and mares will be shopping for a graded victory on Friday at Aqueduct when they go postward in the Grade 2, $200,000 Go for Wand Handicap.
Horses will join many people in packing on a few extra pounds this Thursday as a field of six goes to post for the 99th running of the Grade 3, $150,000 Fall Highweight Handicap, the traditional Thanksgiving Day feature at Aqueduct.
Brushed by a Star, who scored a narrow win over Joyful Victory in the Grade 2 Chilukki for owner Team Forster and trainer Grant Forster, will make her first start for her new connections in Thursday's Grade 2, $150,000 Falls City Handicap at Churchill Downs.
Trainer William "Buff" Bradley confirmed Sunday that multiple Grade 1-winning filly Groupie Doll will make her next start against boys in Saturday's Grade 1, $350,000 Cigar Mile Handicap at Aqueduct. She was assigned to carry 118 pounds in the race.
When rising superstar Joe Talamo captured Santa Anita's autumn riding title to break the five-year Southern California reign of Rafael Bejarano and Joel Rosario, it was a scrapbook-filling moment for the 22-year-old. For his agent, Scotty McClellan, it was just another day at the office.
Grade 1 winner Take Charge Indy continued his preparations for Friday's Grade 1, $400,000 Clark Handicap with a three-furlong move in :35 2/5 over the fast main track at Churchill Downs on Sunday morning.
A decision on whether classic hero Shackleford would run in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile on Saturday at Aqueduct or one day earlier in the Grade 1 Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs was to be made Monday, but trainer Dale Romans told the Courier-Journal on Sunday that the chestnut would stay home in Kentucky for the latter contest.
John Size is hoping for a repeat run from stable star Glorious Days in the Group 1 Hong Kong Mile December 9, after the five-year-old lowered the colors of Hong Kong's dual Horse of the Year Ambitious Dragon in the Group 2 Jockey Club Mile at Sha Tin Racecourse on Sunday.
Fair Grounds is generally accepted to be the third-oldest racetrack in the country, although many accounts, including a heavily researched 2006 feature in The Times-Picayune by Bob Fortus, contend that Fair Grounds could be at least the second-oldest, if not the oldest.
Sadamu Onishi's Sadamu Patek just hung on from favored Grand Prix Boss in Sunday's 29th running of the Mile Championship at Kyoto. Aside from recording his first Grade 1 title, the son of Fuji Kiseki helped jockey Yutaka Take to fill in a rare gap on his resume.
Centre Court's first two victories came during the spring meet -- a 4 3/4-length maiden conquest on May 19, followed by the Grade 3 Regret in her stakes debut on June 16. The Rusty Arnold filly made it three in a row when taking a rough running of the Grade 2 Lake George at Saratoga. Runner-up to Stephanie's Kitten next time out in the Grade 2 Lake Placid at the Spa August 19, Centre Court was most recently second to the front-running Dayatthespa in the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland October 13.
W. C. Racing, Dave Kenney and RAP Racing's Goldencents grabbed command of Saturday's Grade 3 Delta Downs Jackpot by a short margin soon after the start and maintained the lead throughout to score a 1 3/4-length victory on the wire. With jockey Kevin Krigger aboard, the Doug O'Neill trainee ran 1 1/16 miles on the fast main track in 1:44 4/5.
Claiborne Farm and Adele B. Dilschneider's homebred Lea capitalized on a textbook stalk-and-pounce trip to capture Saturday night's Grade 3, $100,000 Commonwealth Turf at Churchill Downs, and in the process, the lightly-raced colt stamped himself as one to follow next year. Bet down to 5-2 favoritism off his late-running third in the Grade 3 Hawthorne Derby last out, the Al Stall Jr. trainee took up much better early position this time for new rider Brian Hernandez Jr., and produced a strong kick down the stretch.
