saratoga races

Kentucky Derby hero Street Sense returned to the races and made a promising start to his summer campaign with a victory in the Grade II Jim Dandy at Saratoga Racecourse on Sunday. The race carried a $500,000 purse. The margin of winning was 1 1/2 lengths. The time for the nine-furlong journey was 1 48.99. Calvin Borel was aboard. Taking second was C P West who stalked the pace-setter, took charge in the lane and fought on gamely only to be overhauled by Street Sense late in the stretch. Street Sense was 35 cents on the dollar and returned $2.70. Street Sense's next race is in the Travers Stakes on August 25 at Saratoga. Carl Nafzger, Street Sense's trainer, said, "he got a lot out of this race. That was just what we needed for the Travers."At Del Mar in California on Sunday, In Summation won the $300,000 Grade I Bing Crosby Handicap. In Summation, Corey Nakatani up, beat Greg's Gold, the 2005 Crosby hero,in a photo. The time for six furlongs was 1 11.06. In Summation paid $18.40.Saratoga had a lot of stakes action on Saturday. In the $750,000 Grace I Whitney Handicap, Lawyer Ron was a 4 3/4 length winner in 1 46.64 over nine furlongs. He beat the track record of 1 47.04. John Velasques was the winning jockey. Lawyer Ron returned $13.00. Wanderin Boy set the pace and held for second. Lawyer Ron gained a berth in the 5-million Breeders' Cup Classic at Monmouth Park in late October. Ginger Punch ran away with the Go For Wand Handicap. The $250,000 Grade I event was over nine furlongs and Ginger Punch's time was 1 49. The payoff was $4.50. Rafel Bejarano rode Ginger Punch who earned a spot in the Breeders' Cup distaff. The $500,000 Grade I Diana Stakes went to My Typhoon, ridden by Eddie Castro. The time was 1 46.47 for the mile event. My Typhoon paid $8.10. My Typhoon earned a spot in the Breeders' Cup Filly-Mare turf. Finishing third was the strongly-fancied Makderah who found her best stride when it was all over. At Arlington Park on Saturday, Lewis Michael carried the public purse to a decisive win in the Grade II Washington Park Handicap. E T Baird was the winning rider. The time was 1 55.17 for 1 3/16 miles.On Saturday at Ascot in England, Dylan Thomas returned to winning ways in the 12-furlong King George and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. Dylan Thomas, Johnny Murtagh up, was wide all the way and lay about fifth. Two furlongs to go and Dylan Thomas bounded forward when given the green light. The margin was four lengths and the time was 2 31.11. The race was worth 425,850 pounds to the winner. Youmzain paced on to take the runner-up berth. Scorpion set the pace and tired. Maraahel lay handy, hit the front turning for home and was outpaced as the race took a serious turn. Dylan Thomas was 5-4 and the track was good to soft. The dry conditions played to the winner's strength. In America, jockey Jose Santos,46, announced his retirement on Monday. Santos rode 4083 winners from 25,290 rides. His winners earned 187 million dollars. He began riding in America in 1984. He won the Derby and the Preakness with Funny Cide in 2003. He was in a spill on Feb 1 at Aqueduct. He suffered five fractures in his spine. "My back is in bad shape. My doctor said it would not be a good idea to come back because one more spill and I may not walk. Retiring is in my best interests and the interests of my kids and grandchildren," Santos said.

bangalore races

It can only happen with the gold and brown colours. A horse can show great form and then run poorly and vice versa, a trend that happens with amazing regularity. Badge of Gold, who began the season as one of the top three-year olds at this centre, confirmed that impression with an emphatic win in the highest class only to falter thereafter in his next two races in term races. But brought back to a handicap race, Badge of Gold regained his winning form, edging out Rhapsidion Snow with ease in the 1400 metres Patrons Trophy which highlighted the penultimate day’s racing of Bangalore Summer Season on Thursday.
Despite his two poor runs, Badge of Gold was backed down spiritedly, with Rhapsidion Snow next in demand. Rhapsidion Snow hit the front as the starter dispatched the field for the seven furlong trip, with Badge of Gold racing alongside. Rounding the final bend, Rhapsidion Snow did not appear to leave his opponent behind as Badge of Gold was only biding his time. The two were involved in a brief tussle and Rhapsidion Snow who held the initiative till the final furlong, drifted out and would have taken Badge of Gold along with her but jockey Mark Zahra did well to control the drift. Badge of Gold got stronger on the wide outside, went clear and won with something to spare. Hugo, who had won his last outing with a start to finish dash, struggled for pace in the early part and finished on to take the third spot.Sweeping Success was another horse from trainer Ganapathy’s yard to be seen in different mood. Sweeping Success who had gone down to Logans Run rather tamely in her last run, won the A.Raoof Sait Memorial Plate (Div I) which had some of the most promising three-year olds in the fray. More than five horses were running with a fair chance of landing the spoils. In The Zone who had got the better of Logans Run ended up as the firm favourite. River Island, Raider’s Sun, Sweeping Success and the rest were at lucrative odds. At the start, Fighting Star went on to Raider’s Sun, causing him to check the horse and lose ground as a result. Fighting Star set the pace with Angelique, Sweeping Success, In the Zone and Olivia Valiere racing in close attendance while Raider’s Sun had to be settled in almost the rear of the field.Rounding the final bend, Fighting Star shifted out to give In The Zone a clear run along the rails while Sweeping Success was held up along the rails but jockey Prakash was able pull his horse out in the nick of time and get her going. In the meanwhile, Raider’s Son who was left to cover plenty of ground on the front-runners, came up with a big run and challenged Sweeping Success very strongly but the winning post came too quickly for comfort and the filly held on to win by a neck. In the Zone ran to be third. Sweeping Success had run a good fourth in the Fillies Trial Stakes but in her earlier run, last as a firm favourite. In contrast, the lower division of the race was contested by poor lot of horses. Colonel Duff who went into the lead on turning for home, just about lasted out to win from South Star who came in for sustained support in the ring. When this race was held, the going had become soft due to heavy showers that preceded the two races before. My Friend Paul and Mother’s Pride, who were also fancied to run well, ran below expectations.Despite failing thrice as a favorite, Associator still opened as the first choice for the Mystic Memory Trophy but soon the odds drifted out so alarmingly that from an initial quote of 6/4, he ended up at tens and over. Marianella became the favourite by default while Enforcer was next in demand. In the race itself, Associator was not in serious business while Born beauty who went ahead of the front-running Marianella to the top of the straight, held on to win from Enforcer who finished second best for the sixth time! Jockey Imran Chisty on Associator did not get a good position, dropping back and then in the straight, continuously kept his horse behind horses, not giving room to gallop. He pulled the horse out only in the closing stages of the race and the horse finished on strongly suggesting what he was capable of if he was allowed his head. The Stewards have opened an enquiry into the running of the race but it remains to be seen if anything comes about if only because the jockeys who belong to the stable are a privileged lot. Born Beauty who had finished down the field in her last run, won the race, reversing the form and for this, trainer Loknath was fined Rs 10,000 for improved performance of the horse as compared the run of the filly only four days ago.

kolkata races

Trainer Daniel David’s prized filly Star Perfection returned to the winner’s enclosure after her number of failures since lifting the Calcutta 1,000 Guineas in the winter season. Her victory in last Wednesday’s main event, the Sreepriya Cup, was easy and also sent out a warning to her rivals eyeing the monsoon season’s plums.
The Steinbeck-Santorini Star daughter however, looked slightly tucked-in during the paddock-parade, prompting bookmakers to push her odds up but the even-money favourite went about her task and scored a shade under four-length victory.Although the going remained good and the weather continued to be sunny, it was the front-runners who dictated terms throughout the afternoon. Among these were last outing winners, Zephyr and Q’ba who established long leads from the start and cashed in on their forward conditions to score at will in their respective events, the Avaglow Handicap and the Goldliner Handicap.Helegonia, another one trying to win from the start for a back-to-back victory, just about scraped through in the Annihilator Handicap. The Javed Khan trainee was somewhat lucky to win as her main rival Arrayal switched course, from the rails to the wide outside, for no rhyme and reason and lost all his chances. With Gastronomique pushing the front-running Helegonia hard nearing the distance-post, jockey D. Singh (Arrayal), instead of sticking to the rail-side wide passage, decided to take a circuitous route and lost by a whisker.The runaway victory of Q’ba earlier in the afternoon did boost the chances of his training partner Flying Jaguar and the confidence of his trainer Vikash Jaiswal in the Best Of All Handicap. The Delhi-based jockey Rajinder partnering The 2-1 favourite, allowed Valintine Dancer to call the shots till the top of the last turn before taking charge. The Diffident son kicked clear of the field once in the open. Genesis was a faraway second and Crystal Bounty, the second-favourite, finished a further four lengths in away after coming with a late run.Robin Corner’s Monticello, the favourite in the True Colours Handicap, came under immense pressure, in the final stages of the race, from Shafiq Khan’s Falaknuma and held on by a head. Jockey Md Islam, who partnered the winner, by Elusive Pimpernel out of Mont Rose, had the measure of the leader, Mozart, below the distance post and looked like holding on to his two-length lead before Vinay Jaiswal brought Falaknuma into the fray.Trainer Patrick Quinn’s Wonnabee walked away with the Super Sunrise Cup over 1,200 metes. The solidly backed 3-1 favourite, was ridden off the pace by Mark Reuben while an equally fancied Fast Love tried the start-to-finish tactics. The front-runner’s efforts came to a naught at the top of the home turn when Wonnabee came alongside and raced away from the field to give Quinn a perfect record in his new career. Big Thrill came from way back to place a good third in spite of his jockey Malcolm Maseyk’s negative efforts. The jockey was handed a four-week suspension after a Stewards’ enquiry.