| Advertisement |
Feb. 17 (UPI) -- Weekend Kentucky Derby preps churned up a massive upset in Louisiana and a dramatic photo finish in New Mexico, roiling the contenders' leaderboard. Action heated up in the Kentucky Oaks standings, too, as well as several other divisions. And on the global scene, two-time Breeders' Cup Turf winner Rebel's Romance won again in Qatar and Australia's sprinters got a bit of a shake.
Advertisement
Getting right to it:
The Road to the Roses
Many stunned Fair Grounds fans tore up their bet tickets after Saturday's $500,000 Grade II Fasig-Tipton Risen Star Stakes, muttering some variant of Jack Buck's comment on Kirk Gibson's dramatic, game-winning 1988 World Series home run: "I don't believe what I just saw."
What they saw in New Orleans was Magnitude, winless in two previous starts at the meeting, speeding to the lead from the outside, No. 13 gate, leading all the way for jockey Ben Curtis and drawing off to win by 9 3/4 lengths -- at odds of 43-1. Another 43-1 shot, Chunk of Gold, clunked up to take second, producing a $1 exacta payoff of $1,314.70 and a $3,425.45 return on a 50-cent trifecta wager.
Magnitude was overlooked despite a solid pedigree, Not This Time out of a Bernardini mare, and the solid connections of trainer Steve Asmussen and owner Winchell Thoroughbreds.
The victory was worth 50 points on the "Road to the Kentucky Derby" leaderboard, which put the colt second behind only last year's 2-year-old champ, Citizen Bull, who has 60.
On Sunday in New Mexico, it was horses trained by old American Quarter Horse rivals Bob Baffert and D. Wayne Lukas fighting it out to the dramatic end of the $400,000 Sunland Derby.
Baffert's Getaway Car led through most of the race, gave up the advantage to Lukas's Caldera and then came back to win by a head-bobbing nose with the rest of the field well up the track.
Getaway Car, a Curlin colt, ran 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:42.64 with Juan Hernandez up. He finished fourth in November's Breeders' Cup Juvenile and had been idle since finishing a fading second in the Grade II Los Alamitos Futurity on Dec. 14.
Caldera, a Liam's Map colt, entered off a maiden win Jan. 17 at Oaklawn Park, and his performance delighted his thousands of My Racehorse syndicate owners.
Getaway Car, who also had been entered in next weekend's Group 3 Saudi Derby, jumped up to No. 3 on the "Road" leaderboard with 36 points, one more than Built in No. 4. Chunk of Gold landed in a tie for fifth and sixth. Caldera's 10 points put him on the board but only in an 11-way tie for Nos. 20 to 30.
The Road to the Oaks
Saturday's $300,000 Grade II Fasig-Tipton Rachel Alexandra at Fair Grounds was scratched down to just four starters, cutting in half the points on offer in the "Road to the Kentucky Oaks" series.
Perhaps the scratchers were scared of Godolphin's undefeated filly, Good Cheer. And well they might have been, as the daughter of Medaglia d'Oro bulled her way between a pair of rivals entering the stretch and effortlessly strode out to a 6 1/4-length victory -- her fifth without loss for trainer Brad Cox.
"She did it pretty easy," winning rider Luis Saez said.
Runnin N Gunnin rallied from the back of the field to win Sunday's $250,000 Sunland Park Oaks in New Mexico by 4 3/4 lengths over Enchanting -- both of them Gun Runner fillies trained by Steve Asmussen.
The odds-on favorite, Maysam, was in the mix early but flattened out turning for home and beat only one rival.
In other divisions:
Classic
Hall of Fame won Saturday's $250,000 Grade III Mineshaft Stakes at Fair Grounds by a head. Speedyness beat Offaly Cool by 1/2 length in Saturday's $100,000 John B. Campbell at Laurel Park. And Chrion, at 35-1 won Saturday's $125,000 Dust Commander on the Turfway Park all-weather.
Distaff
Dazzling Move wore down pacesetting, odds-on favorite Grand Job with a sustained effort to win Saturday's $165,000 Grade III Royal Delta Stakes at Gulfstream Park by 3/4 length. At Laurel Park, odds-on favorite Sea Dancer won Saturday's $100,000 Nellie Morse Stakes by 3 3/4 lengths.
Sprint
Quint's Brew won Saturday's $200,000 General George Stakes at Laurel Park by a 5 1/2-length victory as the odds-on favorite. Roll On Big Joe took the lead in Saturday's $100,000 Grade III Palos Verdes Stakes at Santa Anita and rolled right on to a 4-length victory.
Filly & Mare Sprint
Irish Maxima, the odds-on favorite, took the lead right out of the gate in Saturday's $200,000 Barbara Fritchie Stakes at Laurel Park and never looked back, winning by 2 lengths over Royal Spa.
Turf
Taking Candy circled rivals in the final furlong of the $175,000 Grade III Fair Grounds Stakes and ran on to win by 1 length over pacesetting Higgins Boat.
Filly & Mare Turf
Nanda Dea chased down pacesetting Join the Dance in the late going to win Saturday's $100,000 Albert M. Stall Memorial at Fair Grounds by 1/2 length.
Turf Sprint
Mansa Musa defeated Kavod by a head in Saturday's $100,000 Colonel Power Stakes at Fair Grounds. On Sunday at Santa Anita, Scipio rallied from last to win the $100,000 Baffle Stakes for 3-year-olds down the hillside course.
Around the world, around the clock
Australia
Skybird, last midway through the race, threaded through traffic and pulled out the upset win in Saturday's Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes at Flemington, beating fellow long shot Stretan Angel by 1 length, with Benedetta third and the hot favorite, Switzerland, relegated to fourth.
Skybird, a 4-year-old daughter of Exosphere, got her first top-level win.
Qatar
Rebel's Romance, the two-time Breeders' Cup Turf winner, started his 7-year-old season with an easy victory in Sunday's Group 3 H H The Amir Trophy in Qatar. Leading most of the way, the Dubawi gelding coasted home 1 length in front of The Foxes in a virtual repeat of his 2024 win in the same race.
Charlie Appleby said the gelding's second straight win in the Trophy will lead to an attempt to win the Group 1 Dubai Sheema Classic on April 5 for the second straight year.
Japan
Masquerade Ball, a disappointing 11th in December's Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes, rebounded nicely with a 1-length victory in his 3-year-old debut, Sunday's Grade 3 Kyodo News Hai.
The Duramente colt was hampered by an outside draw and traffic in the Hopeful, but had a smoother trip in Sunday's heat at Tokyo Racecourse.
