Bob Hill
Staff writer

Since moving to the barn of trainer Jerry Hollendorfer last fall, the five-year-old Heatseeker has hit the board in six consecutive graded stakes races.  Heatseeker’s victory in Saturday’s Grade 2 Californian was his second win on the Cushion surface of Hollywood Park to go with his Grade 1 win on the synthetic track in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap in March.

Bob Hill
Staff writer

Zenyatta, trained by John Shirreffs and owned by Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Moss, remained undefeated Saturday by winning the Grade 2 Milady Handicap at Hollywood Park.  Zenyatta, who has comfortably cruised at the back of the field in her previous four wins, got to her usual position in this mile and a sixteenth race the hard way. After breaking a step slow she was bumped hard from the outside by Double Trouble and from the…

Bob Hill
Staff writer

One of this year’s best feel-good stories got even better on Saturday at Thistledown in suburban Cleveland when Smooth Air won the Grade 2 Ohio Derby by four lengths over runner-up Cherokee Artist. 

The son of Smooth Jazz, out of the French Deputy mare Air France, is trained by longtime Calder journeyman Bennie F. Stutts, Jr. and is owned by Mount Joy Stables.  Stutts openly enjoyed every moment of Smooth Air’s run up to the…

(Edited Hollywood Park report)

INGLEWOOD, Calif., — Odds-on favorite Precious Kitten, winner of The Matriarch here in November, returned to score a two-and-a-quarter-length victory over pacesetter Diamond Diva in the $283,000 Gamely Stakes on Monday at Hollywood Park.

The victory was the eighth in 21 starts for the Bobby Frankel-trained mare, who covered the mile and an eighth on the Lakeside Turf Course in 1:45.23. The victory was a record eighth for the Hall of Fame trainer in the Grade 1…

(Edited Hollywood Park report) 
 
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Daytona, given a perfect stalking trip by Alex Solis, easily out-ran Ever a Friend in the final furlong to register his sixth win in his last seven starts in Monday’s $310,500 Shoemaker Mile at Hollywood Park.

The Irish-bred, who won the 2007 Hollywood Derby in his most recent start here, covered one mile on the Lakeside Turf Course in 1:33.44 to win by one-and-a-quarter lengths while paying $5.40 as the…

Ron Correll
Senior columnist

Elmont Park, N.Y. — Favorite Commentator fought off all challenges in the Metropolitan Handicap except one. Divine Park was the one challenge that he couldn’t overcome as that one won the Memorial Day feature at Belmont Park.

Commentator was coming into the Met Mile off an almost three-month layoff and that might have been his undoing in deep stretch when Divine Park got by him late to win by two lengths in 1:36.91.

Commentator broke sharply…

(From edited Arlington Park reports)

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Courtlandt Farms’ Indescribable made a three-wide rally into the stretch, overtook Leah’s Secret in the vicinity of the furlong marker and pulled away to win the Grade III $150,000 Arlington Matron Handicap by a half-length on Memorial Day at Arlington Park.  Jeremy Rose rode the 4-year-old Pleasant Tap filly who went the mile and an eight over Polytrack in 1:49.82.

Ron Correll
Senior columnist

Elmont, N.Y — All Dream Rush needed was another 50 feet and she would have chalked up a Grade 2 victory in the Vagrancy on Sunday at Belmont Park. But Looky Yonder turned those final few feet into a nightmare for the heavy favorite when see caught Dream Rush in the shadow of the wire to win the six-and-half-furlong race.

(Edited Arlington Park report)

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – The Fit For a Queen Stakes was named for one of the fastest distaff sprinting fillies to have graced the old dirt track at Arlington Park so it seems only fitting that a track record was set in the 2008 edition of the race Sunday, which is now contested over the suburban Chicago’s Polytrack surface. 

 Victorianna, who races in the colors of Arvin Will & Gaines-Gentry Thoroughbreds, sped to a one-and-one-quarterlength victory…

(Edited Hollywood Park report)

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Trevor’s Clever rallied from last on the backstretch to beat 1-5 favorite Madeo by a neck as jockey Joe Talamo manufactured an upset in the Alydar Stakes for the second straight year Saturday at Hollywood Park.