11-1 STUNNER PROVIDES JOCKEY GARCIA WITH FIRST GRADE I VICTORY

(Edited Santa Anita Park report)

ARCADIA, Calif. – After faring poorly as the 5-2 favorite in the Grade I La Brea Stakes five weeks before, Gabby’s Golden Gal dramatically rebounded with an 11-1 stunner in Sunday’s 53rd running of the $250,000 Santa Monica Handicap for fillies and mares to provide 25-year-old jockey Martin Garcia with his first Grade I victory.

(Edited Santa Anita Park report)

ARCADIA, Calif. — No one tabbed six winners in Sunday’s popular Pick Six at Santa Anita, resulting in a carryover of $126,946 into Wednesday.  With no live racing on Monday or Tuesday, it is expected Wednesday’s total pool will easily exceed $500,000.

Mike Willman
Santa Anita Park
 
ARCADIA, Calif. — Veteran turf writer Larry Bortstein passed away early Sunday morning at Arcadia Methodist Hospital after sustaining a pulmonary embolism Jan. 23.  Bortstein, 67, never regained consciousness and had been on life support since being transported to Methodist following the embolism.

A native of New York, Bortstein was a versatile writer who covered horse racing for the Orange County Register for the past 17 years and had covered all…

Graham Ross
Fair Grounds

NEW ORLEANS, La. – Robert Orth and Wesley Hawley’s Nana Knows pressed the pace, found running room along the rail in the stretch to gain the advantage and withstood the late bid of Candy Delicious to win Sunday’s $41,000 feature for accredited 3-year-old maiden fillies by a length and a quarter.

Ron Correll
Senior columnist
Tracksideview.com

She Be Wild’s 2010 debut was less than auspicious when she finished fifth in the Forward Gal Stakes Sunday at Gulfstream Park in South Florida. She was running for the first time since she won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies on Nov. 7 at Santa Anita Park in Southern California.

Penelope P. Miller
Tampa Bay Downs

OLDSMAR, Fla. – Nominations for Feb. 13’s Festival Preview Day have arrived; the Grade III $225,000 Sam F. Davis stakes has garnered 42 nominations, the Grade III $125,000 Endeavour Stakes has attracted the attention of 43 older fillies and mares, and the $75,000 Suncoast Stakes for fillies three years old has 31 nominees.

Tracksideview.com report

Trainer Bill Mott and Winstar Farm took a step along the early 2010 Kentucky Derby trail when Drosselmeyer won a mile-and-an-eighth allowance race Sunday at Gulfsream Park in South Florida.

Ed Golden
Santa Anita Park

Blind Luck, Eclipse Award finalist for top 2-year-old filly of 2009, is at the ready for her 3-year-old debut in Saturday’s Grade I $250,000 Las Virgenes Stakes at one mile. Rival trainer John Sadler has the utmost respect for the impressive winner of the Grade I Hollywood Starlet on Dec. 20, but still plans to run the promising Crisp in the Las Virgenes.

Travis Stone
Gulfstream Park

HALLANDALE, Fla. – Edward P. Evans’ 4-year-old homebred colt Quality Road breezed an easy half-mile in 49 4/5 Sunday morning at Palm Meadows for trainer Todd Pletcher ahead of his role as the likely odds-on favorite in next Saturday’s $500,000 Donn Handicap (G1) at Gulfstream Park.

Jim Mulvihill
Fair Grounds

NEW ORLEANS, La. – Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra posted her first official work of the year Sunday, a four-furlong breeze in :52 with regular exercise rider Dominic Terry aboard.