(Edited Santa Anita Park report)

ARCADIA, Calif. – Scratched from last Sunday’s one mile, $100,000 Valentine Dancer Stakes to run in Friday’s $70,150 Aristotle Purse, La Sombre enhanced her reputation for consistency with a clear-cut victory as the odds-on favorite in the competition for fillies and mares at 6½ furlongs over Santa Anita’s hillside turf course.

Under a vigorous hand ride by Martin Garcia, the 5-year-old California-bred daughter of Unusual Heat defeated 7-2 second-choice Lofty Ambition by 1½ lengths while…

(Edited Gulfstream Park report)

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Emcee came within less than two-fifths of a second of equaling the Gulfstream Park track record for seven furlongs while winning the featured ninth race.

Making the second start of his career, the 4-year-old son of Unbridled’s Song scored by six lengths with a blistering 1:20.83 clocking. The track record for seven furlongs of 1:20.45 was set in 2005 by Mr. Light.

Emcee vied for pacesetting honors with long shot Macarthur Causeway…

Graham Ross
Fair Grounds

NEW ORLEANS, La. – Pop-A-Top LLC’s Raiseanothergator, away alertly and quickly in command, made or forced the pace with William Reed’s Surley throughout the early going but drew off in the stretch run to win Friday’s 16th renewal of the $40,000 South Mississippi Owners and Breeders Stakes at Fair Grounds by 4 1/4-lengths.

Trained by Tom Amoss and ridden by James Graham, Raiseanothergator returned mutuels of $6.20, $2.80 and $2.40, accomplished the six furlongs in…

Jennifer Hoyt
Oaklawn Park

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – The last time Oaklawn fans saw Alternation he was closing late to get fifth in the 2011 Arkansas Derby, a race that he seemed destined to win early in the season after two impressive allowance race victories. Pin Oak Stud’s regally bred son of Distorted Humor, now four, returns to Oaklawn ready to redeem himself in Saturday’s $100,000 Essex Handicap where he was installed as the 2-1 morning line favorite and…

Bob Hill
and Kat Kubik
Staff writers
Tracksideview.com

Race 6, Santa Anita – Robert B. Lewis Stakes G2 – 1 1/16 miles for three-year-olds – post time: 6:05 p.m. EST

The Robert Lewis is the first two-turn Derby prep race to be run at Santa Anita this winter and spring in the lead-up to the first Saturday in May.  All but New Mexico invader Isn’t He Clever (1) is based in California.  The Robert Lewis will be…

(Edited Gulfstream Park report)

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Edgar Prado has been making the most of his opportunities during the 2011-2012 meeting at Gulfstream Park, having already visited the winner’s circle on five more occasions than he did during the entire 2011 meeting.

The Hall of Fame jockey, who has ridden the winner’s of 6,523 races and $237 milion in purses, had somehow experienced a startling slow-down in business the past few years, particularly last year at Gulfstream when he…

(Edited Santa Anita Park report)

ARCADIA, Calif. – Don Perico, a 5-year-old gelded son of In Excess, terminated a six-race losing streak when scoring a wire-to-wire victory under leading rider Joel Rosario in Thursday’s $59,750 Black Rock Purse for California-breds at 6½ furlongs over Santa Anita’s hillside turf course.

Rosario, who had ridden Donald J. Valpredo’s homebred throughout the drought, sent Don Perico to a clear lead early in his second try over the unique downhill layout, and he gamely…

Ron Correll
Senior Columnist
Tracksideview.com

The 2012 Kentucky Derby trail gets a little more crowded this weekend with the Withers at Aqueduct, the Robert Lewis at Santa Anita and the Sam F. Davis at Tampa Bay Downs. All three races are graded stakes, which is very important when a colt needs graded earnings to fill one of the 20 positions in the starting gate on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs.

Matt Pappis will handicap the…

Rick Francis
Staff writer
Tracksideview.com

We end our work week at a place where we haven’t spent much time, Aqueduct. No it’s not the Holly Springs Stakes in the third, but the fifth on the card, an optional-claiming test for three-year-olds, and when we talk about the quality purses of these OC contests from Gulfstream and Santa Anita, you can’t overlook this one, as it’s 67k. Let’s get started.

Race 5 – Aqueduct – post time: 2:19 p.m.…

Graham Ross
Fair Grounds

NEW ORLEANS, La. – Gainesway Thoroughbreds’ Small Kitchen, reserved just off the pace of the early leaders in Thursday’s $46,000 Fair Grounds feature for maiden sophomore fillies, gained the advantage entering the lane and drew off the rest of the way for a 5 3/4-length score in the six- furlong sprint.

Trained by Mike Maker and ridden by Rosie Napravnik, the Kentucky-bred daughter of Corinthian toured the three-quarter mile distance in 1:10.95, earned the $27,600…