Filly

Et cetera Sagamore Farm filly wins Belmont's Matron Millionreasonswhy, a 2-year-old filly from Sagamore Farm, won the 104th running of the $150,000 Grade II Matron Stakes on Sunday at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. Under jockey John Velazquez and trained by Ignacio Correas IV , the 6-1 shot finished two lengths in front of Say a Novena while clocking six furlongs in 1minute, 12.68seconds. A $115,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase by Sagamore last year, Millionreasonswhy is by Grand Slam out of the listed stakes winner In Secure, by A.P. Indy.

Claimed for $7,500 two weeks ago, Sneaky Lil won the $50,000 Shine Again Stakes at Pimlico on Saturday. Abel Castellano led the daughter of 1996 Preakness winner Louis Quatorze on a late charge to win the feature race of opening weekend. The 6-year-old mare pulled ahead in a late burst to win by four lengths. "I started letting her go at the half-mile pole and we were clear on the outside," Castellano said. "I was worried about Over the Moon [the morning line favorite] who was behind us but didn't keep up with us. Then I set my sights on the Grove horse [Touch the Birds]

Forget The Sopranos. Must-see TV last weekend was the Belmont Stakes, the third leg of the most emotionally satisfying Triple Crown series in years. A combination of excellent equine athletes, colorful supporting players and the sheer unpredictability that is horse racing produced a show that gave the sport so important to Maryland a shot in the arm. And, OK, this isn't really about girl power - except perhaps in the most literal sense. But when Rags to Riches dueled Preakness winner Curlin through the Belmont's closing stretch to become the first filly to win the mile-and-a-half classic in 102 years, the nearly three decades without a Triple Crown winner suddenly didn't seem to matter so much.

Bold Affair quickly opened a lead on her way to an easy victory over filly and mare rivals in the $75,000 Conniver Stakes on Saturday at Laurel Park. Owned by Charles Reed and Mike Zanella and trained by Howard Wolfendale, Bold Affair left the gate as the 6-5 favorite under jockey Abel Castellano. At the finish, the daughter of Two Punch was 61/2 lengths ahead of Baltimore Belle, with Music Please a distant third. "I was very impressed," Castellano said. "I was waiting for the other horses to come especially around the turn.

Sagamore Farm's Millionreasonswhy won the $150,000 Grade II Matron Stakes at Belmont Park on Sunday. Jockey John Velazquez rode the 2-year-old filly, a 6-1 shot, to a two-length victory over Say a Novena in the six-furlong race. Millionreasonswhy finished in 1 minute, 12.68 seconds, over the fast track that dulled after rain earlier in the day. Millionreasonswhy, trained by Ignacio Correas IV, pulled ahead of Say a Novena a little more than three furlongs into the race and pulled away for the win. "Sagamore is very proud of the tremendous effort put forth by Millioreasonswhy today," said Tom Mullikin, general manager of Sagamore Farm.

Lite Light, who stamped herself as the nation's top 3-year-old filly when she won the Kentucky Oaks by 10 lengths, will race next in the June 8 Belmont Stakes, trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said yesterday.Hollendorfer said the decision was made Monday night in a meeting with Lite Light's owners, the family of rap star M.C. Hammer. They'll have to pay a $50,000 supplemental entry fee.It was the owners who suggested the Belmont following Lite Ligh's victory in the 1 1/2 -mile Kentucky Oaks.

ELMONT, N.Y. -- Whether the horse's best interests are being served is debatable, but there's no doubt racing's best interests are being served by Silverbulletday's presence in the Belmont Stakes.Take her away, and the challenge to Charismatic's Triple Crown bid falls somewhere between commonplace and unimpressive.With her running, the challenge is appropriately forbidding.A Triple Crown should be won against daunting opposition that upholds the high standard of the feat, which has been accomplished only 11 times since 1919, most recently during Jimmy Carter's presidency.

A 2-year-old filly who had suffered smoke inhalation from a fire Monday night at Pimlico Race Course was destroyed by lethal injection yesterday."It was decided to put her down at 9 this morning," trainer Bill Allbright said yesterday. "She just wasn't doing any good. She was just hurt too much."Allbright said the filly, by Tim The Tiger out of Lady Climber, was unraced and had not been named. She was owned by Lisa Brooks of Connecticut, Allbright said.The filly had been stabled next to the straw that was set afire after it was placed in front of her stall in Barn 10 at Pimlico.

The winner of the Grade III Columbia Stakes at Pimlico Race Course today may come close to breaking the race's six-furlong record of 1 minute, 10 seconds.Maryland's speediest 3-year-old filly, White Cliffs, is expected to hook up immediately with Canadian invader Scotzanna, who has been beaten only once in seven career starts and is expected to be the overwhelming favorite. She beat males in her last start at Woodbine Race Course in 1:09 2/5 seconds.A convincing win could propel Scotzanna into the $1 million Breeders' Cup Sprint next month at Belmont Park, where the chestnut filly won the Grade II Prioress Stakes three months ago.Robin Platts comes in from Canada to ride Scotzanna.

A 6-month-old filly on a farm near Westminster may have been the latest victim in a series of assaults on horses in Maryland and Virginia, state police said yesterday.Owner Jean Lynch, of the 600 block of Morelock Schoolhouse Road, told police she noticed that the filly was very slow coming out of her stall Saturday, which was out of character for the animal. When she examined the young mare, Ms. Lynch discovered an "oily substance" around the animal's genitals, she told investigators.Ms.

Sagamore Farms' Millionreasonswhy powered to the front and was hand-ridden to victory in Saturday's feature at Laurel Park, the $100,000 Wide Country Stakes for 3-year-old fillies. In her first start since August, the winner of the Matron Stakes (Grade 2) and runner-up to Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner My Miss Aurelia in the Adirondack Stakes as a juvenile made a smashing return to the races with a 11/4 -length score over post-time favorite Dance to Bristol. The winner covered the seven-furlong distance in 1 minute, 24.08 seconds and paid $4.20.

It's been an extraordinary year for Havre de Grace - the racehorse, not to be confused with the Harford County city of the same name where the Susquehanna River meets the Chesapeake Bay. There are plenty of folks who live in Havre de Grace the city, however, who no doubt will be rooting for Havre de Grace the horse Saturday evening around 7 p.m. when the filly goes postward in the $5 million Breeders Cup Classic at Churchill Downs in Louisville....

A year ago, Shared Account arrived at Churchill Downs for the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf as an outsider. Oddsmakers made her a 46-1 long shot, and her response was to win. This year, she's back to defend her title in the $2 million Grade I race. Do the oddsmakers love her? Not exactly. They've given her 30-1 morning-line odds, a fact that has Sagamore Farm general manager Tom Mullikin sending out a warning. "The field is deep, and it's another tough ask of her," Mullikin said.

Sagamore Farm's Millionreasonswhy won the $150,000 Grade II Matron Stakes at Belmont Park on Sunday. Jockey John Velazquez rode the 2-year-old filly, a 6-1 shot, to a two-length victory over Say a Novena in the six-furlong race. Millionreasonswhy finished in 1 minute, 12.68 seconds, over the fast track that dulled after rain earlier in the day. Millionreasonswhy, trained by Ignacio Correas IV, pulled ahead of Say a Novena a little more than three furlongs into the race and pulled away for the win. "Sagamore is very proud of the tremendous effort put forth by Millioreasonswhy today," said Tom Mullikin, general manager of Sagamore Farm.

Et cetera Sagamore Farm filly wins Belmont's Matron Millionreasonswhy, a 2-year-old filly from Sagamore Farm, won the 104th running of the $150,000 Grade II Matron Stakes on Sunday at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. Under jockey John Velazquez and trained by Ignacio Correas IV , the 6-1 shot finished two lengths in front of Say a Novena while clocking six furlongs in 1minute, 12.68seconds. A $115,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase by Sagamore last year, Millionreasonswhy is by Grand Slam out of the listed stakes winner In Secure, by A.P. Indy.

Trainer Bill Mott didn't have any doubts about the talent possessed by filly Royal Delta heading into Friday's 87th running of the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes. But her inexperience and temperament gave him plenty of reason for concern. The Black-Eyed Susan was only the fourth start of her career, and it had already been a bit of an adventure. She was coming off a dominant win at the Keeneland Polytrack, but just two months ago she finished ninth in a 10-horse race at Tampa Downs. Was she a dirt horse?

More than $13 million changed hands and several records fell at Fasig-Tipton Midlantic's two-day auction of 2-year-old thoroughbreds Monday and Tuesday at the Timonium fairgrounds. Records were set for gross sales, average price and highest-priced horse. A Kentucky-bred bay filly by Silver Deputy out of Livia B brought $450,000, a record for the 2-year-old sale and probably a record for any sale at Timonium, said Mason Grasty, executive vice president of the Elkton sales company. Grasty said it was the highest price in the 14 years he's been involved at Timonium.

NEW YORK -- Flanders, the undefeated 2-year-old filly trained by Wayne Lukas and a leading candidate for the Juvenile championship, was disqualified yesterday from her first-place finish in the Matron Stakes after she tested positive for a therapeutic drug.The stewards at Belmont Park also notified Lukas that he would be called to a hearing that could result in a 45-day suspension. But Lukas said that he had no knowledge or explanation of the incident, and said: "She doesn't get any medication.

Laurel Park Six fillies and mares set for today's $75K Conniver Stakes Today's $75,000 Conniver Stakes at Laurel Park features six evenly matched Maryland-bred fillies and mares who have combined for 35 victories, including 14 stakes races, for nearly $1.4 million in earnings. Five Diamonds has been established as the 9-5 favorite when they go seven furlongs in this weekend's feature. The daughter of Flatter has finished first or second in 10 of her 12 starts for the John Salzman Jr. barn.