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.

The top local entrant for Friday's 89th running of the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico took one wrong step on Thursday and had to be scratched. Walkwithapurpose, a Maryland-bred owned by Sagamore Farm in Glyndon, was expected to be one of the top contenders in the $500,000 Grade II race run at a mile and one-eighth for 3-year-old-fillies. Thursday afternoon, however, the Sagamore Farm filly had to drop out of the race after bruising her foot earlier in the day during her final gallop on the track at Pimlico in preparation for Friday's race.

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 broke for the front and raced comfortably on the lead the remainder of the way in defense of her title in the $100,000 Conniver Stakes on Saturday afternoon at Laurel Park. Bold Affair carried Abel Castellano to a two-length victory, beating four other Maryland-bred fillies and mares. She completed the seven-furlong distance in 1minute, 25.14 seconds. It was the second stakes win in as many starts this year for the Howard Wolfendale trainee. Howard Wolfendale She opened her 5-year-old campaign with a victory in the What A Summer Stakes on Jan. 12. "I started to hustle her a little bit and she started going so I let her do her own thing," Castellano 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.

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.

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.

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.

Sagamore Farm's Walkwithapurpose overcame a stumbling start, recovered and when asked for her best, powered past the leaders to victory in the $125,000 Wide Country Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Laurel Park. Jeremy Rose is 4-for-4 aboard the daughter of Candy Ride, from Argentina. Rose picked up the mount after her debut at Timonium and has guided her to consecutive tallies at Laurel, her maiden win (Oct. 3), an allowance victory (Nov. 16) and two stakes triumphs. Walkwithapurpose won the Maryland Juvenile Filly Championship on New Year's Eve in her race before this start.

Under confident handling, Marc Ferrell's Called to Serve waited behind the leaders, tipped to the outside and pounced, winning the $125,000 Broad Brush Stakes, the co-feature on New Year's Eve at Laurel Park. Joel Rosario was at the controls as the Nick Canani trainee covered the nine furlongs in 1 minute 50.75 seconds. Eighttofasttocatch, who has six stakes victories at Laurel Park, set the pace and was racing comfortably on the lead but could offer no resistance when Called to Serve ranged up to his outside.

Baseball Ex-Oriole Gonzalez signs with Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers have agreed to a one-year deal with former Orioles left-handed reliever Michael Gonzalez , according to a Fox Sports report Friday. Gonzalez, 34, flourished last season with the Washington Nationals as a midseason addition on a one-year minor league deal and pitched in key situations against left-handed batters down the stretch. According to a CBS Sports report, his deal with the Brewers is worth $2.25million with incentives, making him the second Nationals left-handed reliever to head to the Brewers, a team starved for them.

Horse racing Maryland Juvenile Filly title is wide-open affair The leader among 2-year-old state-breds in both divisions will be determined this week, starting with the Maryland Juvenile Filly Championship on Wednesday at Laurel Park. Six fillies will race 7 1/2 furlongs in the midweek feature. All six are maiden winners, but Walkwithapurpose has two wins on her resume. Walkwithapurpose (2-1) is 2-for-3 lifetime for trainer Ignacio Correas . The Sagamore Farm home-bred finished third in her debut at the Timonium State Fair but has won her past two starts relatively easily.

Sagamore Farm's Charged Cotton left the starting gate as the 7-5 favorite and lived up to top billing with a rallying score in the $100,000 All Brandy Stakes for registered Maryland-bred fillies and mares at Laurel Park. The All Brandy was contested over the firm turf and included 10 starters. Horacio Karamanos was at the controls as Charged Cotton, a lightly raced daughter of Dehere, stalked the pace from fifth before swinging three wide into the stretch and overtaking front-runner Daydreamin Gracie, then held off a late surge by long shot Grant Park to win by a length and a quarter.

Millionreasonswhy, a three-year-old filly from Sagamore Racing, died Sunday morning after crashing through a rail on the 3/4-mile training track at Sagamore Farm. She died instantly of internal injuries. “This is a very emotional day for our team,” said Tom Mullikin, Sagamore Racing's general manager. “Millionreasonswhy was a classy and tough filly that had not yet reached her full potential.  She was also a very sweet horse that was always a pleasure to be around.  I want to thank [trainer]

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.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Two horses have been pulled out of tomorrow's Breeders' Cup races because they are either lame or sick, and a third may suffer the same fate.Call Now, the 5-1 second choice in the $1 million Juvenile Fillies stakes, was withdrawn yesterday morning after she developed a fever and came down with a slight bout of colic (upset stomach).Pineing Patty, a 30-1 long shot in the $1 million Juvenile Colts race, also developed a high temperature and was scratched by his trainer, Lynn Whiting, because he felt "very dull."

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]

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.