Xtra Heat with Harry Vega aboard, out runs Day Trader and Touch Tone to win the $250,000 Phoenix Breeders' Cup at Keeneland. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        LEXINGTON, Ky. — Xtra Heat had little trouble beating the boys in Saturday's $250,000 Grade III Phoenix Breeders' Cup at Keeneland.

        The 4-year-old filly passed Touch Tone around the final turn, then held off Day Trader in the stretch for a three-length win in the five-horse field.

        Xtra Heat won for the 24th time in 31 starts, but defeated a field of colts for the first time. She won for the eighth time in nine starts this year and stamped herself as a favorite for the Breeders' Cup Sprint on Oct. 26 at Arlington Park.

        “She's unreal. That's where we're heading now, right on to Chicago,” trainer and co-owner John Salzman said.

        The 3-5 favorite, with Harry Vega aboard, Xtra Heat covered the six furlongs in 1:10.13 and paid $3.40 and $2.20.

        “That's what champions are made of. They're supposed to go out there and show off,” Vega said.

        The D. Wayne Lukas-trained Day Trader, who won the Kentucky Cup Sprint at Turfway last month, paid $2.60. Touch Tone, making his first start in 13 months, was three-quarters of a length back in third in the five-horse field.

        Xtra Heat made her move on the outside with little urging from Vega. Day Trader, with Calvin Borel aboard, challenged at the top of the stretch, but Xtra Heat pulled away as the wire approached.

        “It was just a matter of her having enough,” Vega said. “I'm not concerned when other horses come at us. They've done it before. She's so good and she gives so much. It's incredible to have that much confidence in your horse.”

        Later Saturday, 1-5 favorite Sky Mesa passed pace-setting Truckle Feature along the backstretch, then pulled away for a four-length win in the $400,000 Grade II Lane's End Futurity for 2-year-olds and up.

        Trained by John Ward and ridden by Edgar Prado, Sky Mesa covered the 1 1/6 miles in 1:46.78 and remained unbeaten in three starts.

        Lone Star Sky, with Mark Guidry aboard, made a late move past Truckle Feature for second, four lengths behind the winner, and paid $3 and $2.10. The Bob Baffert-trained Truckle Feature, with Robby Albarado aboard, finished third by a nose and paid $2.10.

        Ward said he got exactly what he wanted out of Sky Mesa's final tuneup before the 1 1/8-mile Breeders' Cup Juvenile on Oct. 26.

        “This is the last scrimmage before the big game,” said Ward, who trained 2001 Kentucky Derby winner Monarchos. “He made every mistake a young horse could make and still got it done. I like our chances down the road.”

        Prado said the colt, a bay son of Pulpit, lost focus after he took the lead.

        “I don't think he missed anything coming down the stretch because he was looking around. He made the lead easily, but maybe that wasn't a good thing,” Prado said. “He does better with horses to run at. When I hit the pedal, he gave me what he had.”

        • Toccet takes Champagne; Storm Flag Flying, Imperial Gesture also win

        NEW YORK — Toccet is a quick learner.

        A loser in his first start in July, Toccet broke his maiden in August, then won an allowance race last month.

        Toccet ran like a rocket on Saturday, taking off in the final sixteenth of a mile for a 1 1/2-length victory over Icecoldbeeratreds in the $500,000 Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park.

        Next stop for the 2-year-old colt named for NHL veteran Rick Tocchet is the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Arlington Park on Oct. 26.

        “This colt is a little green still,” trainer John Scanlan said. “He was much the best in his past races. He's going to learn a lot off this race.”

        Toccet's quick learning curve was overlooked by the crowd of 9,551, which sent the 2-year-old horse off at odds of 9-1.

        And why not? The colt was beaten by 11 1/2 lengths at Colonial Downs in northern Virginia, then won his first race at Laurel and his second at Pimlico before arriving at Belmont.

        Toccet, ridden by Jorge Chavez, found room along the rail and shot past Icecoldbeeratreds to earn $300,000 for 41-year-old owner Daniel Borislow, a Philadelphia native who knows Tocchet, a former player for the Flyers.

        Icecoldbeeratreds, trained by Bob Baffert, made a solid showing but tired in the stretch of the 1 1-16th-mile race. Baffert, who was at Santa Anita on Saturday, said he's uncertain if Icecoldbeeratreds will move on to the BC Juvenile.

        “He ran hard, then got caught at the end,” Baffert said, adding he and owner Mike Pegram will discuss when the colt will start next.

        But this was Toccet's day. A son of 1998 BC Classic winner Awesome Again, Toccet returned $20.20, $9.60 and $6.30. Icecoldbeeratreds, with David Flores aboard, paid $4.80 and $4.30. Erinsouthernman was third and paid $5.90. The winning time was 1:44.45.

        Pretty Wild, the 6-5 favorite, was fourth, followed by Cape Good Hope, Brancusi, Outer Reef, Desert Warrior and Risky Cat.

        The Champagne lost some of its luster on Thursday when expected favorite Zavata bruised a foot wand and was not entered.

        In the two other Grade 1 stakes on the Belmont card, favored Storm Flag Flying won the $500,000 Frizette for 2-year-old fillies, and Imperial Gesture captured the $750,000 Beldame for fillies and mares. Also, Green Fee was the surprise winner over Forbidden Apple in the $350,000 Kelso, a Grade 2 stakes.

        Baffert's 2-year-old juvenile brigade was out in force Saturday. At Santa Anita, Kafwain and Bull Market ran 1-2 in the $200,000 Norfolk Stakes and earned trips the BC Juvenile, while Truckle Feature's third-place finish in the $400,000 Lane's End Futurity at Keeneland will likely keep him out. Baffert's top 2-year-old — Vindication — is also headed to the Juvenile.

       Frizette

        Storm Flag Flying caught Santa Catarina with 3/16ths of a mile to go, and pulled away for a two-length victory. Now 3-for-3, the daughter of Storm Cat and '95 BC Juvenile Fillies winner My Flag is the likely favorite for the Juvenile Fillies in three weeks.

        Ridden by John Velazquez, Storm Flag Flying returned $3.20, $2.20 and $2.10 as the 3-5 favorite. Santa Catarina, trained by Baffert, paid $2.70 and $2.10 as the 2-1 second choice. Appleby Gardens was third, 11 1/4 lengths farther back, and returned $2.10.

        The winner covered the 1 1-16th miles in 1:44.20. The BC Juveniles Fillies will be run at 1 1/8 miles.

        “That was a good solid race, and that's what you need,” trainer Shug McGaughey said.

        Santa Catarina and Appleby Gardens are also probables for the BC Juvenile Fillies.

       Beldame

        Imperial Gesture is rounding into form at the right time — the 3-year-old filly ran away from a strong field for a 2 3/4-length victory over Mandy's Gold.

        Owned by Sheik Mohammed's Godolphin Racing, Imperial Gesture won impressively for the third straight time. Summer Colony, the 3-5 favorite, was third.

        The top three finishers are likely to meet again in the BC Distaff, where they will hook up with Azeri, the top-rated horse in the division.

        Ridden by Jerry Bailey, Imperial Gesture covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.63, and returned $5.60, $4.10 and $2.10. Mandy's Gold paid $3.20 and $2.10, with Summer Colony, ridden by Velazquez, returning $2.10 for show.

        Transcendental was fourth, followed by Allamerican Bertie, Minister's Baby and Unrestrained.

       Kelso

        Green Fee charged past Forbidden Apple in mid-stretch for a surprise three-quarter length victory in the Kelso, a Grade 2 stakes run at one mile on the turf.

        Forbidden Apple, sent off as the even-money favorite in the field of seven, took the lead at the top of the stretch but Green Fee unleashed a powerful kick for his seventh win in 28 career starts.

        A 6-year-old horse trained by Daniel Pietz, Green Fee paid $20.80, $5.40 and $3.20. The winning time was 1:33.83.

        Golden Apples wins Yellow Ribbon; Baffert's horses finish 1-2 in Norfolk
       ARCADIA, Calif. — Jockey Patrick Valenzuela guaranteed a victory for Golden Apples in the $500,000 Yellow Ribbon Stakes. The bay filly didn't let him down.

        Golden Apples went four-wide in the stretch and beat Voodoo Dancer by one length Saturday at Santa Anita on a day loaded with Breeders' Cup implications for West Coast hopefuls.

        Trainer Bob Baffert got confirmation that his 2-year-olds, Kafwain and Bull Market, will be threats in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile after they finished 1-2 in the $200,000 Norfolk Stakes. But he was disappointed with Congaree's seventh-place result in the Oak Tree Breeders' Cup Mile.

        Valenzuela is 2-for-2 since riding Irish-bred Golden Apples for the first time Aug. 17 in the Grade 1 Beverly D. at Arlington Park near Chicago, where the Breeders' Cup will be held Oct. 26.

        They teamed for a three-quarters-length victory in the Beverly D.

        Golden Apples was at home on Santa Anita's turf course, where the 4-year-old filly has three wins and a second in four starts. She covered 1 1/4 miles in 1:59 3-5 and paid $4.80, $2.80 and $2.10.

        “She ran great,” said Valenzuela, who guaranteed the victory Thursday. “When Voodoo Dancer came to the inside of me, Golden Apples just completely put her away in the stretch without me even getting after her.”

        Voodoo Dancer returned $3.80 and $2.10, while British-bred Banks Hill was another three lengths back in third. Chilean-bred Noches De Rosa was fourth, Nepenthe was fifth and Brazilian-bred Viernes was last. The field of six carried 123 pounds each.

        Banks Hill is the defending Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf champion. Trainer Ben Cecil said Golden Apples will run at Arlington; Voodoo Dancer is uncertain.

        Baffert had a busy day at Santa Anita, saddling his horses and keeping a close eye on telecasts from Belmont Park in New York and Keeneland in Kentucky, where other 2-year-olds in his far-flung operation were running.

        Under Victor Espinoza, Kafwain made a big run near the top of the stretch to get alongside pacesetter Bull Market. Kafwain briefly stuck his head in front at the sixteenth pole and the race was on.

        “It was his first time going two turns, so I didn't want to hit it too hard,” Espinoza said. “I knew I was going to win the race, so I just let him run at his own pace.”

        Bull Market, ridden by Mike Smith, grabbed the lead right back along the rail and the two ran neck-and-neck to the finish, covering 1 1-16 miles in 1:36 1-5.

        “I felt like I put a nose in front of him, but Kafwain had momentum and came back to nip me, it was a head-bob,” Smith said. “But he ran dynamite. This race ought to move him forward.”

        Kafwain won by a nose, tying the record for shortest margin of victory and giving Baffert his third career win in the Grade 2 Norfolk. Kafwain paid $5.80, $2.80 and $2.40. Bull Market returned $3.80 and $2.60. They were not coupled in the wagering because each has different owners.

        “I loved Bull Market's race. We've been high on that horse,” Baffert said. “To kick back in again, that's the sign of a really good horse.”

        Kafwain is owned by the estate of the late Prince Ahmed bin Salman, who died July 22 in Saudi Arabia. Bin Salman's horse, War Emblem, is set to run for the final time in the Breeders' Cup Classic before retiring to stud in Japan.

        Listen Indy was another length back in third and paid $2.60 to show. The field of seven each carried 120 pounds. Trainer Richard Mandella said he would have to think about running Listen Indy in the Breeders' Cup.

        Vindication, perhaps Baffert's top 2-year-old, sat out the weekend. The colt has already proven himself by going undefeated in three starts. He will run in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

        In the $250,000 Oak Tree Breeders' Cup Mile, Night Patrol scored a nose upset over Kachamandi on the turf. The winner paid $20.20, $9 and $6.80 under Jose Valdivia Jr.

        “I knew Congaree was going pretty fast but I was surprised, because when I attacked him at the quarter pole, Congaree offered no response, he just stopped,” Valdivia said. “When my horse made the lead, he was very, very game. He reached out and really extended himself.”

        Baffert said Smith couldn't get Congaree to relax after setting the early pace.

        “I'm very disappointed,” Baffert said, adding that he didn't know if Congaree would try the Breeders' Cup Mile. “I can't make any calls on anything. He hasn't even cooled out yet.”

        Nick Canani, trainer of Night Patrol, said he would consider the Breeders' Cup Mile; second-place Kachamandi isn't Breeders' Cup eligible and won't go.

        In another Breeders' Cup prep, Kalookan Queen won the $207,875 Ancient Title Breeders' Cup Handicap by a half-length over Crafty C.T.

        Ridden by Alex Solis and carrying 119 pounds, Kalookan Queen covered six furlongs in 1:08 1-5. The 6-year-old horse paid $11, $4.60 and $3.60 as the first filly or mare to win since Track Gal in 1995.

        Trainer Bruce Headley said Kalookan Queen won't run in the Breeders' Cup Sprint because three weeks is not enough rest.

        Kona Gold carried 127 pounds in finishing second in last year's Ancient Title and then wound up seventh as the defending Breeders' Cup Sprint champion. Headley said Kona Gold will try again in this year's Sprint.

        Others possible for the Sprint are Crafty C.T., Mellow Fellow (third) and Swept Overboard (fourth), who was the defending Ancient Title champion.

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