Honeymoon Is Over Once Classy Cara Starts to Rally

What a bargain Classy Cara has turned out to be.

Purchased for $20,000 as a 2-year-old at the Barretts sale a year ago, the 3-year-old General Meeting filly earned her second graded stakes victory of 2000 Saturday, coming from well off the pace to win the $150,000 Honeymoon Handicap at Hollywood Park.

Classy Cara, bred in Washington, has won four of her last six races. In her two defeats, she was third in the Santa Anita Oaks and a distant third in the Kentucky Oaks.

Classy Cara, a 6-1 shot, rallied under jockey Iggy Puglisi to beat Kumari Continent, the 7-2 second choice, by three-quarters of a length in 1:48 for the 1 1/8 miles on turf. It was her second victory in four turf races.

Classy Cara’s latest stakes victory--her other win in a graded race came in the Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn Park--pushed her earnings to $383,347. She is owned by Damon Stathatos and John Zamora and trained by Doug O’Neill.

“I’ve had some good horses, but never one of this quality,� said O’Neill. “I think she’s something special, just a very, very nice filly. I wondered if this race was coming back too quick [the Kentucky Oaks was on May 5], but she had trained well.�

Kumari Continent, who rebounded from a poor effort in the Kentucky Oaks, finished three-quarters of a length in front of Minor Details, then came Shericaine, Islay Mist, the 3-1 favorite, Queenie Belle, Lovely Cozzene, Hastenby and Torgau.

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Postponed, a 9-1 shot, rallied from last to win the $200,000 Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont Park.

Postponed won the first stakes of his career, beating even-money favorite Unshaded by three-quarters of a length in 1:49 3/5 for the 1 1/8 miles. The victory was the 3,999th for Postponed’s jockey, Edgar Prado.

Postponed, a 3-year-old son of Summer Squall, won for the third time in eight starts and may have earned himself a trip to the Belmont on June 10. He is trained by Flint Schulhofer and owned by Jeanne Vance, who teamed to win the 1999 Belmont Stakes with Lemon Drop Kid.

“This is a real, nice little horse,� said Schulhofer, whose other Peter Pan win came with Twining in 1994. “He’s grown up a lot since [his] races in Florida and I may have run him a little prematurely in some of those stakes.

“He’s bred to go long and he showed it today. If everything is all right, we’ll definitely consider the Belmont Stakes. But, he’ll have to pick up a lot of weight in that race.�

Unshaded, who spotted 10 pounds (123 to 113) to the winner, finished three-quarters of a length in front of 9-2 second choice Globalize. The winner of the Lexington last month at Keeneland, Unshaded’s status for the final jewel of the Triple Crown is up in the air. He would have to be supplemented for $150,000 by owner James Tafel.

“I thought he ran a terrific race,� said trainer Carl Nafzger. “We’re going to evaluate him after this and go from there. He gave 10 pounds (to Postponed) and was able to get to him near the end.�

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Riboletta, who ran the best race of her U.S. career when winning the Hawthorne Handicap last month, is the 8-5 favorite against six other fillies and mares in the $250,000 Milady Breeders’ Cup Handicap today at Hollywood Park.

Riboletta, the second choice in the Hawthorne, won for the second time in five starts for trainer Eduardo Inda, who took over after owners Aaron and Marie Jones transferred their horses from Bob Baffert.

Riboletta won by seven lengths over the Baffert-trained Excellent Meeting, the 2-5 favorite who was making her first start of 2000.

Excellent Meeting is the 9-5 second choice as she tries to end a losing streak at three races.

Completing the field for the Grade I race are Bordelaise, Speaking Of Time, Spanish Fern, Smooth Player and Cookin Vickie.

Speaking Of Time, who finished a neck behind Excellent Meeting in the Hawthorne, while Spanish Fern, a Grade I winner on turf, will be making her first start on the dirt for trainer Bobby Frankel.

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Dark Moondancer, who won the San Luis Obispo Handicap and San Luis Rey Stakes at Santa Anita, will have only five opponents in Monday’s $400,000 Charles Whittingham Handicap.

Dark Moondancer will carry high weight of 123 pounds, spotting his opponents seven to 11 pounds. The other entrants for the Whittingham, a Grade I at 1 1/4 miles on turf, are White Heart, Sardaukar, Deploy Venture, Self Feeder and Senure.

In the two other stakes on the Monday card, Dixie Union, Swept Overboard and Caller One head a field of seven in the $100,000 Lazaro Barrera Memorial Stakes at seven furlongs and Squirtle Squirt, Maxian and seven other 2-year-olds will run in the $75,000 Willard L. Proctor Memorial Stakes at 4 1/2 furlongs.

Horse Racing Notes

Welcome Surprise, a 16-1 shot, won the $100,000 Dogwood Stakes at Churchill Downs. The 3-year-old daughter of Seeking The Gold outfinished 9-1 shot Lady Melesi over a sloppy track. . . . Peach Flat won at 6-1 odds in the $125,000 All American Handicap at Golden Gate Fields. Jose Valdivia Jr. rode the winner for owners Ron and Susie Anson and trainer Alfredo Marquez. Boss Ego, part of the heavily favored two-horse entry, was second and Casey Griffin was third. . . . Jockey Martin Pedroza won three races at Hollywood Park, two for trainer Jack Carava. One of the victories was aboard Bold Capital, a 9-year-old gelding who has 13 wins in 26 races at Hollywood Park.