Aced It Sent off as the clear 3-5 choice in Saturday’s $200,000 Los Alamitos Futurity (G2), Litmus Test remained at the top of the class with a confident 1 ¼-length triumph. Competing in his fourth graded stakes contest for trainer Bob Baffert – who entered the Los Alamitos Futurity a 14-time winner – Litmus Test settled in nicely after a slower-than-expected start to grab hold of the 1 1/16-mile tilt at the stretch and pull away for the safe score. The professional effort resulted in the Nyquist colt’s first career graded badge, while Baffert collected his 15th Los Alamitos Futurity title after sending out the top the finishers (Litmus Test, Blacksmith, and Provenance). Up to 2-0-1 across five lifetime starts ($350,188), Litmus Test paid $3.20. Walk of Fame Touchuponastar can almost match one Louisiana Champions Day Stakes trophy for every point on a star after capturing the $150,000 dash for the fourth consecutive year, Saturday at Fair Grounds. The 6-year-old son of Star Guitar–Touch Magic made little effort to conceal his intentions, breaking from the gate with purpose to set the pace in his favour. After already leading every step of the way with the push for home approaching, Touchuponastar, with minimal encouragement from rider Timothy Thornton, separated from the field for the commanding 8 ¾-length victory. Now a 16-time stakes winner for owner Set-Hut Stable (former NFL Quarterback Jake Delhomme, his brother Jeff and father Jerry), Touchuponastar has earned nearly $1.7 million. At 1-9 Saturday, the veteran bay paid $2.10. Perfect Storm Hurricane Clair, sent off as the 4-5 choice, was a force of nature in the $100,000 La Prevoyante Stakes, a 1 1/16-mile contest for Ontario-sired fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, Saturday at Woodbine. Teamed with rider Eswan Flores, the 4-year-old bay out of Weather Warning mare Hurricane Lorraine hopped out to an early lead and never looked in the rearview as her lead ballooned to four-lengths at the stretch before rounding at 3 ¾-lengths. The impressive outing resulted in Hurricane Clair’s third stakes win for owners David Rowbotham, Rodney Carpenter and Tony Boogmans, as well as a noticeable improvement over a fifth-place result in last year’s edition of the La Prevoyante. She paid $3.80 for Saturday’s win. Answered the Bell After a mini slide in which he missed the board in back-to-back outings, Roll On Big Joe tracked down his second straight stakes score in Saturday’s $150,000 Ring The Bell at Oaklawn Park. Six weeks removed from an emphatic triumph of the Bet on Sunshine Stakes at Churchill Downs, Roll On Big Joe picked up right where he left off, delivering a gate-to-wire conquest of six-furlong Ring The Bell as the 2-1 second choice. The fourth stakes tally of the 5-year-old gelding’s career elevated his scorecard to 9-6-1 across 22 starts ($751, 925) for owners Rancho Temescal LLC, Rancho Temescal Thoroughbred Partners, White Fence LLC, and Richard Hale Jr. Roll On Big Joe paid $6.40. Other-Worldly Good Counting Stars’ stakes debut may not have gone according to plan, but the experienced proved invaluable for the freshman filly next time out in the inaugural running of the $135,000 Astral Spa Overnight Stakes, Sunday at Oaklawn Park. In her first appearance since a fifth in October’s Dean Dorton Myrtlewood Stakes, Counting Stars looked the part of a seasoned veteran, allowing the six-furlong dash to develop while simultaneously saving ground, before eventually pulling away for the four-length conquest. Trained by Mark Casse for owners West Point Thoroughbreds, Counting Stars has reeled in nearly $150,000 in prizes through three start (2-0-0). At 3-1 Sunday, she paid $8.60. Matthew Lomon, for Woodbine Share This:Share
