Disco Time dances into the Kentucky Derby picture with weekend win

Jan. 21 (UPI) -- Disco Time danced into the Kentucky Derby picture in weekend racing, while in Hong Kong, two heroes of Decembers international races showed they're still on top and maybe looking for competition around the world.

Santa Anita, Fair Grounds, Aqueduct and Gulfstream Park also contributed weekend spice.

The Road to the Roses

Disco Time overcame a sloppy track, an outside post position and a slow start to grab his third win without loss in Saturday's $350,000 Grade III Lecomte Stakes at Fair Grounds.

The Not This Time colt, a Juddmonte homebred from the Brad Cox barn, raced widest of all into the stretch, dueled with Gun Runner Stakes winner Built in the late going, exchanged the lead once and finally prevailed by a neck. With Florent Geroux up, he traversed 1 1/16 miles in 1:47.07.

Disco Time scored his first two victories at Churchill Downs, running on or near the lead throughout both.

"That wasn't the way we drew it up before the race," Geroux said of the Lecomte effort.

"For this horse and this point of his career, I thought it was a great steppingstone," Cox said. "The Risen Star in February at nine furlongs is the kind of race that can propel your forward."

The Lecomte win earned 20 points on the "Road to the Kentucky Derby," putting him in a four-way tie for second on the leaderboard. Citizen Bull clings to the lead with the 40 points earned by winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

Also in the 3-year-old ranks:

Saturday at Oaklawn Park, Kale's Angel eked out a narrow victory in the $150,000 Renaissance Stakes while cutting back to 6 furlongs after finishing third in the 1 1/16-mile Smarty Jones.

On Saturday night on the Turfway Park all-weather, Baby Max won $125,000 Leonatus Stakes by 2 1/2 lengths.

The Road to the Oaks

Simply Joking passed several important tasks for trainer Whit Beckman in Saturday's $150,000 Silverbulletday Stakes at Fair Grounds. The Practical Joke filly, making just her second start, successfully negotiated two turns for the first time and handled the sloppy track just fine as she led all the way to a 2 1/2-length win.

On Saturday at Aqueduct, Running Away ran away with the $125,000 Busanda Stakes. The Gun Runner filly, trained by Wesley Ward, led from the start and won by a comfortable 2 1/4 lengths over My Sheronna.

Santa Anita

Cavalieri battled into the stretch in Sunday's $100,000 Grade III La Canada Stakes for fillies and mares before asserting to score a 1/2-length victory over late-running Alpha Bella.

Cavalieri, a 4-year-old Nyquist filly, ran 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:44.15 with Juan Hernandez up for trainer Bob Baffert. She remains undefeated after three starts.

Toupie led all the way, most of it under pressure, in Sunday's $100,000 Las Cienegas Stakes for filly and mare turf sprinters and cleared in the stretch to win by 2 1/4 lengths.

The 4-year-old Uncle Mo filly, trained by Graham Motion, completed the 6 1/2-furlong trip down the hillside course in 1:12.97 with Flavien Prat aboard.

Fair Grounds

Saturday's stakes-loaded program was somewhat compromised by a sloppy track and off-the-turf racing. Still ...

Kavod, with Frankie Dettori up, kicked clear in the stretch to win the $100,000, off-the turf Duncan F. Kenner Stakes by 5 lengths from Over and Ollie.

The $100,000 Marie G. Krantz Stakes for fillies and mares also was moved off the turf, which was no problem for Stir Crazy, who dominated the stretch run on the way to a 5 3/4-length victory.

The $100,000 Colonel E.R. Bradley Stakes saw eight defections after a surface switch to the slop, leaving Gigante as the odds-on favorite. The 5-year-old Virginia-bred son of Not This Time did not disappoint, rallying from a pace-stalking trip to win by 1 3/4 lengths.

Hit Show rallied six-wide to challenge in the $175,000 Grade III Louisiana Stakes and got by pacesetting long shot Komorebino Omoide in the final sixteenth to win by 1 1/2 lengths.

Hit Show, a 5-year-old son of Candy Ride, ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.91 with Florent Geroux riding for trainer Brad Cox. It was his fourth win from his last five starts.

Oaklawn Park

Corningstone led all the way in Sunday's $150,000 Pippin Stakes for fillies and mares, turned back a challenge and won by 1 length over Indy Label.

Gulfstream Park

Ninja Star came with a late run to take Saturday's off-the-turf $75,000 Sunshine Turf by 1/2 length over Treasure King on the all-weather track. Damon's Mound duked it out with Comedy Town to take the $75,000 Sunshine Sprint by a neck. The 5-year-old son of Girvin ran 6 furlongs in 1:09.80 on the dirt course.

Laurel Park

Prince of Jericho had to battle for the lead in Saturday's $100,000 Fire Plug Stakes, then scooted off to a 2 3/4-length victory. Ms. Bucchero led most of the way in the $100,000 What a Summer Stakes for fillies and mares and held on at the end of the 6 furlongs to win by a nose.

Quint's Brew stalked the pace in Saturday's $75,000 Jennings Stakes for Maryland-breds, and then drew off to win by 6 lengths.

Call Another Play drove clear in the late going in the $75,000 Geisha Stakes for state-bred fillies and mares and won by 2 lengths.

Sunday's racing was called off because of the winter weather.

Around the world, around the clock

Hong Kong

Solid favorites won both Group1 features on the Sha Tin Racecourse program Sunday, with Ka Ying Rising's record performance in the Centenary Sprint Cup (G1) outshining Voyage Bubble' second straight win in the Stewards' Cup.

Blasting out of the outside gate, jockey Zac Purton quickly got Ka Ying Rising to the lead, never looked back and finished the 1,200 meters in 1:07.20, lowering the course record for the second time in his last three starts. Trainer David Hayes said he now is looking to the AUS$20 million Everest in October in Australia.

While Ka Ying Rising was cementing his status among the local sprinters, Voyage Bubble was doing the same among the milers.

After relaxing behind the leaders in the 1,600-meter Stewards' Cup, jockey James McDonald gave him the cue and he did the rest, jetting off to a 2-length score.

Now, trainer Rickey Yiu said he will give Voyage Bubble the chance to demonstrate some versatility on the Hong Kong Triple Crown trail.