Horse Racing News by Brisnet

Cristina's Journey successfully stretched out to 1 1/16 miles on Saturday and led every step of the way home in Churchill Downs' Grade 2, $231,000 Pocahontas Stakes.

As the first race in the "Road to the Kentucky Derby" scoring series, and a "Win & You're In" for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, Saturday's Grade 3, $115,500 Iroquois Stakes featured several promising two-year-olds at Churchill Downs.

Vicar's in Trouble, who captured the Louisiana Derby and Lecomte at Fair Grounds last winter by a combined margin of 10 ¼ lengths, returns to his home state Saturday as the one to catch in the Grade 2, $400,000 Super Derby at Louisiana Downs.

Unheralded as the 17-1 second longest shot on the board, Dye and Venneri Racing's homebred Midnight Storm quickly made an impression with a 3 1/4-length wire job in his stakes debut in Sunday's Grade 2, $300,750 Del Mar Derby.

Two-time defending champion Obviously was hammered into 2-5 favoritism in Sunday's Grade 2, $250,500 Del Mar Mile Handicap.

W. C. Racing's Goldencents blazed a path on the front end of Sunday's Grade 2, $250,500 Pat O'Brien at Del Mar and pulled away in the lane to be 4 1/4 lengths clear of 3-2 defending champion Fed Biz on the wire.

Shared Belief recorded his sixth victory from as many career starts while facing his sternest test to date -- Sunday's Grade 1, $1,001,250 Pacific Classic going 1 1/4 miles against older, more experienced runners.

One week after Hardest Core won the Arlington Million, another son of Hard Spun locked up a spot in the Breeders' Cup Turf -- Big John B, who turned Saturday's Grade 2, $201,250 Del Mar Handicap into a rout.

Phipps Stable's homebred Abaco came all the way from last to get up by a neck in Saturday's Grade 2, $250,000 Ballston Spa Stakes at Saratoga.

A quartet of Grade 1 winners will square off in Saturday's 145th running of the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course.