Horse Racing News by David Grening

Normally, a robbery in Manhattan isn't major news. The theft that took place in Saturday's Grade 1, $400,000 Manhattan Handicap at Belmont Park will certainly make headlines - at least in the racing world.

Back in New York, It's Tricky relished the rainy and muddy conditions at Belmont Park, upsetting the heavily favored Turbulent Descent by 3 3/4 lengths in Saturday's Grade 1, $300,000 Acorn Stakes for 3-year-old fillies.

Courageous Cat made a successful return to the races, overcoming slow early fractions and overpowering longshot pacesetter Yield Bogey with a furlong to run to take Friday's Grade 3, $100,000 Poker Stakes by 2 1/4 lengths at Belmont Park.

Like all horses when they are 3, Drosselmeyer only got one chance to run in the Belmont Stakes, and he made the most of it. But one year later, he still has the opportunity to run 1 1/2 miles at Belmont Park, and trainer Bill Mott has seized the moment.

Trainer Christophe Clement probably picked out Friday's Grade 3, $100,000 Poker Stakes at Belmont Poker as a way to ease his French-bred gelding Right One into North American graded stakes competition.

Hilda's Passion reasserted herself as one of the leaders of the filly and mare sprint division with an authoritative, front-running 5 1/4-length victory in Saturday's Grade 2, $150,000 Vagrancy Handicap at Belmont Park.

On a mostly bright, sun-splashed, and pleasant Wednesday morning in Saratoga, some horsemen couldn't help but wonder about the storm clouds hanging over trainer Richard Dutrow Jr.

Though Tizway earned a virtual all-expenses-paid trip to the $1 million Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile by virtue of his victory in Monday's Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park, his connections are inclined to aim a little higher.

As the only Grade 1 winner in the field, Hibaayeb was the class of the six fillies and mares entered in Saturday's $150,000 Sheepshead Bay Stakes at Belmont Park.

Tizway and Tackleberry may have been out of their comfort zones in distance, circumference, and surface last month when they chased a million-dollar pot in the 1 1/8-mile Charles Town Classic run around three turns over a sloppy track.