Horse Racing News on April 9, 2011

Midnight Interlude, who only beat maidens on March 20 in his third career start, pulled a 13-1 upset in Saturday's $1 million Santa Anita Derby, catching pacesetter Comma to the Top in the final 50 yards.

Pace makes Win Willy's race, and when his trainer, Mac Robertson, saw the fractional time for the opening half-mile of the Grade 2, $350,000 Oaklawn Handicap, it made his day.

In the case of Liberian Freighter on Saturday, good things came to those who waited, and waited, and waited some more.

Trainer Todd Pletcher won a Kentucky Derby prep race Saturday. It just wasn't the one everyone expected.

Toby's Corner split horses inside the eighth pole and outfinished 20-1 Arthur's Tale to win the $1,000,000 Wood Memorial by a neck, as 1-9 favorite Uncle Mo faded late to wind up third after setting the pace.

Lilacs and Lace rebounded from a 12-length defeat in a lesser race just two weeks beforehand to stun some of the best 3-year-old fillies in North America with a 48-1 upset Saturday in the 74th running of the Grade 1, $400,000 Ashland Stakes at Keeneland.

Morning Line, who was denied in a heartbreaker in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile last November, broke through with his first top-level victory in Saturday's Grade 1, $250,000 Carter Handicap at Aqueduct.

Upstart Separate Forest opened a substantial lead in her stakes debut and refused to give way to heavy favorite Unzip Me to win the Grade 3, $100,000 Las Cienegas Stakes by a neck on the hillside turf course at Santa Anita April 9.

Benefitting from a ground-saving trip and a patient ride from Luis Saez, Hot Summer slid through an opening along the rail in upper stretch and drew off to a victory in Saturday's Grade 3, $150,000 Comely Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Aqueduct.