Horse Racing News on October 15, 2011

In the days leading up to Saturday's $150,000 Oak Tree Derby at Santa Anita, trainer Mike Pender said that his longshot Ultimate Eagle had "a bolt of confidence" from two consecutive wins at Del Mar.

Heavy choice Willcox Inn cut the final corner expertly for jockey Robby Albarado and sprinted away from his rivals in the stretch to win the $200,000 Hawthorne Derby by 4 1/2 lengths Oct. 15 at Hawthorne Racecourse.

Jockey Eddie Castro was conscious, in stable condition, and able to move his extremities following a spill in the fourth race at Belmont Park Oct. 15.

Coolmore's outstanding sire Galileo scored a transatlantic double-header on Saturday, with his progeny winning different runnings of races named in honor of Queen Elizabeth II.

Denomination came back strong off the 4 1/2-month freshening in Saturday's $100,000 Athenia Handicap at Belmont Park, rallying to a 2 3/4-length decision on the yielding turf.

Mad Flatter didn't run off as convincingly as last year, but he comfortably held Mambo Meister at bay to repeat in Saturday's Grade 3 Spend a Buck Handicap on the Festival of the Sun program at Calder.