At Aqueduct Racetrack in New York, Todd Pletcher's Verrazano, the 4-5 favorite kept his unbeaten streak alive with his most impressive score to date - a three quarters of a length win in the $1 million Grade 1 Wood Memorial.
Three year old Kentucky Derby hopefuls were featured in the $1 million Grade 1 Florida Derby this past Saturday - just one of two Derby qualification races on North American soil this weekend.
There were two huge Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifying races this past weekend in North America. The $1 million Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds Race Course handed out 100-40-20-10 points for its first through fourth place finishers this weekend to go along with the very nice purse.
The $300,000 Grade 2 Gulfstream Oaks on Saturday featured one of the biggest blow-outs in Thoroughbred racing in quite some time.
The second of two Kentucky Derby Championship Series races this weekend took place Sunday - New Mexico's richest race for thoroughbreds the $800,000 Grade 3 Sunland Derby at Sunland Park featured a field of nine.
In the $150,000 Grade 2 Santa Ana Stakes for older fillies and mares at Santa Anita on Sunday, 2-1 second choice Tiz Flirtatious earned her first ever graded stakes and second straight win overall with a one length victory over favorite and winner of the American Oaks and Del Mar Oaks Lady of Shamrock.
Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York hosted the $150,000 Grade 3 Excelsior Stakes on Saturday. Last Gunfighter won his fifth straight race at 3-1 odds after a troubled start by two lengths over Chad Brown trained 2-1 favorite Mordi's Miracle and Isn't Her Perfect who finished 7 1/2 lengths back in third.
The $150,000 Grade 2 Pan American Stakes at Gulfstream Park featured a World Record time for 1 1/2 miles on turf. It was fourth choice Twilight Eclipse at 5-1 odds that came up huge in winning by four lengths in a time of 2:22.63 for his second straight victory.
In the $100,000 Grade 3 Fathead Bourbonette Oaks for three-year-old fillies at Turfway Park on Saturday it was Todd Pletcher trained 9-1 third choice Silsita that edged long shot 31-1 shot Marathon Lady in a tight photo finish.
One of the two all-important Road to the Kentucky Derby points gathering races took place at Turfway Park on Saturday. Sterling Racing's Black Onyx put his name firmly on the Derby radar with an upset 1 1/2 length win at 15-1 odds for his first career stakes victory.