Sleep Tight finished a nose in front of Unusual Spirit and survived a stewards inquiry Friday for her third victory in a row.

Santa Anita stewards reviewed contact between Sleep Tight and Sayit after Sleep Tight drifted out just inside the 16th pole, but they determined that the order of finish was not affected. Sayit finished fourth, behind wagering favorite Masterful Miss.

Michael Baze rode Sleep Tight in the 6-furlong test for fillies and mares.

The winner finished in 1:16.10 and paid $11.20, $5.40 and $3.20. Unusual Spirit returned $4 and $2.80, and Masterful Miss paid $2.40 to show.

A 4-year-old Florida-bred daughter of Exchange Rate, Sleep Tight has raced only four times, finishing second in her debut.

Awesome Ashley rallied to beat Distorted Passion by 1 1/2 lengths Friday in the $66,150 Feel the Beat Stakes for fillies and mares at Aqueduct.

Jammed along the inside in the early stages, Awesome Ashley shook loose in the upper stretch to secure her fifth win in 19 starts. Rosie Napravnik was aboard for trainer Todd Pletcher as the gray 5-year-old ran the six furlongs in 1:10.64 on the fast track.

Awesome Ashley paid $9.80, $4.40 and $2.90. Distorted Passion returned $3.50 and $2.20. Awesome Chic earned $4.60 to show.

Rick Dutrow licked an ice cream cone while watching a race at Gulfstream Park, blending with the horseplayers around him. There was none of the pressure trainers like Dutrow cravethat Kentucky Derby rush.

That may change Saturday.

Dutrow, who won the Derby and the Preakness last year with Big Brown, is set for another Triple Crown trek. Hell send This Ones for Phil to the post Saturday in the Fountain of Youth, a $250,000 Grade 2 race where the winner almost certainly will be considered a serious Derby contender.

Its an exciting time of year, Dutrow said, if youve got a horse that can run.

Dutrow should know if This Ones for Phil fits that billing by sundown Saturday.

This Ones for Phil, who comes in off a win in the Sunshine Millions Dash at six furlongs, is the 3-1 morning line favorite.

Hes won only three of his nine career starts, but is 1-for-1 when going a mile, the Fountain of Youths distance. Maybe most important, hes also 1-for-1 since being added to Dutrows barn.

Hes shown up against nice horses before, but he really loves this track, Dutrow said. Hes been training lights-out over it. That has to help. We know that were going to run good, but were going up against solid horses.

It does seem to be a daunting field.

Notonthesamepage is coming off an eight-length romp eight weeks ago. Capt. Candyman Can has won three of his five starts, including the Grade 2 Hutcheson Stakes at Gulfstream last month. Beethoven had won three of his previous four outings before a bad trip doomed him to a fourth-place showing in the Grade 3 Holy Bull last month, a race thats one furlong longer than the Fountain of Youth.

This is a big race for a bunch of these horses in here, Dutrow said. Whoever shows up at the end is going to be live on the Derby trail, because this is a tough spot. Im not really worried about the distance. Im worried about the competition.

Capt. Candyman Can trainer Ian Wilkes said the mile makes sense, with the Derby still more than two months away. The Fountain of Youth has been run at 1 1-8 miles in some years, and if that was the case this time, Wilkes said his colt would remain in the barn Saturday.

Its shaped up nicely for us to make a serious run, Wilkes said.

A year ago at this time, Big Brown started making his serious run. It was March 5, Dutrow remembered, when Big Brown put together a huge win at Gulfstream to get on that Triple Crown trail. His quest for history ended in the Belmont, when a hoof injury and loose shoe seemed to remove any chance of winning before the race even started.

Big Browns retired now, and Dutrow says he no longer dwells on what might have been.

It just didnt work out that one day, Dutrow said. Weve got nothing to look back on but good things.

Hes hoping This Ones for Phil gives him more of the same.

The gelding will start from the outside of the field, a spot Dutrow wanted. And its been lucky for him in the past, too: Big Brown was on the far outside at the start of wins last year not only at Gulfstream, but in the Kentucky Derby as well.

Maybe that outside karma will work again.

We wont have to move until we want to, Dutrow said. Its a long straightaway to the first turn here. We can sit out there, sitting, waiting to see how things unfold. So were very comfortable with that.

Malibu Moonshine charged home to beat Take the Bluff by three quarters of a length Thursday in the $48,000 allowance feature at Aqueduct.

Last in the six-horse field at the top of the stretch, Malibu Moonshine swung wide with Channing Hill aboard to earn his 11th win in 46 starts. The 7-year-old trained by Gary Contessa ran the one mile in 1:38.28 on the fast track.

Malibu Moonshine paid $8.50, $3.60 and $2.80. Take the Bluff, the 6-5 favorite, returned $2.70 and $2.10. Like Now paid $2.70 to show.

You Got Me Rocking defeated Icemancometh by 4 lengths to win Thursdays $56,800 Yosemite Purse at Santa Anita.

Ridden by Tyler Baze, You Got Me Rocking covered 1 1-8 miles on the turf in 1:11.35 and paid $16, $8 and $8.

Ireland-bred Icemancometh returned $8 and $7, while Slam Dunk was another head back in third and paid $7.60 to show.

You Got Me Rocking, a 5-year-old gray gelding, is owned by Oscar-winning composer Burt Bacharach and his wife Jane. It was the horses first win for trainer Mike Mitchell after losing in three graded stakes races and finishing second in another race.

The victory, worth $33,600, increased You Got Me Rockings career earnings to $141,710, with three wins in 15 starts.

Platinum Couple made a successful comeback Wednesday, rallying from last in a nine-horse field to beat Please Impress by a half-length in the $45,000 allowance feature at Aqueduct.

Making his first start in over a year, Platinum Couple surged down the center of the track to earn his fourth win in 22 starts. Jorge Chavez was aboard for trainer Joe Lostritto as the 6-year-old gray gelding ran the six furlongs on the fast track in 1:11.01.

Platinum Couple paid $32, $11.60 and $6.40. Please Impress returned $5.50 and $3.70. Baxter paid $6.20 to show.

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Air Fair wins at Santa Anita

Air Fair defeated Play Nine by 1 3/4 lengths to win Wednesdays $49,600 Palm Springs Purse for 3-year-old fillies at Santa Anita.

Ridden by Joel Rosario and making her debut on the turf, Air Fair covered 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:14.32 and paid $12, $6.20 and $5.20.

Play Nine returned $13 and $7.20, while Waddup G was another nose back in third and paid $5.80 to show.

The victory, worth $65,440, increased Air Fairs career earnings to $28,800.

Capt Candyman Can will be looking to sweeten his chances for a trip to the Kentucky Derby when the 3-year-old gelding takes on 11 rivals in Saturdays Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

Trained by Ian Wilkes, Capt. Candyman Can comes into the 1-mile Fountain of Youth off last months victory in the Hutcheson Stakes. This time, an even tougher field awaits following Wednesdays post position draw.

Hutcheson runner-up Hello Broadway is be back for another chance, along with several stakes winners including Beethoven, Notonthesamepage, Taqarub and This Ones for Phil.

Beethoven, winner of the Kentucky Jockey Club as a 2-year-old, attempts to rebound from a fourth-place finish in the Holy Bull at Gulfstream on Jan. 30.

Also entered were Bee Cee Cee, Theregoesjojo, Take the Points, Jack Spratt, Rocketing Returns, Break Water Edison and Quality Road.

Capt. Candyman Can drew the No. 9 post and will be ridden by Julien Leparoux.

Its shaped up nicely for us to make a serious run in the Fountain of Youth, Wilkes said. I expect him to run well no matter the circumstances.

Named for Sammy Davis Jr.s 1971 song The Candy Man by co-owner Dr. Joseph Rauch, Capt. Candyman Can broke his maiden by 7 lengths at Saratoga last year and has won three of five starts for earnings of $211,645.

Notonthesamepage, Taqarub and This Ones for Phil already have victories this year: Notonthesamepage took the Spectacular Bid at Gulfstream; Taqarub the Jimmy Winkfield at Aqueduct; and This Ones for Phil the Sunshine Millions Dash at Gulfstream.

The Grade 2 $250,000 Fountain of Youth is a prep for the $1 million Florida Derby on March 28. The Kentucky Derby is May 2.

Bob Baffert and two champion horses he trained are among the 11 finalists for election to the National Museum of Racings Hall of Fame.

The other finalists announced Wednesday are the Baffert-trained Point Given and Silverbulletday; jockeys Eddie Maple, Randy Romero and Alex Solis; trainer Robert Wheeler; and Open Mind, Sky Beauty, Best Pal and Tiznow.

Next month, the halls voting panel will select one name in each of four categories: contemporary female horses, contemporary male horses, jockeys and trainers. The candidate with the highest number of votes in their category will be inducted. Inductees will be announced in late April.

Induction ceremonies are Aug. 14 at the Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs.

Baffert becomes a finalist in the first year he was listed on the ballot by the halls nominating committee, although he was technically eligible the past two years. He trained his first thoroughbred in 1979, but there were several years he did not have any thoroughbreds.

Trainers must be licensed and actively involved with thoroughbreds for 25 years or have been retired for a minimum of five years to be eligible for the hall.

Baffert won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness with Silver Charm, Real Quiet and War Emblem, but failed to complete the Triple Crown sweep in the Belmont Stakes each time. He trained 10 champions, including 2001 Horse of the Year Point Given, who won the Preakness and the Belmont.

Maple and Romero each rode more than 4,000 winners. Maple had two Belmont wins among his victories, while Romero won riding titles at 10 different tracks. Solis has won more than 4,600 races, including the 1986 Preakness with Snow Chief.

Wheeler, who died in 1992, trained 56 stakes winners, including Silver Spoon, the co-champion 3-year-old filly of 1959.

A return to sprinting returned Selva to the winner’s circle, as the talented 3-year-old filly won the Mardi Gras Stakes on Tuesday at Fair Grounds by 1 3/4 lengths over her stablemate Fleet Streak.
Selva won the first three starts of her career, all sprints, scoring an 18-1 debut upset at Saratoga before capturing the Sorority at Monmouth and the Glorious Song at Woodbine. And while Selva did not disgrace herself in the Tiffany Lass Stakes last month at Fair Grounds, she did suffer her first defeat, finishing second after setting a strong pace in a two-turn mile.

The Mardi Gras was Selva’s turf debut, but at 5 1/2 furlongs, the distance suited her. Into the bit from the start under Robby Albarado, Selva disputed an opening quarter-mile on firm turf in 22.13 seconds, then pulled easily away from pace rival Queen Ernestine around the turn, getting her half-mile in 46.60 seconds. Canadian Frontier made a run at Selva at the quarter pole, nearly drawing even as the field straightened into the stretch. But as Canadian Frontier flattened out, Selva strode out, pulling away in the final furlong to win comfortably for trainer David Carroll and owners Helen Alexander and Helen Groves.

The Carroll-trained second-time starter Fleet Streak rallied from well behind to nip Canadian Frontier for the place.

Selva, the strong favorite, paid just $3.80 to win. She was timed in 1:04.63.

British horse racing should brace itself for a 40 percent drop in sponsorship during the recession, a senior executive has warned.

David Thorpe, chairman of the Racecourse Association, described the diminishing interest of big-money backers as very serious.

The economic situation is working against us but the racecourses arent going to take it lying down, Thorpe told the British Horseracing conference Monday. They have to be creative and innovative with their sponsorship but it is a circular argument in that we have tohave toget the broadcast and terrestrial television rights to make it attractive.

Over the last four years, sponsors contribution to prize money has slumped by more than $4.4 million, according to the British Horseracing Authoritys annual report.

BHA chairman Paul Roy said Britain is experiencing the scariest economic recession in our lifetime.

No one knows how long this will last but markets will almost certainly not recover until banks worldwide get properly recapitalized and are stable enough to return confidence to the system.