HORSE RACING ROUNDUP : Six Go Down, One Destroyed in Omaha

A spill took six horses out of the $75,000 Ak-Sar-Ben Oaks on Saturday in Omaha, and one horse had to be destroyed.

The spill, which sent three jockeys to the hospital, occurred about one-third of the way through the 1 1/16-mile race.

The Way It Is, a filly, was in the lead when she broke a front leg and fell. In the chain reaction that followed, horses and jockeys were sent sprawling onto the muddy track. Six of the 11 horses in the race didn’t finish.

Jockeys Perry Compton, Rob Williams and Sam Maple were taken to Omaha Bergan Mercy Hospital for observation. None appeared to be seriously hurt, an Ak-Sar-Ben spokeswoman said.

Three other riders walked back to the jockeys’ room and declined medical treatment.

Five of the horses were unharmed, but The Way It Is was humanely destroyed.

The spill overshadowed a victory by longshot Her Valentine. The filly, owned by Millard Seldin and trained by Hoss Inman of Lamar, Colo., won by 1 1/2 lengths under jockey Chris Valovich.

Her Valentine paid $83 to win and ran 1:47 3/5 for the 1 1/16 miles.

*

Hero’s Love, dawdling in last place early under jockey Earlie Fires, rallied in the stretch to win the $100,000 Modesty Stakes by three lengths at Arlington International Racecourse.

Villandry nipped favored Silvered for second in the 1 3/16 miles turf gallop for fillies and mares.

Hero’s Love, a 5-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Hero’s Honor, was timed in 1:55 1/5, earned $60,000 and paid $9.40.

*

Trampoli prevailed by a neck over Aquilegia to take the $100,000-added Sheepshead Bay Handicap at Belmont Park.

Under Mike Smith, Trampoli stalked the pace behind the slow fractions set by runner-up Aquilegia to cover 1 3/8 miles of turf in 2:14, returning $5.20.

*

Presidential Ball grabbed the lead just beyond the three-quarter pole and held off a late bid by Life Sign to win the $1,000,000 Meadowlands Pace by three-quarters of a length in East Rutherford, N.J.

Presidential Ball ran 1:50 to win his ninth consecutive outing. The $500,000 first prize boosted his earnings to $2,251,604. He paid $2.60 to win.

*

Armbro Mackintosh went three wide at the three-quarter pole to overtake Scootin Yankee and continued on to a 4 1/2-length victory in the $330,500 Sheppard Pace for 2-year-old colts at Yonkers Raceway in New York.

Armbro Mackintosh, driven by Jim Morrill Jr., was timed in 1:55 2/5 in winning for the second time in four starts. He earned $165,250, boosting his career earnings to $177,401, and returned $6.80 for a $2 wager.