Blind Luck

For the fourth consecutive year, the $250,000 Grade I Vanity Handicap was won by a horse that came from last place. Except this time, it was Blind Luck taking over for retired Zenyatta with a rousing stretch run under Garrett Gomez on Saturday at Hollywood Park. Blind Luck, last year's 3-year-old filly Eclipse Award winner, defeated Switch by half a length, overcoming a slow pace to win the 11/8 -mile race that brought together the top older horses in the female division. Miss Match was third.

Everything pointed toward Include Me Out joining the likes of Zenyatta, Blind Luck and Azeri as a winner of the Grade I $250,000 Vanity Handicap. Sent off as the 3-5 favorite on Saturday at Betfair Hollywood Park, Include Me Out easily took the lead entering the stretch in the 1 1/8-mile race and seemed to be cruising to victory in mid-stretch. And that might have been the big problem. She offered little resistance when 18-1 longshot Love Theway Youare and jockey Garrett Gomez came charging and pulled away for a 2 1/2-length victory.

At first glance, the story of Whitney Houston's success looks familiar: A new artist becomes phenomenally popular, sells millions of records and becomes a media sensation. We've seen it happen in recent years with Culture Club, Cyndi Lauper and Madonna. But Houston, 22, daughter of gospel singer Cissy Houston, stands apart from those flashy, rock-oriented hotshots. Houston is a traditional vocalist, blending familiar elements of pop, R&B and adult contemporary music.

Tiger Woods is out of the top 50 in the world golf rankings for the first time in nearly 15 years. Woods, who hasn't won in nearly two years, was assured of dropping from the top 50 when Louis Oosthuizen finished in a three-way tie for fifth in the Dunhill Links Championship on Sunday at St. Andrews, Scotland. That ends a streak of 778 consecutive weeks inside the top 50, dating to when Woods was No. 61 on Oct. 13, 1996. Woods, who has not played since missing the cut at the PGA Championship, returns to competition this week at the Frys.com Open at CordeValle in Northern California.

Burk's Charger veered wildly in a race at Pimlico this month not because he was careless or clumsy or common. No, a veterinary specialist said, the horse smashed into the inside rail because he didn't know it was there. Seth A. Koch was blunt with his diagnosis: Burk's Charger is blind and has been for some time. Burk's Charger became a winner in his fifth start, in February, and followed that with a first- and second-place finish.

It's a big weekend for racing at Hollywood Park, starting with the turf debut by Santa Anita Derby winner Midnight Interlude on Friday night in the $70,000 Tsunami Slew Stakes at one mile. On Saturday, the championship race for older females takes place. There's no Zenyatta, but the $250,000 Grade I Vanity Handicap features Blind Luck, Switch and St Trinians among a strong field of six fillies and mares entered to race at 11/8 miles. Midnight Interlude, trained by Bob Baffert, didn't do well on the dirt track at Churchill Downs, finishing 16th in the Kentucky Derby, then 13th in the Preakness at Pimlico.

Reporting from Louisville, Ky. ? On opening day of Breeders' Cup race weekend, which turned out to be a graveyard for favorites, they sprinkled in a little boxing with the horse racing. Jockey Calvin Borel did his Manny Pacquiao impression Friday, but with vastly poorer results. Borel, famous for winning three recent Kentucky Derbies here at Churchill Downs, including this year's aboard Super Saver and his fabled rail dash through the mud from nowhere in 2009 aboard Mine That Bird, got into a bumping match with Javier Castellano aboard Prince Will I Am in the opening Breeders' Cup Marathon.

The Breeders' Cup is a year away from returning to Santa Anita, but four Grade I stakes worth $250,000 each and filled with some of the classiest horses in America made Saturday's 11-race program almost a dress rehearsal for 2012. When the dust had settled, the West Coast had found its top contender for next year's Kentucky Derby in Creative Cause, a 2-year-old son of Giant's Causeway who ran away from 3-5 favorite Drill to win the 1 1/16-mile Norfolk Stakes by 3 1/4 lengths under jockey Joel Rosario.

If your prevailing image of thoroughbred racing in Southern California is a Thursday afternoon at Hollywood Park, when the empty seats outnumber the live bodies by about 30,000, then be open to another look. It is August at Del Mar. It is also five days to the Pacific Classic. There used to be several million-dollar thoroughbred races in Southern California. Now, there are only the Santa Anita Derby and the Pacific Classic. Although the Santa Anita Handicap and the Hollywood Gold Cup are competitive counterparts, there is something fitting about the Pacific Classic being one of two remaining big guys, at least dollar-wise.

Tiger Woods is out of the top 50 in the world golf rankings for the first time in nearly 15 years. Woods, who hasn't won in nearly two years, was assured of dropping from the top 50 when Louis Oosthuizen finished in a three-way tie for fifth in the Dunhill Links Championship on Sunday at St. Andrews, Scotland. That ends a streak of 778 consecutive weeks inside the top 50, dating to when Woods was No. 61 on Oct. 13, 1996. Woods, who has not played since missing the cut at the PGA Championship, returns to competition this week at the Frys.com Open at CordeValle in Northern California.

The Breeders' Cup is a year away from returning to Santa Anita, but four Grade I stakes worth $250,000 each and filled with some of the classiest horses in America made Saturday's 11-race program almost a dress rehearsal for 2012. When the dust had settled, the West Coast had found its top contender for next year's Kentucky Derby in Creative Cause, a 2-year-old son of Giant's Causeway who ran away from 3-5 favorite Drill to win the 1 1/16-mile Norfolk Stakes by 3 1/4 lengths under jockey Joel Rosario.

If your prevailing image of thoroughbred racing in Southern California is a Thursday afternoon at Hollywood Park, when the empty seats outnumber the live bodies by about 30,000, then be open to another look. It is August at Del Mar. It is also five days to the Pacific Classic. There used to be several million-dollar thoroughbred races in Southern California. Now, there are only the Santa Anita Derby and the Pacific Classic. Although the Santa Anita Handicap and the Hollywood Gold Cup are competitive counterparts, there is something fitting about the Pacific Classic being one of two remaining big guys, at least dollar-wise.

For the fourth consecutive year, the $250,000 Grade I Vanity Handicap was won by a horse that came from last place. Except this time, it was Blind Luck taking over for retired Zenyatta with a rousing stretch run under Garrett Gomez on Saturday at Hollywood Park. Blind Luck, last year's 3-year-old filly Eclipse Award winner, defeated Switch by half a length, overcoming a slow pace to win the 11/8 -mile race that brought together the top older horses in the female division. Miss Match was third.

It's a big weekend for racing at Hollywood Park, starting with the turf debut by Santa Anita Derby winner Midnight Interlude on Friday night in the $70,000 Tsunami Slew Stakes at one mile. On Saturday, the championship race for older females takes place. There's no Zenyatta, but the $250,000 Grade I Vanity Handicap features Blind Luck, Switch and St Trinians among a strong field of six fillies and mares entered to race at 11/8 miles. Midnight Interlude, trained by Bob Baffert, didn't do well on the dirt track at Churchill Downs, finishing 16th in the Kentucky Derby, then 13th in the Preakness at Pimlico.

Reporting from Louisville, Ky. ? On opening day of Breeders' Cup race weekend, which turned out to be a graveyard for favorites, they sprinkled in a little boxing with the horse racing. Jockey Calvin Borel did his Manny Pacquiao impression Friday, but with vastly poorer results. Borel, famous for winning three recent Kentucky Derbies here at Churchill Downs, including this year's aboard Super Saver and his fabled rail dash through the mud from nowhere in 2009 aboard Mine That Bird, got into a bumping match with Javier Castellano aboard Prince Will I Am in the opening Breeders' Cup Marathon.

Tom Braly Insurance executive and racehorse breeder Tom Braly, 72, who parlayed success in his insurance business into ownership of thoroughbred horses, notably the 3-year-old filly Evening Jewel, died Friday at his home in Indian Wells, said his trainer and business partner, Jim Cassidy. Braly died after a battle with head and neck cancer, seven years after he was diagnosed with leukemia. He watched Evening Jewel's latest victory Aug. 21 in the $300,000 Del Mar Oaks, a Grade I stakes race at Del Mar's summer racing meet.

Everything pointed toward Include Me Out joining the likes of Zenyatta, Blind Luck and Azeri as a winner of the Grade I $250,000 Vanity Handicap. Sent off as the 3-5 favorite on Saturday at Betfair Hollywood Park, Include Me Out easily took the lead entering the stretch in the 1 1/8-mile race and seemed to be cruising to victory in mid-stretch. And that might have been the big problem. She offered little resistance when 18-1 longshot Love Theway Youare and jockey Garrett Gomez came charging and pulled away for a 2 1/2-length victory.

Evening Jewel is a 3-year-old filly with a fast turn of foot, a competitive spirit and a calling in life that she cannot comprehend. She is keeping Tom Braly alive. Evening Jewel is a world-class thoroughbred. On April 30, she lost the most prestigious 3-year-old filly race held each year, the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs, by a fraction of a nostril. She has started nine times, was sixth in her first race and has been first three times and second five times since. Braly is 72 years old. In his heart, he is a sportswriter.

Evening Jewel is a 3-year-old filly with a fast turn of foot, a competitive spirit and a calling in life that she cannot comprehend. She is keeping Tom Braly alive. Evening Jewel is a world-class thoroughbred. On April 30, she lost the most prestigious 3-year-old filly race held each year, the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs, by a fraction of a nostril. She has started nine times, was sixth in her first race and has been first three times and second five times since. Braly is 72 years old. In his heart, he is a sportswriter.

Rallying from last place, the odds-on favorite Blind Luck was able to stick her nose in front at the finish to win Saturday's Grade I, $250,000 Las Virgenes Stakes over hard-luck loser Evening Jewel on a cloudless, picturesque day at Santa Anita. "One centimeter is good for me," trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said of his 3-year-old filly, who was runner-up for the 2009 Eclipse Award for juvenile fillies. It was an impressive victory in a field of five as Blind Luck fell behind by ninth lengths.