Horse Racing News on January 30, 2011

Elliott Burch, a Hall of Fame trainer who won the Belmont Stakes three times and hailed from a family of revered horsemen, died Sunday of complications from pneumonia in Newport Hospital in Rhode Island. He was 86.

Trainer Nick Zito didn't really want to do it, but his decision to bypass an allowance event nine days earlier for the $400,000 Holy Bull Stakes looks pretty good after the inexperienced Dialed In swept to an impressive win at Gulfstream Park Jan. 30.

Dancinginherdreams and R Heat Lightning had attracted all the pre-race publicity coming into Sunday's $200,000 Forward Gal Stakes at Gulfstream Park, but Pomeroys Pistol had a race over the track.

As dominant as she was in winning the Grade 1 La Brea in stakes record-time one month ago, Switch looked like a world-beater as she trounced her rivals in the $250,000 Santa Monica Handicap (Grade 1) Jan. 30 at cloudy Santa Anita Park.