Horse Racing News on April 16, 2011

A wide trip, sloppy track, and nine accomplished opponents were no obstacles for Duke of Mischief, who made a long, sustained bid under Joe Bravo to win Saturday night's Grade 3, $1 million Charles Town Classic by 2 1/4 lengths.

Archarcharch rallied from off the pace and held off a late threat from Nehro to win Saturday's $1 million Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park.

John Shear, Santa Anita's 90-year-old paddock guard who was gravely injured while protecting a 6-year-old girl from a runaway horse last month, was released from Huntington Memorial Hospital April 16.

Brilliant Speed, rallying down the center of the track under Joel Rosario, got up in the final stride to edge Twinspired by a nose in Saturday's Grade 1, $750,000 Toyota Bluegrass Stakes at Keeneland.

Team Block's Never Retreat, coming off her first graded coup in the March 5 Grade 3 Honey Fox at Gulfstream Park, made it a double against a considerably higher-caliber of opposition in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Jenny Wiley at Keeneland.

Aikenite rallied to the lead in deep stretch and drew clear to a 2 1/4-length decision in Saturday's Grade 2 Commonwealth.

Nicole H returned from her winter break as good if not better than she went into it, sailing through the wind and rain at Aqueduct to take Saturday's Grade 2, $150,000 Distaff Handicap by 2 1/2 lengths.

Odds-on choice Regally Ready set a blazing pace coming down the Santa Anita hillside turf course, staving off the fast-closing Camp Victory by a nose for his first graded stakes win in the $100,000 San Simeon Handicap April 16.