Friday, September 26 2008

GIANT WRECKER HOPING TO “COME OF AGE” IN KELSO

When Giant Wrecker showed up in Anthony Dutrow’s barn this past April, the trainer could only shake his head in admiration. Still productive at age 6, the son of Giant’s Causeway also brought with him a zest for racing that remains unabated.

“He really enjoys being a racehorse,” said Dutrow of Giant Wrecker, who previously was trained by Mark Hennig. “He’s happy, man. He likes it. All of us horse people care about our horses as if they were our children, and when they’re around as long as he’s been, they become someone really special to their connections. A lot goes into planning their campaigns. Mark did a great job with him.”

JACKSON CURLIN FOR KIDS FUND TO DONATE $100,000 TO ANNA HOUSE

ELMONT, NEW YORK (September 26, 2008) -- Saturday morning, several hours before Stonestreet Stable’s defending Horse of the Year Curlin attempts to make history in the $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup, one of his owners, Barbara R. Banke, will deliver books and a check for $100,000 from “Jackson Curlin For Kids” to Anna House, Belmont Park’s on-track day care center for the children of backstretch workers at Belmont Park, Aqueduct Racetrack and Saratoga Race Course.

Banke and her husband, Jess Jackson, are the majority owners of Curlin, who will become the first American Thoroughbred to earn $10 million if he can win the 90th running of the prestigious Grade 1, 1¼-mile Jockey Club Gold Cup.

RACING CANCELLED AT BELMONT PARK TODAY

With Belmont Park hit with an inch and a half of rain overnight and the prediction that two more inches, accompanied by high winds, are on the way today, the New York Racing Association has cancelled today’s live racing program. Belmont Park will remain open for simulcast wagering and the NYRA Rewards account wagering Telebet option will be available as well.

Today’s cancellation will also enable NYRA to keep Belmont Park’s track and turf courses in the best condition possible for Saturday’s race card, which features five Grade 1 stakes, topped by the 90th running of the $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup. With a win in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, reigning Horse of the Year Curlin would become the first American thoroughbred to top $10 million in career earnings.

Monmouth Park Barn Notes for Friday, Sept. 26, 2008

PRAY FOR ACTION BRED PERFECTLY FOR MONMOUTH SUCCESS

OCEANPORT, N.J. * Pray for Action, who goes in the colt division of Saturday’s $200,000 NATC Futurity, has the right pedigree profile for success at Monmouth * A new policy regarding front shoes will be in place from the start of the Meadowlands meeting on Tuesday*Fan Appreciation Day this Sunday with free Grandstand, ½ price Clubhouse admission.

If you’ve always wanted to build the perfect racehorse for success at Monmouth, you can stop studying nicks and start eyeing a handsome gray colt named Pray for Action.

MEADOWLANDS MEET BEGINS WITH A BANG

A seven-week engagement of live thoroughbred racing kicks off Tuesday, Sept. 30 at the Meadowlands.

The 41-day meet runs through Saturday, Nov.15, with live racing six days a week. Post time is 1:10 p.m. Monday - Wednesday, and 7 p.m. Thursday - Saturday.

The $350,000 Grade II Meadowlands Cup on Friday, Oct. 3, headlines an action-packed opening week. Probable starters for the race include Belmont winner Da'Tara and 2007 Grade III Pegasus champion Actin Good. Trained by Bobby Dibona, Actin Good posted his first win in five starts this season in an allowance on Sept. 7 at Monmouth. Also expected to run are Shopton Lane, who swept the Formal Gold and Skip Away Stakes this year at Monmouth, and Indy Wind, two-time winner of the Alysheba Stakes at the Meadowlands.

2008 MARYLAND MILLION ATTRACTS 152 PRE-ENTRIES

LAUREL, MD. 09-26-08---A total of 152 horses, the offspring of Maryland stallions, have been pre-entered in the 12 races which comprise the 2008 Maryland Million. Maryland’s Day at the Races will be presented at Laurel Park next Saturday, October 4. First post is 12:15 p.m. The post position draw for the $1.68 million day will be held Wednesday, October 1.

A field of eight could compete in the $300,000 Maryland Million Classic including defending champion Evil Storm, multiple stakes winner Five Steps and Cuba, who finished third in the $500,000 Mass Cap last weekend.

Bowie-based Off The Glass looks to become the fifth three-time winner of a Maryland Million race- joining Docent, Countus In, Mz. Zill Bear and Safely Kept. The son of Press Card has won the $50,000 Maryland Million Starter Handicap in back-to-back years. A victory would boost the nine-year-olds career earnings over $400,000.

BOREL, HERO OF THE 2007 KENTUCKY DERBY, WILL RIDE AT GOLDEN GATE FIELDS SATURDAY

ALBANY -- Jockey Calvin Borel, who captured the 2007 Kentucky Derby with a masterful ride aboard Street Sense, will be at Golden Gate Fields Saturday to ride Delightful Kiss in the $200,000 All American Stakes.

Borel rallied Street Sense from 19th in a field of 20 to win the 133rd edition of the Run For The Roses by 2 1/4 lengths over Hard Spun. Often dubbed "Bo-Rail" for his penchant to ride the inner rail to victory, Borel had Street Sense in ground-saving position throughout his electrifying Derby run.

Borel's heroics in the Kentucky Derby earned him an invitation to the White House for a white-tie dinner honoring Queen Elizabeth, who had attended her first Derby.

Thursday, September 25 2008

Keeping them happy in advance of ‘Cup Day

FLORENCE, KY . . . September 25, 2008 . . . With the Kentucky Cup Day of Champions at Turfway Park just two days away, the time for race preparation is over. As trainer Larry Jones said, “Now is the time we just have to keep them happy.”

On Thursday morning Jones galloped all three of his entries for Saturday: Honest Man in the Kentucky Cup Classic, Maren’s Meadow in the Distaff, and Beyond Ready in the Sprint.

“They all came in well and ate well last night, so we got that off our [list of] things to worry about,” he said.

Turfway Park to honor Perfect Drift

FLORENCE, KY . . . September 25, 2008 . . . Multimillionaire Perfect Drift will return to Turfway Park one more time for congratulations and honors as he begins his retirement. A special celebration and ceremony is planned for Saturday, September 27, as part of festivities surrounding the Kentucky Cup Day of Champions.

Now nine years old, Perfect Drift was bred and campaigned throughout his career by Stonecrest Farm, the Kansas City, Mo., breeding and racing operation of Dr. William A. Reed, a cardiovascular surgeon who now chairs the Department of Cardiovascular Diseases at Kansas University Hospital in Kansas City, Ks.

“The whole family has enjoyed a wonderful experience with Perfect Drift for the past nine years,” said Dr. Reed, who will be on hand for the ceremony. “‘Drift was foaled in Kentucky but grew up here on our farm. This is just a new time in his life.”

STABLE NOTES, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25TH, 2008

SMITH SET TO RIDE HIGH SATURDAY WITH THREE GRADE I MOUNTS

Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith has seen plenty of big races in his day, but even he couldn’t contain his excitement over the record six Grade I stakes races being run Saturday at the Oak Tree meet at Santa Anita Park. Five are Breeders’ Cup Challenge “Win and You’re In” races, adding an even greater measure of fanfare to the big day.

“It’s a great day for racing,” Smith said. “But in saying that, they’re also major preps for the Breeders’ Cup. You want to perform well in them. It’s the last step before the Breeders’ Cup, so everything’s got to work out right.

AWAITING HISTORY IN THE JOCKEY CLUB GOLD CUP

Through history, the Thoroughbreds who became America’s leading money-earner rank amongst the greatest racehorses of all time, from Man o’War to Seabiscuit, Citation to Kelso, Alysheba to Cigar.

Saturday at Belmont Park, reigning Horse of the Year Curlin seeks to add his name atop that exclusive list and become American’s first $10 million horse in the 90th running of the Grade 1, $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup Invitational.

FILLIES LOOK TO GRAB A SHARE OF THE SPOTLIGHT ON SATURDAY

They’re fast. They’re determined. They’re gifted. And Saturday at Belmont Park, both Ginger Punch and Mauralakana (FR) take another step toward championship honors as the respective favorites in the Grade 1, $600,000 Beldame and the Grade 1, $600,000 Flower Bowl Invitational on the turf.

The nine-furlong Beldame (Race 6, 3:40 p.m.) and the Flower Bowl, at 1¼ miles (Race 7, 4:13 p.m.) are but two of five Grade 1 races on the day, headlined by the $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup, in which reigning Horse of the Year Curlin goes for a repeat victory and a chance to become the first American horse to break the $10 million barrier. Also on Saturday’s card are the $600,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational and the $400,000 Vosburgh at six furlongs.