Thursday, September 25 2008

Saturday’s Six Grade I Stakes Advance

ARCADIA, Calif. (Sept. 24, 2008) – Jerry and Ann Moss’s Zenyatta, racing’s paragon of perfection, and stablemate Tiago, defending champion in the $500,000 Goodwood Stakes, will be major players at Santa Anita on Saturday when the Oak Tree Racing Association presents an unprecedented six Grade I stakes races, each with Breeders’ Cup World Championship implications.

Unbeaten Zenyatta, the 4-year-old filly who has towered over her opposition in seven starts, will be a solid choice in the $250,000 Lady’s Secret Stakes at 1 1/16 miles, but could get her sternest test yet when facing Hystericalady, winner of three consecutive Grade II stakes by a combined 19½ lengths.

CALIFORNIA FLAG UPSETS IN MORVICH

ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) _ Santa Anita opened racing at its Oak Tree meeting Wednesday on a new synthetic surface that is being closely scrutinized leading up to next month's Breeders' Cup.

"Forget sigh," track president Ron Charles said at day's end. "This was a big `whew.'"

Having a successful month of racing going into the sport's richest two days could help attract reigning Horse of the Year Curlin to challenge Big Brown in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic.

ESPNEWS to Televise Saturday’s Jockey Club Gold Cup

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), in conjunction with the New York Racing Association (NYRA), announced today that this Saturday's Grade I, $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup from Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., will be televised live on ESPNEWS.

The Jockey Club Gold Cup features the race's defending champion, 2007 Horse of the Year Curlin. With a victory in the Gold Cup, Curlin would earn a winner's share of $450,000 and vault past Cigar as the leading North American-based earner in Thoroughbred racing history. Cigar retired in 1996 with a lifetime bankroll of $9,999,815. Curlin's career earnings currently stand at $9,796,800.

CHANGES AFOOT IN THE LAUREL PARK JOCKEY COLONY

LAUREL, MD. 09-24-08---The Laurel Park jocks room welcomed back a familiar face this afternoon but another well-known personality will be taking a hiatus for the balance of the year.

Erick Rodriguez, who missed four months after breaking two ribs and puncturing a lung in a spill at Pimlico, returned today with a pair of fifth place finishes (Rocco-third) and (June Tune-seventh).

“I feel really good and am ready to go,” said Rodriguez, who has been a top ten rider in Maryland since 2003. “My agent (Paul Plymire) and I are working hard in the morning going barn to barn and everybody seems happy to see me. Hopefully business will pick up quickly.”

Keeneland Catalogs Record 5,709 For November Breeding Stock Sale

Lexington, KY (September 24, 2008) – Keeneland announced today that it has cataloged a record 5,709 horses for its annual November Breeding Stock Sale, scheduled for November 3-17.

Catalogs for the November Sale – the largest Thoroughbred auction of its kind in the world – will be available on-line at Keeneland.com beginning Wednesday, October 1. Print catalogs will be mailed the week of October 13.

Sessions begin daily at 10 a.m. ET. Keeneland will provide live coverage of the entire 15-day sale on its website.

DELIGHTFUL KISS AMONG SEVEN ENTRANTS IN $200,000 ALL AMERICAN STAKES AT GGF

ALBANY -- Breeders' Cup bound Delightful Kiss will face six opponents Saturday at Golden Gate Fields in the $200,000 All American Stakes, the richest race of the fall season.

The Grade 3 All American will be run at 1 1/8-miles and Delightful Kiss is using the race as a prep for the $500,000 Breeders' Cup Marathon, a 1 1/2-mile contest that will have its inaugural running Oct. 25 at Santa Anita.

Delightful Kiss guaranteed himself a spot in the Breeders' Cup Marathon lineup by winning the Grade 3 Turfway Park Fall Championship on Sept. 6. A 1 1/2-mile race, the Fall Championship was a Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win And You're In" event.

Wednesday, September 24 2008

STABLE NOTES, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24TH, 2008

SOBERING RUN DUE FROM TRES BORRACHOS FOR SATURDAY’S GOODWOOD

Trainer Beau Greely feels good about Tres Borrachos for Saturday’s Grade I, $500,000 Goodwood Stakes. The trainer expects his horse to bounce back from an anomalous start in the Grade I Travers Stakes on Aug. 23, in which the 3-year-old son of Ecton Park finished 12th and last, beaten 16 ¼ lengths by victorious Colonel John.

“He broke well out of the gate and then just didn’t handle the surface for some reason,” Greely said of Tres Borrachos (“three drunks” in Spanish). “I talked to Tyler (Baze) after the race and he said it felt like he threw a shoe or two out there. The horse acted like he never ran.

ADGER, EVEN-MONEY CHOICE, WINS MONMOUTH FEATURE

OCEANPORT, N.J. * Mike Rutherford’s Adger, the even-money favorite, tracked the early speed into the turn, gained command in the stretch, and was ridden out to win the $40,000 allowance feature by a length at Monmouth on Wednesday.

Adger, trained by Steve Asmussen and ridden by Joe Bravo, stepped the six furlongs over a fast main track in 1:10 4/5, and paid $4, $3 and $2.20 across the board as the choice in a field of six 2-year-olds.

Monmouth Park Barn Notes for Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2008

GREAT PATRIOT GETS A CHANCE TO SHINE IN FUTURITY SATURDAY

OCEANPORT, N.J. * Trainer Tim Hills has a strong chance in Saturday’s NATC Futurity (Colt Division) with first-out winner Great Patriot * Chuck Lopez and Chris DeCarlo start off their comebacks with victories * Norman Pointer is back at Monmouth, as assistant to his son Tom.

One of the few true futurities left in the nation will be renewed at Monmouth on Saturday with the seventh running of the $200,000 Monmouth Park NATC Futurity, with separate divisions for colts and fillies.
The races, sponsored by the National Association of Two-Year-Old Consignors, are restricted to juveniles who were cataloged in 2008, and whose owners have paid all the fees.

Kentucky Cup Classic gains a probable starter; entries drawn Wednesday

FLORENCE, KY . . . September 23, 2008 . . . One day before entries will be drawn for the five stakes races that make up the Kentucky Cup Day of Champions, the fields continue to come together.

KENTUCKY CUP CLASSIC (G2)

Steve Asmussen, the nation’s leading trainer, expects to enter multiple graded stakes winner Zanjero in the Classic. After a difficult trip in the 2007 Kentucky Derby that left him 12th, Zanjero won the West Virginia Derby (G3) and the Indiana Derby (G2). He was second in the Texas Mile (G3) in April, his first start after a nearly six-month layoff, second again in the Lone Star Park Handicap, also Grade III, and fourth in the Cornhusker Handicap (G2) before winning his most recent race, the West Virginia Governor’s Handicap on August 2.

STABLE NOTES, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23RD, 2008

OAK TREE BEGINS 40TH MEET TOMORROW ON OPTIMISTIC NOTE

New meet. New track. New confidence.

That optimistic stance sums up the outlook of the Oak Tree Racing Association, which begins its 40th season Wednesday at Santa Anita and for the fourth time in its esteemed history will host the Breeders’ Cup World Championship races.

The 26-day Oak Tree meet will be highlighted by a record six Grade I Breeders’ Cup prep races on Saturday California Cup XIX on Oct. 5, and the Breeders’ Cup World Championships on Oct. 24 and 25.

“We’re very excited and honored to have the Breeders’ Cup here,” said Oak Tree Racing Secretary Rick Hammerle. “To have it here for two days just adds to the excitement, but the Oak Tree meet overall should bring great interest in its own right.

CURLIN ARRIVES AT BELMONT PARK

Stonestreet Stable’s Curlin, the defending Horse of the Year, arrived at Belmont Park Tuesday afternoon after a “very uneventful” van ride from Saratoga Race Course.

With a victory in Saturday’s 90th running of the Grade 1, $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup, the 4-year-old Smart Strike colt will become American racing’s all-time leading money winner and the first American Thoroughbred to reach $10 million in career earnings. The winner’s purse of the Jockey Club Gold Cup is $450,000.

Curlin arrived at Belmont Park at 1:15 p.m. and was in his barn 15 minutes later. After some time in his stall and one turn around the shedrow, he was given a bath. Playful in the autumn air, Curlin’s dappled chestnut body lit up underneath the September sun.