Friday, August 22 2008

BREEDERS’ CUP ESTABLISHES ALSO-ELIGIBLE RULE FOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS RACES

LEXINGTON, Ky. (August 22, 2008) – The Breeders’ Cup announced today that, for the first time, also eligible horses will be designated following the close of entries for all oversubscribed races at the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Oct. 24-25 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. An oversubscribed race is one in which there are more than 14 horses (or 12 in three instances) entered to participate.

There will be a maximum of two also-eligible horses for each Breeders’ Cup World Championships race that is oversubscribed. There are 14 Breeders’ Cup races held over the two days of the Championships. Eleven Championship races are limited to 14 horses per race. Three races are limited to 12 horses: the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and the Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

SARATOGA NOTES, FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2008

The 139th running of the Grade 1, $1 million Travers Stakes presented by Shadwell Farm will be the 11th race (5:45 p.m., ESPN) on Saturday’s 12-race card that begins at noon. Saratoga Race Course will open its gates at 7 a.m., and the last race will go to post at 6:20 p.m.

The Travers will cap a $1 million guaranteed all-stakes Pick 4 that will begin in race 8 with the Grade 3 Victory Ride (4:03 p.m.), and follow with the Grade 2 Bernard Baruch Handicap (race 9, 4:38 p.m.), the Grade 1 King’s Bishop (race 10, 5:10 p.m.) and the Travers.

HARLEQUIN SKY CAPTURES FEATURE AT MONMOUTH

OCEANPORT, N.J. * Madara Racing’s Harlequin Sky engaged the leader in midstretch and then drew off to win the $40,000 allowance feature by nearly a length at Monmouth Park on Friday.

The winner, trained by Alan Seewald and ridden by Eddie Castro, raced the mile and a sixteenth over a fast main track in 1:46 flat and paid $9, $2.60 and $2.10 across as second choice in the field of five.

Arlington Park Barn Notes: Fri. Aug. 22

MR. NIGHTLINGER’S MARTINS MAY GET ANOTHER CHANCE AT BC

Saturday’s $200,000 Arlington Sprint favorite Mr. Nightlinger has rolled off four straight wins since finding a home sprinting on grass, and should he add a fifth to that total in this weekend’s Chicago feature, the 4-year-old son of Indian Charlie will be pointed to Santa Anita’s inaugural Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint in late October.

That would give William and Stephanie Martin, who own Mr. Nightlinger in partnership with Carl Moore Management, another chance at a goal that eluded them last year.

WAIT A WHILE WORTH THE WAIT IN BALLSTON SPA

Arindel Farm’s five-year-old gray mare Wait a While showed Saratoga Race Course fans she is what she used to be Thursday afternoon, kicking clear in the stretch to post a repeat victory in the 20th edition of the Grade 2, $200,000 Ballston Spa Handicap on the turf.

Reunited with jockey John Velazquez, Wait a While raced just off the rail in second as Sharp Susan led the field of five fillies and mares through fractions of 23.93, 47.08 and 1:10.39 over a firm Mellon Turf Course, with the portable rail out 18 feet. Moving up on the turn, Wait a While eagerly took command straightening for home and had plenty left to hold off 10-1 shot Carriage Trail for the one-length victory.

PIMENTEL CAPTURES LAUREL PARK SUMMER RIDING TITLE

LAUREL, MD. 08-21-08---The 10-day Laurel Park summer meeting ended this evening with Julian Pimentel, Gary Capuano and Sondra Bender capturing individual titles. Live racing shifts to Timonium tomorrow for the seven-day state fair meet.

Pimentel won his first career title in Maryland in consistent fashion winning eight races, one more than Eric Camacho. After five years as one of the top riders on the New Jersey circuit, the now 27-year-old moved his tack to Maryland during the summer of 2006.

RENEGADE RUBY WINS DEL MAR FEATURE

Mercedes Stable's Renegade Ruby, the 3-2 favorite under jockey Tyler Baze, gamely withstood the late challenge of strongly-supported Brendolyn to win Thursday's feature, a one-mile event over the infield grass course.

Renegade Ruby took charge in the stretch and appeared en route to a clear victory until Brendolyn rallied late to get within a head of the winner at the wire. Silver Moonshine was third, 2 1/2 lengths back of the runner-up and a nose in front of Rosangela in the field of seven older fillies and mares.

Thursday, August 21 2008

Ian Black duo ready to deliver in Belle Geste

TORONTO, August 21 * Conditioner Ian Black will saddle a pair of four-year-old fillies, Glitter Rox and Prophetically, in Sunday's $100,000 Belle Geste Stakes, at Woodbine.

Glitter Rox, a bay daughter of Glitterman and Prophetically, a dark bay daughter of Pulpit, have established themselves as legitimate contenders in the seven-furlong turf event.

Black will have more girl power in the form of his riders.

Del Mar Stable Notes 8/21/8

FAVORITISM GOES TO GO BETWEEN IN $1-MILLION PACIFIC CLASSIC

Go Between, the 3-1 morning-line favorite for Sunday's Grade I, $1-million Pacific Classic on Del Mar's main track, is a study in consistency over the past year, and a good bit of that is the result of an obvious fondness for synthetic surfaces.

The 5-year-old son of Point Given has been worse than second only once in his last eight starts. Five of those races -- and all four this year -- have come on synthetic surfaces, three of them in Southern California.

SARATOGA RACE COURSE NOTES; Thursday, August 21, 2008

The New York Racing Association will offer advanced wagering on Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Travers Stakes presented by Shadwell Farm on Friday at Saratoga Race Course, Beltoga (Belmont Park) and through Telebet. The New York State Racing and Wagering Board granted its approval for the wager on Wednesday.

* * *

Hall of Fame trainer Allen Jerkens surprised everyone yesterday when he entered Long Bay Stable’s Tizbig in the 1¼-mile Travers. The son of Tiznow was not expected to run after finishing second in an allowance race this last Sunday.

NYRA STATEMENT RE: TAKEOUT

NYRA STATEMENT ON POSTPONEMENT OF ONE-PERCENT TAKEOUT INCREASE ON OUT-OF-STATE THOROUGHBRED RACES

The New York State Legislature has amended the bill passed in June authorizing the state takeover of the New York City Off-Track Betting Corporation which would have required a one percent takeout increase on all bets made in New York on out-of-state Thoroughbred races.

The increase, set to become effective on September 15, was postponed until March 15, 2009 and inserted into the state budget cut bill passed by the legislature in a special session this week and signed by Governor David Paterson on Wednesday.

Arlington Park Barn Notes: Thursday, August 21, 2008

MR. NIGHTLINGER TRIES FOR FIVE IN SATURDAY’S ARLINGTON SPRINT

Martin Racing Stable and Carl Moore Management’s Mr. Nightlinger, undefeated since finding a home sprinting on grass in April, shoots for his fifth straight win when he looms as the 8-5 morning line choice in Saturday’s $200,000 Arlington Sprint at five and a half furlongs over Arlington’s world famous turf course.

Although Saturday’s dash will be the 12th running of the Sprint, the race will be on turf for the first time, a fact that should prove to the advantage of Mr. Nightlinger.