Friday, September 16 2011
Arlington Park Barn Notes: Thurs., Sept. 15 2011
PUCKER UP’S MAID OF HEAVEN BRINGS KELLYN GORDER BACK TO TOWN
Arlington racing fans may be unfamiliar with conditioner Kellyn Gorder, but among the horses he trained as yearlings and early in their 2-year-old seasons was last year’s Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver, last year’s Belmont Stakes winner Drosselmeyer and the 2009 Dubai World Cup winner Well Armed.
That was when Gorder worked for WinStar Farm, but for the last three years the 44-year-old native of Worthington, Minnesota, has been out on his own and brought two interesting 3-year-old fillies to Arlington this summer. Both of them made their trips worthwhile by visiting the winner’s circle.
Thursday, September 15 2011
FOURTEEN ENTERED FOR GRADE III PUCKER UP STAKES
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (Sept. 14, 2011) – The Grade III Pucker Up Stakes has long been one of Arlington Park’s more popular events among horsemen from around the country and the 2011 event is proving no exception with an overflow field of 14 slated to head postward in Saturday’s $100,000 race for 3-year-old fillies at a mile and an eighth on the turf.
Glen Hill Farm’s Marketing Miss could find herself favored after posting an impressive victory against Ontario-bred rivals in the $250,000 Wonder Where Stakes at Woodbine Race Course. The Tom Proctor-trained daughter of Medaglia d’Oro also boasts in-the-money finishes in the $150,000 Fury Stakes and the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks since breaking her maiden at Keeneland in April. Marketing Miss will be ridden for the first time by Junior Alvarado.
Wednesday, September 14 2011
Arlington Park Barn Notes: Wed. Sept. 17 2011
HOWARD’S END OF 2011 ARLINGTON SEASON BEATS THE BEGINNING
Labor Day traditionally marks the end of the summer season, but for trainer Tom Howard, who has brought his stable at Arlington Park for the first time this summer, it proved to be a new beginning.
Howard, who served as an assistant trainer for Cole Norman in the late 1990s before going out on his own in 2001, saddled a training double on that Labor Day Monday holiday racing program to triple his number of local wins. Then, last Saturday, the Oklahoma-born conditioner underlined that success by saddling Frank Fletcher’s Rocket Twentyone to win the Grade III Arlington-Washington Lassie – Chicago’s most prestigious race for 2-year-old fillies.
Monday, September 12 2011
Arlington Park Barn Notes: Sunday, Sept. 11 2011
SHARED PROPERTY POSSIBLE FOR KEENELAND’S BREEDERS’ FUTURITY
Trainer Tom Amoss, who saddled Jerry Namy’s Shared Property to win Saturday’s Grade III Arlington-Washington Futurity, was understandably upbeat when reached at the airport shortly before his return trip to Kentucky Sunday morning.
“That was a lot of fun, yesterday,” said Amoss. “I stopped by the barn to take a look at (Shared Property) this morning before we left for the airport and he looked great. He ate up everything last night and we’re hoping he has a big future in front of him. Nothing has been decided for sure just yet, but there’s a big chance we’ll run him next in the (Grade I) Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland (Oct. 8).
Sunday, September 11 2011
SHARED PROPERTY WINS ARLINGTON-WASHINGTON FUTURITY
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (Sept. 10, 2011) – Both trainer Tom Amoss and jockey Leandro Goncalves were confident that Jerry Namy’s Shared Property would run a big race in the Grade III $100,000 Arlington-Washington Futurity. Their confidence was rewarded as the son of Scat Daddy made a late rally in the center of the track to catch Take Charge Indy to win the one mile race by a length, covering the distance in 1:37.93.
“I had a lot of confidence in this horse,” said the Indiana-based rider. “He’s been training great. Tom brought him into the race in very good form. He showed me he’s the kind of horse who will do whatever you want to (in order to) win and that’s the kind of horse you need to win races like this.”
Saturday, September 10 2011
Arlington Park Barn Notes: Fri. Sept. 9 2011
HOGY THE HOPE OF METTLERS IN ARLINGTON-WASHINGTON FUTURITY
Alice and Stan Mettler started out as fledgling Thoroughbred owners with “three good ones,” according to Mrs. Mettler, but that was more than 25 years ago. What followed was a long dry spell before their juvenile gelding Hogy came along this summer at Arlington Park under the guidance of trainer Joel Berndt.
Hogy, an altered son of Offlee Wild, will enter Saturday’s co-featured Grade III Arlington-Washington Futurity with a perfect three-for-three record, with the most recent win coming at Canterbury Park’s $50,000 Brian Barenscheer Stakes for 2-year-olds on Aug. 14.
Thursday, September 08 2011
Arlington Park Barn Notes: Thurs. Sept. 8 2011
ARLINGTON-WASHINGTON FUTURITY, LASSIE EACH ATTRACTING AMOSS
The 76th renewals of the Grade III Arlington-Washington Futurity and Grade III Arlington-Washington Lassie – Chicago’s twin traditional events for 2-year-old Thoroughbreds – will both be contested this Saturday at Arlington and both have attracted juveniles with unusually spirited potential.
One of four trainers with horses entered in both the Futurity and the Lassie – but the only one shipping in with Kentucky-based contestants for both stakes – is Tom Amoss, formerly a major presence at Arlington but one who has not kept a local string here in recent seasons.
Wednesday, September 07 2011
Arlington-Washington Lassie (G3) and Arlington-Washington Futurity (G3)
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (Sept. 7, 2011) – Two-year-olds of both sexes take the spotlight Saturday at Arlington Park with the 77th edition of the Grade III $100,000 Arlington-Washington Futurity and the 77th edition of the the Grade III $100,000 Arlington-Washington Lassie sharing top billing on the 11-race card. Each of these prominent fixtures on the racing calendar will be contested over a one-turn one mile on Polytrack.
An overflow field of 14 2-year-old colt and geldings were entered for the Futurity topped by stakes winners Twelve Hundred, owned by B Jock LLC, and Alice Mettler’s Hogy.
Tuesday, September 06 2011
Arlington Park Barn Notes: Monday, Sept. 5 2011
JUNIOR WINS 4 – JUMPS IN RACE FOR ARLINGTON’S JOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP
Jockey Junior Alvarado, Arlington’s jockey champion two years ago and runner-up last year, rode four winners Sunday at the local oval to follow his riding triple Saturday and continue his late season assault on this summer’s local leading rider honors.
Current leading rider James Graham, out of town for Monday’s Labor Day program, leads the standings entering the 10-race holiday program with 67 wins, followed by jockey J. Z. Santana, who has 62 wins through Sunday and is listed to ride six horses Monday.
Monday, September 05 2011
Arlington Park Barn Notes: Sunday, Sept. 4 2011
BLOCK, BUTLER BALANCE ARLINGTON, SARATOGA STAKES SATURDAY
Arlington-based trainer Chris Block won Saturday’s Grade III Washington Park Handicap at Arlington with Lothenbach Stables’ Mister Marti Gras, but Block was at Saratoga to saddle Virginia Tarra’s Giant Oak in the Grade I Woodward Stakes, where that horse finished fifth.
Newmarket-based conditioner Gerard Butler was at Arlington Park Saturday to saddle Michael Deegan’s Maristar and Asaad Al Banwan’s Burj Alzain to third and fourth-place finishes respectively in the Washington Park Handicap. That race came less than an hour after Deegan’s Pachattack, also trained by Butler, finished second in Saratoga’s Grade I Personal Ensign Invitational.
Sunday, September 04 2011
MISTER MARTI GRAS WINS GRADE III WASHINGTON PARK ‘CAP
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (Sept. 3, 2011) – Lothenbach Stables’ Mister Marti Gras rallied from far back to nail front-running favorite Workin For Hops in the final strides to win the Grade III $100,000 Washington Park Handicap Saturday at Arlington Park. Eduardo Perez was astride the homebred son of Belong to Me who ran the mile and an eighth over Polytrack in 1:51.60.
Content to keep the Chris Block-trained 4-year-old far back early, Perez eased his mount to the outside on the second turn and made a strong rally down the center of the track to prevail at the wire while avoiding trouble just to his inside.
Arlington Park Barn Notes: Saturday, Sept. 3 2011
ANN OF THE DANCE WALTZES IN ARLINGTON-WASHINGTON BREEZE
William Cox’s Ann of the Dance, undefeated in her two career starts – both over Arlington’s Polytrack course – breezed five furlongs in 1:03.60 Saturday morning in preparation for her upcoming engagement in the 77th running of the Grade III Arlington-Washington Lassie, to be contested at one-mile over the local synthetic surface next week on Sept. 10.
“She finished up good and strong this morning and that’s what we were looking for,” said trainer Jimmy DiVito shortly after the move.
