Thursday, June 28 2012

ARIANA D FAVORED IN GRADE III CHICAGO HANDICAP

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (June 27, 2012) – Maple Leaf Farm LLC’s Ariana D, third in each of her last two trips postward, has accepted high impost of 121 pounds for her engagement in Saturday’s $150,000 Chicago Handicap. The seven-furlong Grade III race attracted a field of seven fillies and mares and will be run as the eighth of 11 races on the card that begins at 1 p.m. Central with the overnight $65,000 Mariah’s Storm Stakes kicking off the program.

A daughter of Rock Slide, Ariana D makes her second straight stakes start over the Arlington oval after posting a third-place finish in the Grade III Arlington Matron on May 26. In that nine-furlong affair, the 6-year-old mare was bumped at the break before making a three-wide bid to pick up the show money. The Andrew McKeever trainee should relish the turn back in distance as she is three for six at seven panels including a score in the $100,000 Avowal at Woodbine last October. Willie Martinez will ride the highweight who will spot her rivals from four to seven pounds.

Arlington Park Barn Notes: Wed., June 27

CATALANO CLOSING FAST IN ARLINGTON’S LEADING TRAINER CHASE

One month into Arlington’s 2012 session, the Chicago oval’s normally prolific conditioner Wayne Catalano had only registered four wins at the meeting, but less than three weeks ago he had moved into a tie for the seventh spot.

However, over recent racing days “the Cat Man” has been making up ground like a velociraptor, moving into third position by saddling Gary and Mary West’s Arcade for a win last Saturday and into a tie for the runner-up spot on Sunday with the victory of Darrell and Evelyn Yates’ Emile.

Wednesday, June 20 2012

Arlington Park Barn Notes: Wed., June 20

TRAINER BRIAN WILLIAMSON ADVANCING AMONG ARLINGTON’S ELITE

It wasn’t too many years ago that increasingly prominent conditioner Brian Williamson was known as an assistant to his father-in-law – the legendary Arlington trainer Harvey Vanier – but when the venerable Mr. Vanier retired in 2004 Williamson stepped up to take over the reins of that family-oriented operation.

However, this year, beginning at Oaklawn and now at Chicago’s northwest suburban oval, Williamson is in the midst of the best season of his own two decade-long career of saddling horses in his own name.

Monday, June 18 2012

Arlington Park Barn Notes: Sunday, June 17

SANDIA CREST RIFLES RIVAL IN SATURDAY’S SPRINGFIELD STAKES
Hondo Ranch’s Sandia Crest closed like a shot in Saturday’s $126,500 Springfield Stakes, shocking most in the crowd of more than 10,000 on hand for Arlington’s 12th renewal of the Prairie State Festival for Illinois-breds.

Sandia Ranch’s win price of $42.40 was easily the largest of Saturday’s six stakes races restricted to horses foaled in the Prairie State, but it came as no surprise to his conditioner Frank Kirby – the gentle bear of a man who will always be remembered for capturing two training titles at Arlington 30 years apart.

Thursday, June 14 2012

Arlington Park Barn Notes: June 13

HERSHELL DAVIS’S SON, DAUGHTER OFF TO THEIR OWN STARTS IN RACING

Fathers’ Day is upon us once again at Arlington, and who fits the profile of an ideal longtime Arlington-employed father better than Arlington’s assistant starter Hershell Davis, who began working on the local gate in 1989?

Davis, along with his Chicago-born wife Liane Davis – the veteran Arlington-based trainer – are the proud parents of four children, two of which have now chosen to follow their parents into the world of Thoroughbred racing.

Tuesday, June 12 2012

Jackpot High 5 Hit for $1.1 million

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (June 10, 2012) – After going unclaimed for the first 23 racing days of the 2012 Arlington Park meeting, the JackPOT High-5 was finally solved on Sunday when one lucky bettor had the lone winning ticket worth $1,115,184.20, an all-time Arlington Park payout on a single wager.

The Jackpot High-5 is a $1 wager that requires the bettor to select the first five finishers in exact order in the last race of the day. The Jackpot provision means that the entire pool pays out only when there is one and only one winning ticket sold that correctly selects the first five finishers in exact order.

Sunday, June 10 2012

Arlington Park Carryover Advisory: Jackpot High 5 carryover at $939,885

The total pool will likely surpass the million-dollar mark on Sunday.

The Jackpot High-5 is a $1 wager that requires the bettor to select the first five finishers in exact order in the last race of the day. The Jackpot provision means that the entire pool pays out only when there is one and only one winning ticket sold that correctly selects the first five finishers in exact order.

Saturday, June 09 2012

Jackpot High 5 Carryover at more than $850,000 for Saturday

The Jackpot High-5 is a $1 wager that requires the bettor to select the first five finishers in exact order in the last race of the day. The Jackpot provision means that the entire pool pays out only when there is one and only one winning ticket sold that correctly selects the first five finishers in exact order.

In the event there are multiple tickets sold with the first five finishers in exact order, 50% of the daily Jackpot High-5 pool will be distributed to those ticket holders and 50% of the daily Jackpot High-5 pool will be carried over to the next scheduled Jackpot High-5 event and added to any existing carryover pool.

Thursday, June 07 2012

JACKPOT HIGH-5 CARRYOVER FOR FRIDAY, JUNE 8:  $778,070

The Jackpot High-5 is a $1 wager that requires the bettor to select the first five finishers in exact order in the last race of the day. The Jackpot provision means that the entire pool pays out only when there is one and only one winning ticket sold that correctly selects the first five finishers in exact order.

In the event there are multiple tickets sold with the first five finishers in exact order, 50% of the daily Jackpot High-5 pool will be distributed to those ticket holders and 50% of the daily Jackpot High-5 pool will be carried over to the next scheduled Jackpot High-5 event and added to any existing carryover pool.

Wednesday, June 06 2012

Arlington Park Barn Notes: Wed., June 6

Think in terms of threes this Saturday at Arlington! That’s when Chicago’s northwest suburban oval plays host to the largest Triple Crown Bash in the Midwest.

Reddam Racing’s Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner I’ll Have Another’s connections are hoping for another – that is a third victory in Saturday’s 144th running of the Belmont Stakes – making their 3-year-old colt the 12th horse in Thoroughbred racing history to sweep North America’s Triple Crown.

Sunday, June 03 2012

‘ST. LOUIS’ POSTS MEAFARA UPSET

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (June 2, 2012) – William Stiritz’ St. Louis City surprisingly took the lead right from the start and never relinquished that advantage in Saturday’s $66,400 Meafara Stakes. The 18-1 outsider reported home a 2 ½-length winner under jockey Robby Albarado.

“She didn’t feel like an 18-1 shot and she didn’t run like an 18-1 shot,” Albarado said. “She got aggressive leaving there. I didn’t anticipate being on the lead but fortunately I was. She ran well within herself. She finished up real nice and ran on to the wire.”

Arlington Park Barn Notes: June 2, 2012

ROGER BRUEGGEMANN UNCOMFORTABLE UNDER GLOW OF LIMELIGHT

Arlington trainer Roger Brueggemann is a nice guy with a ready smile – not truculent in the least – but he doesn’t like the limelight.

“I just don’t like to talk about myself,” Brueggemann explained during training hours on a recent morning at Arlington, one day after he saddled two winners to place himself firmly in the hunt for leading trainer honors at the local session. “For some reason, things never seem to work out for me whenever I do that.”