Friday, May 25 2012
Arlington Park Barn Notes: Thurs., May 24
$288,667 JACKPOT HIGH-5 CARRYOVER AVAILABLE AT ARLINGTON FRIDAY
A Jackpot High-5 Carryover Pool of $288,667 will be available Friday on the same afternoon that the first Party In The Park of the 2012 Arlington season kicks off Arlington’s extended Memorial Day holiday weekend.
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, and the Jackpot provision means that the entire pool pays out when there is one is one and only one ticket sold that correctly selects the first five finishers in exact order. Partial payouts are distributed when multiple tickets are sold that correctly select the first five finishers in exact order.
Thursday, May 24 2012
Grade III Arlington Matron & $125,000 Arlington Classic
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (May 23, 2012) – The Grade III Arlington Matron and the $125,000 Arlington Classic, both longtime fixtures at Chicago’s premier Thoroughbred oval, will share top billing on Saturday, May 26. Stone Farm, John Adger, Oak Crest Farm & Mike Stidham’s Upperline headlines the Arlington Matron and Grade II Mark Bacon & Diane Wells’ Silver Max prominent among the sophomores entered in the Arlington Classic.
Upperline, winner of the Grade III Arlington Oaks over this course and surface in 2010, returns to Arlington off a victorious run in the Grade III Bewitch Stakes over the Keeneland turf course last month. The 5-year-old daughter of Maria’s Mon, who finished fourth in this race last year, has had other successes on synthetic surfaces including a score last summer in the $100,000 Trillium at Woodbine. James Graham will ride the Mike Stidham-trained mare.
Barn Notes: Wednesday, May 23, 2012
UPPERLINE TO TAKE THE HIGH ROAD IN SATURDAY’S ARLINGTON MATRON
Stone Farm, John Adger, Oakcrest Farm and Mike Stidham’s Upperline, who won the Grade III Arlington Oaks two years ago during her sophomore campaign, will be staying at home to attempt a rare double by winning Saturday’s Grade III Arlington Matron for fillies and mares over the local Polytrack at nine furlongs, trainer Mike Stidham said Wednesday morning during training hours.
“It looks like we’re going to stay right here at home,” Stidham said. “We were thinking about going to New York and running in Saturday’s Sheepshead Bay, but they’ve had a lot of rain up there this week and it looks like there’s a chance of more rain before this weekend.
Saturday, May 19 2012
Arlington Park Barn Notes: Fri., May 18
All that glitters is not gold, Shakespeare theorized in Merchant of Venice and Mark Bacon and Dana Wells’ Silver Max has been supporting that premise all spring.
In his last start May 4 – Arlington’s opening day this season as well as Kentucky Oaks Day at Churchill Downs, Silver Max captured the Grade II American Turf with an impressive front-running 2 3/4-length effort over the Louisville lawn as Churchill’s supporting feature on Oaks Day.
Thursday, May 17 2012
Arlington Park Barn Notes: Thurs. May 17
JOCKEY SETH MARTINEZ SETTLING IN FOR SECOND ARLINGTON SEASON
Leading rider titles at such diverse locations as Minnesota’s Canterbury Park, Washington’s Emerald Downs, and Arizona’s Turf Paradise are in his past, but at 32 years old, jockey Seth Martinez will be hanging his tack full-time at Arlington for only the second time in his career.
“Actually, I didn’t even get to complete the season here (at Arlington) last summer, because I broke my hand toward the end of the meet and was out of action for about eight weeks,” Martinez said. “But I still was able to finish seventh in the standings, so all-in-all I thought I had a pretty good summer considering I was fairly new to the Chicago circuit.\
LONESOME STREET HEADLINES GRADE III HANSHIN CUP
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (May 16, 2012) – Ken & Sarah Ramsey’s Lonesome Street, winner of the Grade II Commonwealth at Keeneland in April, headlines a field of 10 entered for Saturday’s Grade III $150,000 Hanshin Cup at Arlington Park.
The Hanshin, a one-mile race over Polytrack, is the first event on Arlington Park’s 26-race $5.8 million stakes schedule and is being run for the 18th time as an exchange race with the Japan Racing Association which annually hosts the Arlington Cup.
Wednesday, May 16 2012
Arlington Park Barn Notes: Wed., May 16
NAJJAAR, SACHEM SPIRIT, ALL STORMY LIKELY FOR ARLINGTON CLASSIC
Shadwell Stable’s Najjaar was a disappointing seventh in the Grade I Arkansas Derby April 14 in his last trip to the post, but the homebred son of 2006 Belmont Stakes winner Jazil will now likely redirected from his aborted Triple Crown campaign to one in Arlington’s Mid-America Triple.
“Everything is good with him right now,” said trainer Danny Peitz during training hours Wednesday morning at Chicago’s northwest suburban oval of the colt who was credited with a five furlong breeze in a minute flat last Saturday over the local Polytrack.
Monday, May 14 2012
Arlington Park Barn Notes: Sun. May 13
INEZ FOREGOES 2012 ARLINGTON SUMMER CAMPAIGN AS YOUNG MOTHER
Jockey Inez Karlsson, who became a mother for the first time last July, has decided to put her jockey career on hold – at least for Arlington’s 2012 season – to pursue the more ethereal rewards of motherhood.
“What they always say is true, your life completely changes when you become a mother,” Karlsson said, speaking outside Arlington’s paddock last weekend while wielding a baby carriage occupied by her daughter Sophia Rose Calcagno. “But,” she added quickly, (motherhood) is by far the best thing that has ever happened to me.
Sunday, May 13 2012
JOCKEY BRANDON MEIER TAKEN TO HOSPITAL AFTER 11TH RACE INCIDENT
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (May 12, 2012) – Jockey Brandon Meier was taken to Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights, Ill. following an incident in the 11th race at Arlington Park when his mount, High Brow Honey, fell approaching the top of the stretch in the five-furlong turf race.
Meier was conscious and alert complaining of upper body pain and was taken directly to the hospital for further evaluation. According to track veterinarians, High Brow Honey was said to be lame in the left front and was vanned back to the barn for further evaluation.
Friday, May 04 2012
Arlington Park Barn Notes: Thursday, May 3
JOCKEY ROSEMARY HOMEMEISTER JR. STARTING A NEW LIFE
Jockey Rosemary Homeister Jr. may be a new name on the Arlington racing program this summer, but she’s hardly a new name to racing fans around the nation.
Her mother and father were both jockeys, her own distinguished riding career began 20 years ago, and during the summer of 2009 she surpassed the legendary Patti Cooksey to become the second leading female rider of all time behind Hall of Fame jockey Julie Krone.
Thursday, May 03 2012
Arlington Park, ITHA Reach Contract on 2012 Season
Arlington Park and the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association jointly announced that they have agreed to new contract for the 2012 race season.
Arlington Park’s opening day is Friday, May 4th. The program will feature 9 live races and will include all races from Churchill Downs featuring the Kentucky Oaks. Doors open at 11:15 a.m. and first post is 3:00 p.m.
Wednesday, May 02 2012
ARLINGTON PARK PURSES REDUCED BY 20% BEGINNING MAY 4
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (May 1, 2012) – As a consequence of the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (ITHA) not allowing Arlington Park to accept wagers on its races outside of Illinois, Arlington Park is forced to announce that purses will be reduced by 20% beginning Friday May 4, 2012.
In the interest of Illinois horse racing and as a last ditch effort to avoid a purse reduction, attached is a letter to Glen Berman of the ITHA dated Sunday, April 29, 2012 setting forth Arlington Park's offer to operate the 2012 race meet under the previously agreed to 2011 agreement while both sides continue to negotiate to resolve outstanding issues. Unfortunately, our offer was not accepted. This offer is still open for the ITHA's acceptance and Arlington Park will reinstate purses as soon as we can once again accept wagers from outside of Illinois.
