Thursday, October 09 2008

SWEETER STILL FACES SADLER PAIR IN SATURDAY’S RAMSER

ARCADIA, Calif. (Oct. 8, 2008) – John Sadler, the leading trainer at this year’s Hollywood Park and Del Mar meets and who is contending for the current Oak Tree lead, will send out both Tasha’s Miracle and Dawn Before Dawn to face high-weighted Sweeter Still in Oak Tree’s 22nd running of the Grade III, $100,000 Harold C. Ramser, Sr. Handicap on Saturday at Santa Anita.

An Irish-bred daughter of Rock of Gibraltar trained by Jeff Mullins for the David J. Lanzman Racing Stable, Sweeter Still was assigned 121 pounds for the event that matches 3-year-old fillies at 6 ½ furlongs over Santa Anita’s downhill turf course.

Archers Alyancer upsets Mt. Sassafras

TORONTO, October 8 - Dennis Payer's Archers Alyancer converted a perfect a trip into a Mt. Sassafras Stakes triumph on a rainy Wednesday night at Woodbine.

For trainer John Simms, it was his first career stakes score at the Toronto oval.

"It was about time we got some luck with this horse," said Simms. "He's legit. He's been knocking on the door all year."

BELMONT NOTES, October 8, 2008

Rick Mettee reported that Grade 1 Gazelle winner Music Note was on track for her next engagement, the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic at Santa Anita Park on Friday, Oct. 24. The 3-year-old daughter of A.P. Indy worked five furlongs Sunday over the main track at Belmont Park, covering the distance in 1:00.65.

“She’s doing very well,” said Mettee, North American Racing Manager for Godolphin Stable. “She will have another work and then go out to California along with (Grade 1 Beldame winner) Cocoa Beach.”

Keeneland Barn Notes—Wednesday, October 8, 2008

QUEEN ELIZABETH II CHALLENGE CUP DRAWS ACCOMPLISHED FIELD OF 11

Three Chimneys Racing LLC’s Rosa Grace (GB) will make her first start for trainer Christophe Clement in the 25th running of the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) on Saturday. The $500,000 invitational race is for three-year-old fillies at 1 1/8 miles on turf.

Rosa Grace, a daughter of German Horse of the Year Lomitas (GB), won three of the first seven starts of her career in England and Ireland. In June at Newbury, she took the Ballymacoll Stud Lord Weinstock Memorial at a little over 1 ¼ miles on a course rated as good.

Wednesday, October 08 2008

SECRETMADEMOISELL TAKES TUESDAY FEATURE AT MEADOWLANDS

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. * Michael Dubb’s Secretmademoisell sat just off the pace of Champagne Coolie before powering past that rival at the 1/8th pole and drawing off to a 5 ½ length score in the $40,000 allowance/optional claiming feature at the Meadowlands on Tuesday afternoon.

Trained by Anthony Dutrow and ridden by Jose Lezcano, Secretmademoisell returned $7.20, $4.20 and $3 in the field of five fillies and topped a $36.20 exacta. Champagne Coolie held for second and paid $4.20 and $4. It was another four lengths back to Angelonmyshoulder, who paid $3.60 to show.

FIELD OF 11 ENTERED FOR FRIDAY NIGHT’S CLIFF HANGER STAKES

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. * A full field of 11 has entered for Friday night’s $150,000 Grade 3 Cliff Hanger Stakes at the Meadowlands, with graded stakes winner Icy Atlantic leading the charge for the turf test.

Trained by Todd Pletcher, Icy Atlantic captured last year’s Red Bank at Monmouth Park before going on to try the Breeders’ Cup Mile. In four starts this year, the 7-year-old has yet to see the winner’s circle, but last out was a hard charging second to Buffalo Man in the Red Bank. Icy Atlantic will break from post nine in the mile and a sixteenth Cliff Hanger.

Keeneland Barn Notes—Tuesday, October 7, 2008

TALETOBETOLD TRIES AGAIN IN BUFFALO TRACE FRANKLIN COUNTY

Robert Dewitt’s Taletobetold just missed catching Stylish Wildcat in last year’s Buffalo Trace Franklin County Stakes at Keeneland.

On Friday, the four-year-old daughter of Tale of the Cat gets another chance in the $100,000-added turf sprint at 5 ½ furlongs when she faces nine other fillies and mares, three-years-old and up.

Third in her most recent start in the Positive Gal at Belmont Park on September 5 for trainer Eddie Kenneally, Taletobetold has a record of 12-2-2-3 for earnings of $179,395 on the grass, a figure that is more than any other runner entered in Friday’s race. One of the grass victories came in the 2007 Open Mind at Churchill Downs.

STABLE NOTES, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8TH, 2008

GOMEZ TO RIDE GO BETWEEN IN BREEDERS’ CUP CLASSIC

Garrett Gomez, well on his way to winning his third consecutive national money-winning title with more than $17.4 million in the till to date, will ride Go Between in the $5-million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita on Oct. 25, trainer Bill Mott said Wednesday morning.

The 36-year-old jockey had ridden Classic contender Colonel John in his last two races, including a dramatic nose victory in the Travers Stakes on Aug. 23, and also has ridden Go Between in nine of the horse’s 26 career starts, the last five in a row, including a neck victory in the Pacific Classic on Aug. 24.

Tuesday, October 07 2008

FREUGLIT GOES THE DISTANCE IN MEADOWLANDS FEATURE

East Rutherford, NJ [Oct. 6, 2008] - After a long stretch duel, Freuglit prevailed by a neck over Basic Trick in the $50,000 featured sixth race allowance for fillies and mares on Monday afternoon at the Meadowlands.

Daniel Centeno scored his second win of the day aboard Freuglit, who stepped the mile and 70 yards in 1:44.47. Sent off at 3-1, Freuglit paid $8.00, $4.40 and $5.80. Basic Trick returned $7.80 and $8.80 to place. It was 1 1-4 lengths back to Beautiful Life, who paid $18.80 to show.

Bunker Hill looks to stay unbeaten in Dover Stakes

October 7, 2008, Wilmington, DE - Flying Dutchman Stable's Bunker Hill, who has shown the heart of a winner in his last two hard-fought victories, will put his unbeaten streak on the line Saturday in the $75,000 Dover Stakes at Delaware Park. The mile and a sixteenth test for juveniles has been carded as the seventh race with an approximate post time of 3:27 p.m.

The son of Trippi posted a head victory in the mile and a sixteenth $100,000 Go For the Green Stakes at Delaware Park in his last outing on September 13. That followed another close race and another close win as Bunker Hill won by a nose in the $60,000 Continental Mile at Monmouth Park on August 16. Both of those races were originally scheduled for the turf but transferred to the main track.

Monday, October 06 2008

MR. CHAIRMAN DENIES FILLY IN EXCITING CAL CUP CLASSIC

ARCADIA, Calif. (Oct. 5, 2008) – As the only female ever to compete in Oak Tree’s $250,000 California Cup Classic presented by City National Bank, the victory aspirations of favored 4-year-old filly Romance Is Diane were dashed Sunday at Santa Anita in the closing strides of the day’s mile-and-one-eighth centerpiece by the appropriately named Mr. Chairman.

Ridden by Michael Baze and sent off as the 3-1 third choice, Mr. Chairman provided sire Unusual Heat with his third triumph of the day when overtaking Romance Is Diane to win by a head. He raced the distance in 1:47.93. Add Heat, another progeny of Unusual Heat, gained third in the field of eight, one length behind the filly.

Sutherland sweeps stakes with victory in Mazarine

TORONTO, October 5 - Mine That Bird won his fourth consecutive race and third-straight stakes event, in taking Sunday's Grade 3, $250,000 Grey Stakes at Woodbine.

Sent off at 6-1, the David Cotey trainee split horses around the turn and outfinished a gutsy rival in Bear's Conductor for the half-length victory. Mark Casse pupil Stimulus Plan finished third.

In his fifth career start and his first try around two turns, Mine That Bird traveled 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.45, under Chantal Sutherland.