Wednesday, September 24 2008

STABLE NOTES, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24TH, 2008

SOBERING RUN DUE FROM TRES BORRACHOS FOR SATURDAY’S GOODWOOD

Trainer Beau Greely feels good about Tres Borrachos for Saturday’s Grade I, $500,000 Goodwood Stakes. The trainer expects his horse to bounce back from an anomalous start in the Grade I Travers Stakes on Aug. 23, in which the 3-year-old son of Ecton Park finished 12th and last, beaten 16 ¼ lengths by victorious Colonel John.

“He broke well out of the gate and then just didn’t handle the surface for some reason,” Greely said of Tres Borrachos (“three drunks” in Spanish). “I talked to Tyler (Baze) after the race and he said it felt like he threw a shoe or two out there. The horse acted like he never ran.

ADGER, EVEN-MONEY CHOICE, WINS MONMOUTH FEATURE

OCEANPORT, N.J. * Mike Rutherford’s Adger, the even-money favorite, tracked the early speed into the turn, gained command in the stretch, and was ridden out to win the $40,000 allowance feature by a length at Monmouth on Wednesday.

Adger, trained by Steve Asmussen and ridden by Joe Bravo, stepped the six furlongs over a fast main track in 1:10 4/5, and paid $4, $3 and $2.20 across the board as the choice in a field of six 2-year-olds.

Monmouth Park Barn Notes for Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2008

GREAT PATRIOT GETS A CHANCE TO SHINE IN FUTURITY SATURDAY

OCEANPORT, N.J. * Trainer Tim Hills has a strong chance in Saturday’s NATC Futurity (Colt Division) with first-out winner Great Patriot * Chuck Lopez and Chris DeCarlo start off their comebacks with victories * Norman Pointer is back at Monmouth, as assistant to his son Tom.

One of the few true futurities left in the nation will be renewed at Monmouth on Saturday with the seventh running of the $200,000 Monmouth Park NATC Futurity, with separate divisions for colts and fillies.
The races, sponsored by the National Association of Two-Year-Old Consignors, are restricted to juveniles who were cataloged in 2008, and whose owners have paid all the fees.

Kentucky Cup Classic gains a probable starter; entries drawn Wednesday

FLORENCE, KY . . . September 23, 2008 . . . One day before entries will be drawn for the five stakes races that make up the Kentucky Cup Day of Champions, the fields continue to come together.

KENTUCKY CUP CLASSIC (G2)

Steve Asmussen, the nation’s leading trainer, expects to enter multiple graded stakes winner Zanjero in the Classic. After a difficult trip in the 2007 Kentucky Derby that left him 12th, Zanjero won the West Virginia Derby (G3) and the Indiana Derby (G2). He was second in the Texas Mile (G3) in April, his first start after a nearly six-month layoff, second again in the Lone Star Park Handicap, also Grade III, and fourth in the Cornhusker Handicap (G2) before winning his most recent race, the West Virginia Governor’s Handicap on August 2.

STABLE NOTES, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23RD, 2008

OAK TREE BEGINS 40TH MEET TOMORROW ON OPTIMISTIC NOTE

New meet. New track. New confidence.

That optimistic stance sums up the outlook of the Oak Tree Racing Association, which begins its 40th season Wednesday at Santa Anita and for the fourth time in its esteemed history will host the Breeders’ Cup World Championship races.

The 26-day Oak Tree meet will be highlighted by a record six Grade I Breeders’ Cup prep races on Saturday California Cup XIX on Oct. 5, and the Breeders’ Cup World Championships on Oct. 24 and 25.

“We’re very excited and honored to have the Breeders’ Cup here,” said Oak Tree Racing Secretary Rick Hammerle. “To have it here for two days just adds to the excitement, but the Oak Tree meet overall should bring great interest in its own right.

CURLIN ARRIVES AT BELMONT PARK

Stonestreet Stable’s Curlin, the defending Horse of the Year, arrived at Belmont Park Tuesday afternoon after a “very uneventful” van ride from Saratoga Race Course.

With a victory in Saturday’s 90th running of the Grade 1, $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup, the 4-year-old Smart Strike colt will become American racing’s all-time leading money winner and the first American Thoroughbred to reach $10 million in career earnings. The winner’s purse of the Jockey Club Gold Cup is $450,000.

Curlin arrived at Belmont Park at 1:15 p.m. and was in his barn 15 minutes later. After some time in his stall and one turn around the shedrow, he was given a bath. Playful in the autumn air, Curlin’s dappled chestnut body lit up underneath the September sun.

NTRA ANNOUNCES HORSEPLAYERS’ COALITION ADVISORY PANEL

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) announced today an 11-member Advisory Panel that will serve on the Horseplayers' Coalition, a consortium of horseplayers whose common objective is to seek legislative and regulatory solutions to tax and business issues that impact racing fans and pari-mutuel racetracks.

Chairing the Horseplayers' Coalition is Mel Moser, a retired attorney from Kentucky. Other members of the Advisory Panel are:

Keeneland Concludes Fourth-Highest Grossing September Sale

Lexington, KY (September 23, 2008) – In the midst of national economic difficulty, Keeneland on Tuesday concluded it’s fourth-highest grossing September Yearling Sale ever, with sales totaling nearly $328 million.

Cumulatively, the 15-day sale totaled $327,999,100, down 14.8 percent from last year’s $385,018,600. Average price of $90,984 dipped 10.2 percent from $101,347 reported in 2007. The median of $37,000 was down 11.9 percent from last year’s $42,000. A total of 3,605 yearlings were sold compared to 3,799 a year ago.

Eighteen yearlings sold for $1 million or more, including the sale-topping A.P. Indy filly out of Chimichurri, which brought a final bid of $3.1 million from John Ferguson, on behalf of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum. The filly was consigned by Gainesway, agent for Jess Jackson’s Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC.

Two Guests Each Win $25,000 at Gulfstream Park

Two guests left Gulfstream Park $25,000 richer after winning Gulfstream Park’s Case and Cash promotion Sunday, Sept. 21.

“It was great! People were jumping and screaming,” said David Meyerson, Gulfstream’s Marketing Promotions Coordinator, of the moment when Luis Ramos (left) won his prize. Hugo Romero (below) won his prize an hour later. “Everyone was in amazement and the crowd went wild,” added Meyerson. “The winner was hugging and kissing everyone.”

The winners underscored the growing recognition that Gulfstream Park’s casinos present “the region’s ‘loosest’ slot machines,” said Mike Couch, Gulfstream Park’s Vice President of Gaming. “People enjoy coming to Gulfstream Park because they win more, and promotions such as Case and Cash make that an even sweeter deal for our players,” said Mr. Couch.

$200,000 ALL AMERICAN STAKES HIGHLIGHTS WEEK AT GGF

ALBANY -- The $200,000 All American Stakes, the richest race of the fall meeting and an event that at least one horse is using as a prep for the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships, will be run Saturday at Golden Gate Fields.

A Grade 3 contest for 3-year-olds and up, the All American will be run at 1 1/8-miles on Golden Gate Fields' synthetic Tapeta racing surface. Entries for the race will be taken Wednesday.

Delightful Kiss, a 4-year-old gelding who has already earned a starting spot in the $500,000 Breeders' Cup Marathon that will be run Oct. 25 at Santa Anita, is among the horses set to run in the All American.

Tuesday, September 23 2008

REGISTRATION OPEN FOR MEADOWLANDS THOROUGHBRED SURVIVAL CHALLENGE

It will be a battle to the finish for cash and Meadowlands IPODS in the 2008 Meadowlands Thoroughbred Survival Challenge powered by 123Racing, an online handicapping competition that begins Tuesday, September 30.

Enrollment for the game, which has a fresh, new look this season, opens Tuesday, September 23.

The game covers the 41-day Thoroughbred Meet, which features over $1.5 million in stakes purses highlighted by the $500,000 Grade II Meadowlands Cup for 3-year-olds and up on Friday, October 3.

Monmouth Park Barn Notes for Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2008

ONE WEEK TO GO AS LEZCANO, LEVINE AND REPOLE SHOW THE WAY

With 95 of the 100 days of racing at the 2008 Monmouth meet in the books, the races for top honors come Sunday’s final race appear to be in the bag for jockey Jose Lezcano and trainer Bruce Levine. The contest for leading owner remains a close one between Repole Stable, Eddie Broome and Patricia Generazio.

From 539 mounts, Lezcano has visited the winner’s circle 133 times, good for a 25% win clip. Eddie Castro is second with 112 victories as 13-time leading Monmouth rider Joe Bravo is third with 88 victories. Stewart Elliott is fourth with 71 wins, ten more than the pair of C.H. Marquez Jr. and Elvis Trujillo.