Thursday, August 07 2008

SARATOGA NOTES, Thursday, August7, 2008

Sackatoga Stable racing manager Jack Knowlton and trainer Barclay Tagg were still elated this morning after Doc N Roll won Wednesday’s $150,000 Cab Calloway Division of the New York Stallion Series for three-year-olds on the turf by a neck over Gold Vendetta.

It was the third victory in four turf starts for the three-year-old Wheelaway colt. After four tries over the Aqueduct inner dirt track, including two for a $35,000 maiden claiming tag against other New York-breds, Tagg put Doc N Roll on the turf at the same level for near 10-length victory.

ELECTRICITY CAPTURES MONMOUTH TURF FEATURE

OCEANPORT, N.J. * The Phipps Stable’s Electricity turned on the power in midstretch and charged to a three-quarters of a length score in Thursday’s $41,000 allowance feature on the Monmouth turf course.

The winner, trained by Shug McGaughey and ridden by Elvis Trujillo, raced the mile and a sixteenth over firm turf in 1:40 3/5 and paid $8.40, $4.20 and $3.60 across the board as second choice in the field of seven older horses.

Monmouth Park Barn Notes for Thursday, August 7, 2008

STREAKING WHIRLIE BERTIE TAKES A STEP UP IN OAKS SATURDAY

OCEANPORT, N.J. * Whirlie Bertie, unbeaten in three starts around two turns, tries graded stakes company for the first time in Saturday’s $150,000 Monmouth Oaks * Owner Martin L. Cherry and trainer Steve Margolis have another filly to watch in Northern Belle, who broke her maiden here Wednesday.

Rapidly improving 3-year-old fillies are always a treat to watch, and Whirlie Bertie promises to make Saturday’s $150,000 Monmouth Oaks (G3) an exciting event.

SMALL ENTERS FOUR RUNNERS IN TWIXT STAKES

LAUREL, MD. 08-07-08---If it’s a stakes in Maryland for fillies and mares, count on trainer Dickie Small to enter one or two or three, or in this case four starters, as he’s done in Saturday’s $50,000 Twixt Stakes at Laurel Park.

Saturday’s one mile feature on the main track is the first of two added-money races to be presented during Laurel’s ten day summer mini-meeting, which begins Friday afternoon and concludes August 21.

Del Mar Stable Notes 8/7/8

SPRINT CHAMP MIDNIGHT LUTE WORKS IN TRACK RECORD TIME

Midnight Lute, 2007 Breeders' Cup Sprint winner and Eclipse Award champion, sizzled 7 furlongs under jockey Martin Pedroza in a workout this morning in 1:21.60, faster than the track record of 1:22.46 for the distance set by the filly Lethal Heat in Del Mar's Fleet Treat Stakes July 20.

Trainer Bob Baffert, who was at Saratoga Race Course overseeing his horses there, has not yet settled on where Midnight Lute might run next, but the August 24 Grade II, $300,000 Pat O'Brien Handicap has been mentioned in past conversations. The trainer also has as an option the Grade I, $250,000 Forego Handicap at Saratoga August 30.

Keeneland Partners with HOK Sport to Develop Master Plan

Lexington, KY ( August 7, 2008) – Keeneland announced today that it has contracted with HOK Sport, the world’s leading sports architecture firm, to develop a master plan for the current and future use of its facility.

As part of the process, HOK will undertake a review and assessment of Keeneland’s existing facilities and operations. The goal of the project is to enhance the “Keeneland experience” for racing, sales and simulcast guests and the community.

Barn Notes: Thursday, August 07, 2008 – PM Notes

FRANCE’S ‘SPIRIT’ SHINES THURSDAY IN ARLINGTON MILLION MOVE

Kamel Chehboub’s Spirit One, the French-bred and French-campaigned European invader for Saturday’s Grade I Arlington Million, cantered once around Arlington’s Polytrack course Thursday morning before a more serious second circle that concluded with a strong half-mile breeze in :49.

Owner Chehboub and trainer Philippe Demercastel were on hand to watch the move in advance of the showcase race of the Chicago Thoroughbred racing season that was accomplished under exercise rider Emmanuel Diard.

Barn Notes: Thursday, August 7

IMPROVING WITH AGE, EINSTEIN IS READY FOR THE MILLION

At the somewhat advanced age of six, Einstein is having a career year for trainer Helen Pitts. He has already accounted for two Grade I grass victories in 2008 and has banked $817,649 of the $1,336,731 he has made during his career.

“He's progressively gotten older and better as he’s gone along, and this year everything's just kind of fallen into place,” said Pitts. “From being able to start the year with that money allowance race [a January 11 win at Gulfstream Park] and move forward from there, it's just kind of played out as the year's gone on, and he's just moved forward off of every race.”

`DOC’ COULDN”T WAIT TO ROLL IN CALLOWAY

Patience is one of the more important traits a jockey can possess, but sometimes, it may not be his choice to use it.

Wednesday afternoon, certain that he didn’t have an ideal scenario, jockey Eibar Coa let Sackatoga Stable’s Doc N Roll loose on the turn and then helped him hold off Gold Vendetta for a neck victory in the sixth running of the $150,000 Cab Calloway Division of the New York Stallion Series for eligible three-year-olds at a mile and a sixteenth on the inner turf.

TOWNSHIP CAT WINS SPRINT FEATURE AT MONMOUTH

OCEANPORT, N.J. * New Farm’s Township Cat turned on the speed in midstretch and scored a one-length victory in the $41,000 allowance feature at Monmouth Park on Wednesday.

The winner, trained by Ben Perkins Jr. and ridden by Eddie Castro, stopped the timer in 1:10 3/5 for six furlongs over the fast main track.

JOCKEYS AYARZA, FIGUEROA AND DURAN RECORD OPENING-DAY DOUBLES AT FAIR

SAN MATEO -- Jockeys Jorge Ayarza, Omar Figueroa and Francisco Duran celebrated opening day of the 2008 San Mateo County Fair meeting by winning two races apiece Wednesday at Bay Meadows.

Ayarza captured the first two races of the season, taking the 870-yard opener with the 6-year-old Quarter Horse Slow Motion ($3.40) and the five-furlong second race with the 3-year-old thoroughbred gelding Solo Tour ($42.60).

EVITA ARGENTINA WINS SORRENTO STAKES

Evita Argentina made it two wins in as many starts Wednesday with a come-from-behind triumph in the featured $150,000 Sorrento Stakes for two-year-old fillies.

Piloted by Tyler Baze, Evita Argentina entered contention by closing strongly on the far outside on the stretch turn, then kept to her task to grind out a one-length decision over fast-closing Stardom Bound, the 9-5 favorite in the field of ten fillies.