Saturday, July 12 2008

The Niagara Queen posts ‘royal’ upset in Dance Smartly

TORONTO, July 12 - The Niagara Queen captured Saturday's Grade 2 $300,000 Dance Smartly Stakes at Woodbine.

The Steve Asmussen trainee rated kindly behind soft fractions and outgamed second-place finisher Sprung and third-place finisher Quiet Jungle in the stretch.

The five-year-old daughter of Langfuhr traveled 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.01, after establishing fractions of :50.15 and 1:14.08.

RED ROCKS ROCKS MAN O’WAR AT CURLIN’S EXPENSE

The five-race winning streak is over, but the future on turf for 2007 Horse of the Year Curlin is anyone’s guess.

Saturday’s 49th edition of the Grade 1, $500,000 Man O’War Stakes at 11 furlongs was the first start on grass for 4-year-old Curlin, whose owner, Jess Jackson of Stonestreet Stable, is intent on making the Smart Strike horse an international star and a fan favorite.

The reason for running here was to see if Curlin, a monster on dirt, fit with quality turf horses.

BELMONT PARK NOTES, Saturday, July 12, 2008

BELMONT NOTES

The final week of racing for the 2008 Belmont Park Spring/Summer Meet will conclude on Sunday, July 20.

Saturday, July 19, will feature the 92nd running of the Grade 1, $300,000 Coaching Club American Oaks for three-year-old fillies at a mile and a quarter. Likely starters here are Acoma, Little Belle, Music Note, Never Retreat and possibly Ms. Margaret H, Seattle Smooth and Smooth Performer.

Godolphin Stable’s Music Note stumbled early then got a clean trip to win the Grade 1, nine-furlong Mother Goose here on June 28, defeating Proud Spell, who had a horrible trip and was finally disqualified from second and placed third.

POKER ADVANCE FOR SUNDAY, JULY 13, 2008

IEAH Stable and Pegasus Holding Group’s Kip Deville campaigned out West and even in Canada last year before scoring a one-length victory over Excellent Act in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Monmouth Park.

Now, trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. will try the East to open Kip Deville’s summer season, as the 5-year-old Kipling horse is entered for Sunday’s 24th running of the Grade 3, $100,000-added Poker for three-year-olds and up at a mile on the turf. The race is carded as the fourth on Sunday (2:35 p.m.).

Trio of Carryovers Await Monmouth Players

With several longshots late on the Saturday card at Monmouth Park, carryovers in the Pick 5 and the Pick 4 will await players on the Sunday, July 13 program.

In addition, in the 60-Minute Six, no one correctly selected all winners in that wager, providing a carryover into next Saturday’s 60-Minute Six.

Monmouth’s Saturday Pick 5 got underway in the fifth race with Most Distinguished ($5.60). Fleet Appeal ($6.20) won the sixth as Travolta ($21.40) took the seventh. Fagedaboudit Sal ($80.40) lit up the tote board in the eighth race, the Bob Harding Stakes, just before Truth Rules ($35.80) sprung the upset in the Long Branch Stakes. Four out of five winners returned $422.60 for the 50-cent wager.

Monmouth Park Recap for Saturday, July 12, 2008

TRUTH RULES UPSETS ATONED IN LONG BRANCH AT MONMOUTH

OCEANPORT, N.J. * Upsets ruled at Monmouth Park on Saturday as Robert LaPenta’s Truth Rules scored a shocker in the $150,000 Long Branch Stakes and Salvatore Racing Stable’s Fagedaboudit Sal, the longest shot on the board, captured the $70,000 Bob Harding Stakes on turf.

Truth Rules, sent off the absolute outsider in the field of five 3-year-olds at 16-1, rallied from dead last on the turn to run down favored Atoned by a head at the wire, stopping the timer in 1:45 1/5 for the mile and a sixteenth.

The victory likely earned the colt a berth in Monmouth’s $1 million Haskell Invitational on August 3.

Monmouth Park Barn Notes for Saturday, July 12, 2008

SMALL SENDS OUT A PAIR IN SUNDAY’S SERENA’S SONG STAKES

OCEANPORT, N.J. * Trainer Richard Small will saddle a pair of fillies in Sunday’s $70,000 Serena’s Song Stakes, a prep for the Grade 3 Monmouth Breeders’ Cup Oaks on Aug. 9 * Marianne Hesse contributed $40,000 to raise the purse of the Charles Hesse 3rd Handicap on Aug. 3 to $100,000 * The 17th annual Backstretch Appreciation Day picnic will be held on Monday at Monmouth.

Sunday’s $70,000 Serena’s Song Stakes for 3-year-old fillies deserves special attention because the mile and 70-yard race serves as a prep for the $150,000 Monmouth Breeders’ Cup Oaks (G3) that will be renewed on August 9.

DELAWARE OAKS, ROBERT G. DICK, RRM CARPENTER JR. RECAPS

Proud Spell bounces back to score Delaware Oaks victory

Brereton Jones' Proud Spell wore down her rivals in the final furlong and won the $500,000 Grade II Delaware Oaks at Delaware Park today. Ridden by Gabriel Saez, the daughter of Proud Citizen won by ¾-lengths and covered the mile and a sixteenth in 1:43.34 over a fast main track. The Kentucky-bred trained by the leading Delaware Park trainer J. Larry Jones returned $2.60 as the favorite in the field of six. African Violet, with Cornelio Velasquez, ran second and it was another 2-lengths farther back to Shes All Eltish, with Eddie Castro, in third. Maren's Meadow, with Mario Pino, set early fractions of :48.53 for the half mile and 1:11.95 for the three quarters mile before fading into fifth place.

Calder Stakes Recap: Princess Rooney Handicap

Mistical Plan Posts Upset in Princess Rooney, Earns Trip to Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (July 12, 2008) – J. Paul Reddam’s 4-year-old California bred filly Mistical Plan upset the even-money favorite Dream Rush to win the $400,000 Princess Rooney Handicap (G1) at Calder Race Course on Saturday, Summit of Speed day. Miraculous Miss rallied late in the stretch to finish second, while Dream Rush settled for third place.

Ridden by jockey Corey Nakatani for trainer Doug O’Neill, Mistical Plan ran in tandem with Dream Rush for much of the six-furlong race until shaking loose from her rival at the quarter pole and then pouring it on down the stretch. Mistical Plan drew off to win by five and three-quarter lengths to get the distance in 1:10.76. Miraculous Miss was just a quarter length in front of Dream Rush at the wire.

Calder Stakes Recap: Smile Sprint Handicap

Benny the Bull Delivers in Smile Sprint Handicap (G2), Stamps Ticket to Breeders’ Cup Sprint

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (July 12, 2008) – IEAH Stables and partners’ 5-year-old horse Benny the Bull lived up to the expectations of his connections and the betting public that made him the heavy favorite in the $400,000 Smile Sprint Handicap (G2) at Calder Race Course on Saturday. The country’s top-ranked sprinter won the six-furlong event on Summit of Speed day by two lengths over How’s Your Halo with Rockerfeller in third.

Benny the Bull ran in his usual way, coming from off the pace and putting in a powerful run down the stretch. Ridden by jockey Edgar Prado, who will be inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, NY next month, Benny the Bull completed the six furlongs of the Smile Sprint in 1:11.41. Carrying 124 pounds, Benny the Bull defeated How’s Your Halo with 116 pounds by two lengths. It was another length back to Rockerfeller in third place.

Golden Spikes Gets First Graded Stakes Win in Carry Back Stakes (G2)

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (July 12, 2008) – M375 Thoroughbreds and Suarez Racing’s 3-year-old colt Golden Spikes won the $250,000 Carry Back Stakes (G2) at Calder’s Summit of Speed on Saturday, earning his first Graded stakes victory.

Ridden by jockey Elvis Trujillo for trainer Marty Wolfson, Golden Spikes defeated Gentleman James by three-quarters of a length and it was just a half-length back to Lantana Mob in third in a close finish.

Indyanne Remains Undefeated After Azalea, Scores First Graded Win

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (July 12, 2008) – Jill and David Heerensperger’s 3-year-old filly Indyanne scored another impressive, wide-margin victory when she won the $250,000 Azalea Stakes (G3) at Calder on Saturday by nine and a half lengths under jockey Russell Baze. It was the filly’s fourth consecutive win in as many starts and her first Graded stakes victory.

Trained by Greg Gilchrist at his Golden Gate Fields base, Indyanne made her first start outside of California in today’s event Summit of Speed event at Calder in Miami, Fla.