Monday, September 29 2008

There Is Such Thing as a Free Lunch

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (Sept. 28, 2008) – Last month, staff writer Tom Van Riper of Forbes.com identified Miami, Fla. as the “worst city to be a sports fan” based on ticket prices to attend sporting events and concession prices.

His study was limited to the four major sports leagues – the National Basketball Association, National Football League, National Hockey League and Major League Baseball and did not include an assessment of the country’s Thoroughbred horse racetracks, inarguably a great value across the board in terms of admission fees and food prices.

Sunday, September 28 2008

Nite Lead, Saturday, September 27th, 2008

By BETH HARRIS
AP Racing Writer

ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) _ Well Armed held off fast-closing Tiago to win the $500,000 Goodwood Stakes by a length at Santa Anita on Saturday and earn a shot at a much bigger payday, the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic.

The victory gave Well Armed an automatic berth into the Classic, where Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Big Brown _ and BC officials hope Curlin _ awaits on Oct. 25 over the same new synthetic surface.

John Velazquez notched career victory No. 3,999 in the $400,000 Yellow Ribbon Stakes, riding even-money favorite Wait a While to a three-quarters of a length win over Vacare in front of an on-track crowd of 17,789.

Quotes from Sept. 27th

ANCIENT TITLE STAKES QUOTES

JOCKEY QUOTES

TYLER BAZE, COST OF FREEDOM, WINNER: “I’ve won four times on this horse. We liked the outside post today, but this horse can do anything. He can go to the front and he can come from way out of it. Street Boss was the horse to beat and I wanted to get the jump on him. At the 5/16 pole, I looked behind me and decided to go and it worked out perfect. He’s a very classy, very nice horse.”

DAVID FLORES, STREET BOSS, 9-10 FAVORITE, SECOND: “A good race for him--a good Breeders’ Cup prep. I would have liked to have won it, but second is next best. What are you going to do. The race set up right; I was happy with that. They ran fast early and I thought they’d come back to me. But they didn’t. Still, a good race for him.”

Saturday, September 27 2008

CURLIN RACES INTO HISTORY IN THE JOCKEY CLUB GOLD CUP

By Jenny Kellner

Reigning Horse of the Year Curlin rewrote racing history on a soggy Saturday afternoon at Belmont Park, becoming the first American horse to break the $10 million barrier with a repeat victory in the 90th running of the Grade 1, $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup Invitational.

With the winner’s purse of $450,000, Curlin’s lifetime earnings blossomed to $10,246,800, breaking Cigar’s 12-year-old record of $9,999,815.

“I am very excited and very proud of everybody involved,” said trainer Steve Asmussen of the chestnut colt. “Fifteen races and he’s won more than $10 million. We had two back-to-back $5 million years. I can’t say how proud I am to be part of what has just happened. To make history – the all-time money-winning horse in North America – is very special. For him to be able to carry the weight of expectation, I’m very proud.”

GRAND COUTURIER SURVIVES OBJECTION IN HIRSCH TURF CLASSIC

By Francis LaBelle Jr.

Marc Keller’s Grand Couturier (GB) withstood a claim of foul from the connections of runner-up Interpatation Saturday afternoon and his 10 ¼-length victory in the 32nd running of the Grade 1, $600,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic was made official, officially making the 5-year-old son of Grand Lodge a legitimate contender for the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita on October 25.

On a day marked by upsets in three previous Grade 1 races at Belmont Park, Grand Couturier would have none of that nonsense in the mile and a half turf feature over the yielding Widener Turf Course.

23-1 BLACK SEVENTEEN STUNS IN VOSBURGH

By Jenny Kellner

Battling saddlecloth-to-saddlecloth with Fabulous Strike through the final yards, a determined Black Seventeen, the longest shot in the field at 23-1, got a head in front at the wire to take the 69th running of the Grade 1, $400,000 Vosburgh over a sloppy Belmont Park racetrack.

Ridden by Clinton Potts and trained by Brian Koriner, the California-based 4-year-old son of Is It True It sat just behind the leaders as Fabulous Strike, J Be K and First Defence wrangled through an opening quarter in 21.75. With the half going in 44.31, Black Seventeen launched his bid on the outside and collared Fabulous Strike in midstretch to prevail in 1:09.77 for the six furlongs.

DYNAFORCE IS DYNAMITE IN FLOWER BOWL INVITATIONAL

By Jenny Kellner

Three months ago, John A. Chandler’s Dynaforce overcame everything but rising turf star Mauralakana in the Grade 2 New York Handicap at Belmont Park, finishing second by a neck in her very first start in the United States.

On a muggy Saturday afternoon at Belmont Park, the 5-year-old mare turned the tables on Mauralakana as she led almost every step over a yielding turf course to post a four-length upset victory in the 31st edition of the Grade 1, $600,000 Flower Bowl Invitational.

COCOA BEACH ENDS GINGER PUNCH’S STREAK

By Francis LaBelle Jr.

Godolphin Stable’s Cocoa Beach has raced in her native Chile and in the Mideast, but apparently, she has found a home in New York.

Fresh off a dominant win at Saratoga Race Course on August 29, the 4-year-old Doneraile Court filly collared defending Eclipse champion handicap mare Ginger Punch Saturday afternoon and went on to a half-length victory in 70th running of the Grade 1, $600,000 Beldame Stakes for fillies and mares at nine furlongs.

The threat of serious rain cancelled racing at Belmont Park on Friday, and the main track opened on Saturday as “muddy/sealed.” By post time for the Beldame at 3:40 p.m., the track was sloppy, and the scratch of Unbridled Belle left the Beldame with a field of four.

DELIGHTFUL KISS, BOREL TRIUMPH IN ALL AMERICAN STAKES AT GGF

ALBANY -- Delightful Kiss tuned up for the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships by posting an impressive victory in the $211,800 All American Stakes at Golden Gate Fields Saturday.

Ridden by Calvin Borel, Delightful Kiss won the 1 1/8-mile All American by one length over 3-to-5 favorite Awesome Gem in 1:49.54, a recording clocking on Golden Gate Fields' Tapeta racing surface.

Borel, making his first ride ever at Golden Gate Fields, rallied Delightful Kiss from last in a field of seven. A powerful gray gelding, Delightful Kiss inhaled the front-runners with a big move on the far turn and then outran Awesome Gem down the stretch to record his second straight stakes victory and his sixth win in 20 career starts.

Next Stop Breeders’ Cup for Classic winner Zanjero

By Eric Wing

FLORENCE, KY . . . September 27, 2008 . . . Benefiting from a patient ride by Shaun Bridgmohan, Zanjero bided his time early, then split horses decisively in mid-stretch to score a length and a half victory in the 15th running of the $350,000 Kentucky Cup Classic (G2) at Turfway Park Saturday.

Owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC and trained by Steve Asmussen, Zanjero was never more than five lengths off the lead. Even so he sat next to last, away from the early pace set by 8-5 co-favorite Honest Man. As the horses continued down the backstretch, Zanjero inched his way gradually up the rail and then split horses in midstretch, gaining racing room to continue on to victory.

West Side Bernie makes it two-for-two in Kentucky Cup Juvenile

By Eric Wing

FLORENCE, KY . . . September 27, 2008 . . . Fresh off a maiden score going long at Monmouth Park in his debut, West Side Bernie showed that his initial success was no fluke, scoring a solid three-length victory as the 9-5 favorite in the $100,000 Kentucky Cup Juvenile (G3). Final time for the race was 1:44.22 for the mile and one sixteenth.

Owned by Lori and George Hall and trained by Kelly Breen, West Side Bernie took a stalking position under Stewart Elliott, running three-wide and just off the early pace set by Proud Jefe and Retap. West Side Bernie remained in the three-path around the far turn and confidently ranged up to the leaders nearing the top of the stretch before drawing off to his comfortable victory. Retap hung on for second, another three lengths ahead of Gresham in third.

Fatal Bullet romps to track-record win in Sprint

By Eric Wing

FLORENCE, KY . . . September 27, 2008 . . . Fatal Bullet, favored at 6-5, assumed command shortly after the start of the $100,000 Kentucky Cup Sprint (G3) and made every pole a winning one, dominating his eight three-year-old foes and rolling to a powerful 7 3/4-lengths victory in 1:08.03. The final time broke the Turfway Park record for six furlongs by two-fifths of a second.

Fatal Bullet’s performance was so impressive that his connections will send their Woodbine-based charge to the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint on October 25 at Oak Tree at Santa Anita.