Wednesday, September 17 2008

Get Ready Horseplayers…Big Money up for grabs as Thoroughbreds return to Hawthorne

No question it seems like a lifetime between the Spring Thoroughbred meet and the Fall Thoroughbred meet, but with idle time comes the opportunity for big ideas, and Hawthorne will offer exciting new handicapping contests to kick off the new season.

Two contests will highlight the Fall campaign which begins on Friday, September 26, and with it, the possibility of making a ridiculous killing, should all things turn out perfect.

GOLDEN GATE FIELDS OPENS 2008 FALL MEETING WEDNESDAY

Golden Gate Fields opens its 2008 fall meeting Wednesday and track general manager Robert Hartman is optimistic heading into the 67-day season.

"I'm very enthusiastic about the fall meeting," said Hartman. "The barns are full and that should translate to large and competitive fields. The Tapeta racing surface and the turf course are both in great shape, and we've made many new fan-friendly and horse-friendly improvements. The Turf Club has been remodeled, the paddock has been redesigned and a new owner/trainer lounge is being built."

Tuesday, September 16 2008

LEZCANO, LEVINE, REPOLE LEAD WITH TWO WEEKS TO GO

With two weeks of racing remaining in the 2008 season at Monmouth Park, jockey Jose Lezcano, trainer Bruce Levine and owner Repole Stable lead the way in their respective categories for top honors come meet-end on Sept. 28.

From 514 mounts, Lezcano has visited the winner’s circle 124 times, winning at a 24% clip. Eddie Castro is second with 100 victories, 15 more than Joe Bravo. Stewart Elliott, with 66 victories, is fourth. Rounding out the top five is Elvis Trujillo with 61 wins.

CURLIN “AWESOME” IN JOCKEY CLUB GOLD CUP WORK

Reigning Horse of the Year Curlin turned in an effortless five-furlong breeze Monday morning over the fast Oklahoma training track at Saratoga Race Course, covering the distance in 1:01.80 under regular exercise rider Carlos Rosas.

Clockers caught Curlin, who worked in company inside stablemate Hawaii Calls, covering the first three furlongs in :37 4/5 and galloping out six furlongs in 1:14 4/5. The four-year-old son of Smart Strike, owned by Jess Jackson’s Stonestreet Stables, will have one more move before he attempts to break Cigar’s all-time money-winning record and become racing’s first $10 million horse in the 90th running of the Grade 1, $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup Invitational at Belmont Park on September 27.

Indian Charlie Colt Highlights Monday Session at Keeneland

Lexington, KY (September 15, 2008) – Hoods Up Stable paid $400,000 for a colt by Indian Charlie to top Monday’s session of Keeneland’s September Yearling Sale.

The colt is out of the Touch Gold mare Touched and from the family of stakes winners Bay Barrister, Four Flings, and Rugged Bugger. He was consigned by John and Martha Jane Mulholland’s Mulholland Springs.

On Monday Keeneland sold 284 horses for gross sales of $18,864,700, down 8.1 percent from 2007 when 288 horses brought $20,517,500. The average of $66,425 was down 6.8 percent from last year’s $71,241, while the median of $50,000 was down 9.1 percent compared to $55,000 in 2007.

GOLDEN GATE FIELDS PRIMED FOR A BIG 2008 FALL MEETING

Golden Gate Fields will open its 2008 fall meeting Wednesday and track general manager Robert Hartman is optimistic about the 67-day season.

"I'm very enthusiastic about the fall meeting," said Hartman. "The barns are full and that should translate to large and competitive fields. The Tapeta racing surface and the turf course are both in great shape, and we've made many new fan-friendly and horse-friendly improvements. The Turf Club has been remodeled, the paddock has been redesigned and a new owner/trainer lounge is being built."

There is also a special treat for football fans.

Monday, September 15 2008

Macho Uno Colt Tops Sunday Session

Lexington, Ky. (September 14, 2008)--A son of Macho Uno brought $400,000 to top Sunday’s sixth session of Keeneland’s two-week September Yearling Sale.

Paula C Racing Stable of Venezuela bought the colt out of stakes winner Bag Lady Jane from the consignment of Adena Springs, with Hidden Brook, as agent. Bag Lady Jane, a daughter of Devil’s Bag, earned $233,736 during her racing career.

Macho Uno’s first foals are three-year-olds this year.

C Karma captures Natalma thriller

TORONTO, September 14 - Trainer Greg De Gannes may have a second ticket to next month's Breeders' Cup after his two-year-old filly C Karma earned herself a guaranteed berth with her neck victory in Sunday's Grade 3, $150,000 Natalma Stakes at Woodbine.

As a 'Win and You're In' event, the winner of the one-mile turf event automatically earns a position in the starting gate for the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita on October 24.

C Karma held off a late challenge from 45-1 shot Freyga to capture the Natalma, which was her first stakes victory. Koonunga Hill stayed on late to finish third.

BANROCK TAKES LEAD AND HOLDS ON FOR COLE VICTORY

Nyala Farm’s Banrock found himself in the unlikely role of pacesetter Sunday afternoon at Belmont Park in the 33rd running of the $109,900 Ashley T. Cole Handicap at nine furlongs on the turf, but wound up in more familiar surroundings. Namely, Belmont Park’s winners’ circle.

Favored by the crowd of 4,816, especially with the scratches of Hammock and Al Basha, Banrock took the lead to set a quarter-mile of 26.86, a half of :52.05. The portable rail was out 18 feet on the soft inner turf course, and with the pace as slow as it was, jockey Kent Desormeaux rode Banrock with supreme confidence.

SUNDAY STAKES GO TO COZZI CAPITAL, PARIS WINDS & J Z WARRIOR

OCEANPORT, N.J. * Cozzi Capital closed with a rush to capture the first division of the $70,000 Revidere Stakes at Monmouth Park on Sunday as Paris Winds came home on top in the second division. Earlier in the day the Bill Mott-trained J Z Warrior, the 3-10 favorite, ran away from her competition in taking the $60,000 Light Hearted Stakes by nine lengths.

Trained by Herman Wilensky, Cozzi Capital went the mile and a sixteenth over a turf course rated “good” in 1:41 2/5 and returned $8.40, $4.40 and $3.20 in the field of nine older fillies and mares. It was a nose back to Oh Deanne O, who completed the $57.40 exacta and paid $8 and $4. Diamond Dina, the pacesetter, was another length and a quarter back in third, good for a $6.40 show mutuel.

QUOTA GETS THERE IN TIME FOR SAFELY KEPT STAKES WIN

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (Sept. 14, 2008) – Adele B. Dilschneider & Claiborne Farm’s Quota overtook pacesetting Magnetic Miss in the waning yards to win the $54,900 Safely Kept Stakes by a half-length on Sunday at Arlington Park. Junior Alvarado rode the Al Stall Jr.-trained daughter of Seeking the Gold who covered the six furlongs over Polytrack in 1:09.65.

The Safely Kept was the second win in three starts this year for the homebred 4-year-old filly, and her fourth victory in eight starts over all. She earned $32,940 to boost her bankroll to $153,731.

Sunday, September 14 2008

Arlington Park Barn Notes: Sun. Sept. 14

JOCKEY JESSE JUMPING BACK IN SADDLE THURSDAY

Arlington Park jockey Jesse Campbell, injured in a spill on Arlington-Washington Lassie Day Sept. 6, has been named to ride three mounts on Thursday’s program at the Northwest Chicago oval.

“I’m going to try and ride Thursday and see how I feel,” said Campbell Saturday afternoon. “I’d like to try and ride three Thursday and two or three Friday, and maybe more than Saturday because it’s a stakes day.”

Campbell’s injuries were originally expected to keep him out of action for a couple of weeks, but the Lake Zurich native feels he has responded well to the daily physical therapy he has undergone for the last week.