Wednesday, August 20 2008

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 3 ADDED TO MONMOUTH’S LIVE RACE DATES

Monmouth Park has added one additional live race day to the 2008 schedule – Wednesday, Sept. 3.

The track was originally scheduled to be dark that day, but will now conduct a live race program, boosting this years total number of Monmouth dates to an even 100.

Live racing at Monmouth runs Wednesday through Sunday, with a first post of 12:50 p.m. Additionally, live racing will take place on Monday, Sept. 1 – Labor Day.

LAUREL PARK FALL RACING DATES, STAKES SCHEDULE APPROVED

LAUREL, MD. 08-19-08---The Laurel Park fall stakes schedule was approved this afternoon at the monthly Maryland Racing Commission meeting. Earlier in the month, the Maryland Jockey Club and Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association (MTHA) agreed to eliminate all the open stakes races for the fall meeting, including the Grade I Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash, as the industry faces a shortfall in the purse account.

Because of the reductions the 2008 fall stakes program only includes 11 $50,000 state-bred stakes races and the 12 races on Maryland Million Day, a day of races restricted to the offspring of Maryland-based stallions only. The 23 stakes races will total $2.23 million.

DELTA STORM WINS TURF HEADLINER

Michael House's Delta Storm, the 4-5 betting choice under leading rider Rafael Bejarano, outduelled My City by the Bay in a virtual match race to win Monday's feature, a five-furlong sprint over the infield Jimmy Durante Turf Course.

Delta Storm and My City by the Bay, piloted by Martin Garcia, hooked up shortly after the start and raced as a team, with the former maintaining a slight advantage which he held on to doggedly, finally prevailing by a half-length.

Tuesday, August 19 2008

Menacing tops Kelso Stakes

Robert S. Evans' Menacing tops the $100,000 Kelso Stakes to be run at Delaware Park this Saturday. The mile and a half main track marathon for 3-year-olds and upward has attracted a field of seven.

The last four starts for Menacing have been at Delaware Park. In his most recent, the Kentucky-bred trained by Tim Ritchey ran fourth in the mile and a sixteenth $100,000 RRM Carpenter Jr. Memorial at Delaware Park on July 12. Previously, the 5-year-old son of Lemon Drop Kid ran third beaten 4 ½-lengths to Honest Man (recent winner of the Grade III Philip H. Iselin at Monmouth) in a mile and a sixteenth allowance. On May 10, he finished fourth in the mile and a sixteenth $75,000 Brandywine Stakes. In his only other outing at Delaware Park this year, he ran second in a mile and a seventy yard allowance on April 20. His Delaware Park career record is three wins, two seconds and a third from nine starts. His lifetime record is four wins, three seconds and a third from 17 starts with earnings of $170,960.

Monday, August 18 2008

SARATOGA WEEK 4 NUMBERS; UPDATED, 6:30 P.M.

ROUGH WEATHER LEADS TO SHORT FIELDS AND LOWER HANDLE, BUT STRONG WEEKEND POINTS TO BIG FINISH FOR SARATOGA 2008

Nearly four weeks of continuous rain causing a drastic reduction of turf races and a steep decline in betting interests have resulted in a nearly identical drop in on-track handle, but improving weather bodes well for a strong final two weeks of the 140th Spa meeting, according to the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA). Daily average on-track handle has declined at a rate (8.3 percent) only slightly greater than the decline in betting interests (6.9 percent).

SARATOGA NOTES, Monday, August 18, 2008

Shortly after 6 o’clock this morning, under a clear blue sky, 2007 Horse of the Year Curlin finally got to work over the main track at Saratoga Race Course, drilling seven furlongs in 1:24.84 in his final serious move for the 55th running of the Grade 1, $500,000 Woodward here on August 30.

Working along the rail in company with Hawaii Calls, who was one of the 20 Woodward nominations released this morning by New York Racing Association Stakes Coordinator Andrew Byrnes, an aggressive Curlin cruised through splits of :24 3/5, :36 4/5, :48 4/5 and 1:00, galloping out in 1:37 4/5 after leaving his stablemate in the dust at the quarter pole.

SHAUN BRIDGMOHAN TRAVERS QUOTES; RE: PYRO

SHAUN BRIDGMOHAN (first Travers mount): “He showed a very promising race last time, obviously, and a lot better than what I had gotten from him in his (Kentucky) Derby race. I think he’s coming into the race very well. He breezed this morning (half mile, 52.28, fast Oklahoma training track), looked phenomenal, and I think we’re expecting a good race out of him this coming Saturday.”

“Basically, he’s a horse that you can’t really pay attention to what’s going on around you. You just have to ride him for who he is. Whenever he breaks and puts himself in the game, I just have to ride him accordingly.”

DALLAS STEWART TRAVERS QUOTES, REGARDING MACHO AGAIN

[NOTE: Macho Again is attempting to become the fourth consecutive horse to complete the Jim Dandy/Travers double, following Flower Alley (2005), Bernardini (2006) and Street Sense (2007). Other horses to accomplish this feat are Arts and Letters, 1969; Willow Hour, 1981; Carr de Naskra, 1984; Thunder Rumble, 1992; and Medaglio d’Oro, 2002.]

DALLAS STEWART: “He ran a great race [in the Jim Dandy]. Before the race, obviously, he ran in the Belmont and we thought he ran well for a good mile and a quarter and just got tired. He’s developing. He’s not a very big horse, but he’s developing nicely through the summer. We’re pretty happy with the way he’s coming into it.”

YOU LIFT ME UP TRIUMPHS IN FINAL RACE AT BAY MEADOWS

ALBANY -- The 3-year-old filly You Lift Me Up, jockey Frank Alvarado and trainer Jerry Hollendorfer etched their names in the thoroughbred racing history books Sunday by winning the last race ever run at Bay Meadows.

Before a closing-forever crowd of 10,026, You Lift Me Up took command from pacesetter Tiz Madison in the stretch and scored a 2 1/2-length victory in the $63,450 Last Dance Stakes.

Del Mar Stable Notes 8/18/8

FOUR PACIFIC CLASSIC PROSPECTS WORK -- COAST TO COAST

Two Saratoga-based Pacific Classic prospects, one at Churchill Downs and one at Del Mar, put in their final serious works this morning for Sunday's Grade I, $1-million Pacific Classic at 1 1/4 miles on the Del Mar main track.

Defending champion Student Council polished off his final work with an easy half-mile in 49.89 at Saratoga for trainer Steven Asmussen. Out of Control, one of two Robert Frankel trainees heading for the Pacific Classic, went 5 furlongs in 1:00.12, also at Saratoga. Frankel's Hollywood Gold Cup winner Mast Track came out of his 6-furlong Sunday move at Del Mar in good shape and is going forward, said Frankel assistant Humberto Ascanio.

Calder Adjusts Schedules Due to T.S. Fay

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (Aug. 18, 2008) – Southeast Florida is under a tropical storm warning as Tropical Storm Fay moves across the Florida Straits Monday morning. With heavy rain and gusty winds expected to spread through the area on Tuesday, Calder Race Course will close the main track and training track for training tomorrow as well as cancel simulcast wagering at the facility. There is no live racing scheduled Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday this week.

Sunday, August 17 2008

ALBANY IS CHANCE FOR ANOTHER LECESSE TO MAKE SPA HISTORY

On Wednesday afternoon, Tin Cup Chalice will attempt to become the first horse to win the OTB’s Big Apple Triple when he runs in the 31st running of the $150,000 Albany for New York-breds at Saratoga Race Course. Having won the Mike Lee at Belmont Park and the New York Derby at his home base at Finger Lakes, Tin Cup Chalice will earn a $250,000 bonus from the New York State Thoroughbred Breeding & Racing Program if he wins the nine-furlong Albany.