Monday, July 14 2008

Calder’s Summit of Speed recap

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (July 13, 2008) – Calder Race Course presented its ninth annual Summit of Speed program, a day dedicated to sprint races – including four Graded stakes – on Saturday, July 12. The $400,000 Grade I Princess Rooney Handicap and $400,000 Grade II Smile Sprint Handicap, both Breeders’ Cup ‘Win and You’re In’ races for their respective divisions, highlighted the card that attracted a meet-to-date high attendance of 8,425 racing fans.

The enthusiastic on-track crowd wagered $731,114 on the 12-race program, which included a total six stakes races. Racing fans at inter-track wagering (ITW) facilities throughout the state of Florida bet another $442,512, while customers at intra-state wagering (ISW) locations around the country added $4,360,238 to bring the total handle to $5,533,864 – the highest of the season that began on April 21.

Arlington Park Barn Notes: Sun. July 13

‘RUSTY’ RULES MILLION PREVIEW DAY WITH STREAM CAT, COMMUNIQUE

First, Stream Cat captured the Grade III Arlington Handicap in a tune-up for the Grade I Arlington Million, and then Communique captured the Grade III Modesty Handicap as the final local prep for Grade I Beverly D. to give conditioner George “Rusty” Arnold a training double during Chicago’s Million Preview Day on Saturday at Arlington Park.

Both Stream Cat, owned by Fab Oak Stable, Bobby Hurley and John Goldthorpe; and Communique, G. Watts Humphrey Jr.’s feminine color bearer; came out of their respective races in good order. So what’s next? Is the Arlington Million on the second Saturday in August on the radar for Stream Cat?

Sunday, July 13 2008

Dink Adoo ‘Cheats’ Favorite in Dygert Memorial

Stickney, IL---Sometimes the fourth time’s the charm.

The Panhellenic Stable Corporation’s Dink Adoo showed that perseverance and talent will eventually win the day when in his fourth attempt at the $90,000 Erwin F. Dygert Memorial Trot, the nine-year-old gelding took top prize. He rallied from last to first to put a head in front of favored Before He Cheats and win Hawthorne’s most prestigious trotting event.

L T’s Best finished third, beaten only a quarter-length for all the money.

Saturday, July 12 2008

Secret Getaway lands Toronto Cup victory

TORONTO, July 12 - Illinois invader Secret Getaway captured his second straight Woodbine stakes event in Saturday's $150,000 Toronto Cup Stakes.

The chestnut colt rallied from off the pace and opened up impressively in the last furlong to defeat runner-up Barreling Home and third-place finisher Marlang.

Owned by Sand and Cee Stables and trained by Michael Stidham, Secret Getaway travelled 1 1/8 miles in 1:52.54.

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.