Wednesday, August 13 2008

JACKSON INVITES BIG BROWN TO RACE CURLIN AT THE WOODWARD STAKES

LEXINGTON, KY (August 13, 2008) – Jess Jackson, majority owner of Curlin, 2007 Horse of the Year, invites Big Brown to race Curlin in the Grade 1, $500,000 Woodward Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York on Saturday, August 30, 2008. Jackson has committed to donate $50,000 from the Jackson Curlin for Kids Fund to the non-profit Belmont Child Care Association, Anna House, if Big Brown, winner of the 2008 Kentucky Derby, Preakness, Haskell and Florida Derby, accepts the invitation.

“Big Brown’s camp recent remarks about Curlin inspired me to offer an incentive to get these two great horses to race at the legendary track at the Spa,” said Jackson. “Both horses are eligible for this race and both have plenty of time to prepare for what would be thoroughbred racing at its very best and in the name of a great cause.”

Tuesday, August 12 2008

RUN AWAY AND HIDE HAS THAT “SPECIAL” SOMETHING

How many two-year-old races has trainer Ronny Werner won with this philosophy?

“I think when a horse lays down all day, you just can’t beat that,” said Werner, the 48-year-old trainer known for his winning ways with young horses. “It’s a great characteristic.”

So when Run Away and Hide arrived in Werner’s barn in Kentucky this spring, the trainer was delighted when the two-year-old bay colt promptly stretched out in his stall for a lengthy nap.

BREEN TRYING TO MAKE A ‘BOLD’ PRESENCE IN ADIRONDACK

Two years ago, after upending favored Octave with 24-1 shot Desire to Excel in the Astoria Stakes at Belmont Park, Kelly Breen came to Saratoga Race Course and almost pulled off another upset in the Grade 2 Adirondack Stakes with 30-1 shot True Addiction, who finished second.

Wednesday, Breen returns to Saratoga with the undefeated Bold Union, who is anything but a longshot among the eight two-year-old fillies going in the 92nd running $150,000 Adirondack Stakes.

UNCOOPERATIVE WEATHER FOR SARATOGA WEEK THREE

Severe thunderstorms, heavy rain, and nearly continuous inclement conditions, with only one glorious, rain-free Saturday, played havoc on attendance and handle figures during Week Three of the 2008 Saratoga Race Course meeting, according to the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA).

The uncooperative weather was punctuated by a deluge which washed out part of the main track and forced the cancellation of eight races on Friday, August 8th.

SARATOGA RAC COURSE NOTES, Aug. 11, 1980; CURLN WORKS

SARATOGA RACE COURSE NOTES

Trainer Steve Asmussen called an audible early Monday morning, switching 2007 Horse of the Year Curlin’s scheduled workout from Saratoga Race Course’s main track to the Oklahoma training track because of overnight rains.

“Mother Nature said, ‘Not today’,” said the trainer, who apparently made the right call as rain again hit the area a few hours after the work.

With regular exercise rider Carmen Rosas aboard, the four-year-old chestnut went out in the second set after the first break, working three-quarters in 1:14.67 over the muddy training track in company with stablemate Hawaii Calls as he prepares for the Grade 1, $500,000 Woodward at nine furlongs at Saratoga Race Course on August 30.

TRAVERS FESTIVAL BEGINS SATURDAY

FESTIVAL CELEBRATES 139th TRAVERS presented by Shadwell Farm WITH NINE DAYS OF FESTIVITIES, FOLLIES AND FUN

The 13th annual Travers Festival returns to the Capital Region in anticipation of the summer’s most celebrated Thoroughbred race, the $1 million Travers presented by Shadwell Farm. A nine-day tribute to the “Mid-Summer Derby”, the Travers Festival culminates in the 139th running of the Travers presented by Shadwell Farm, on Saturday, August 23.

The Travers Festival, sponsored by the New York Lottery, kicks off on Saturday, August 16, and continues through Sunday, August 24. Within that time period, the Travers Festival will help generate hundreds of thousands of dollars for local charities through a variety of community-wide fundraising events and activities including concerts, wine tastings, golf tournaments, art exhibits, a hot-dog eating contest, an ice-cream eating contest, a battle of the brews, and more.

Monday, August 11 2008

BANROCK ROCKS IN WEST POINT HANDICAP

Nyala Farm’s Banrock had a couple of things going for him in Sunday’s $111,000 West Point Handicap for New York-breds at Saratoga Race Course – the weather, and jockey Kent Desormeaux.

Over nine furlongs of an outer turf course rendered soft by afternoon rains, the 5-year-old gelded son of Go for Gin enjoyed a perfect trip, staying three-wide off fractions of 35.37, 50.48 and 1:14.60 set by Mission Approved, then barreling into the lead in the stretch and finishing with a flourish to earn the victory over a pair of longshots.

LATITUDE FORTY HOLDS ON FOR YADDO SCORE

Dee Zee Stable’s Latitude Forty took a liking to Saratoga Race Course’s yielding inner turf course Sunday afternoon, collaring front-running Factual Contender and holding off You Go West Girl for a neck victory in the 29th running of the $107,500 Yaddo Handicap for New York-bred fillies and mares at nine furlongs.

Rain continued to vent its wrath on the Spa’s turf schedule – races 5 and 11 were taken off the turf on Sunday and run on the main track – but the Yaddo survived. Originally carded for Saturday, it was moved to Sunday to share top billing with its male counterpart, the West Point Handicap.

SARATOGA NOTES, Sunday, August 10, 2008

2007 Horse of the Year Curlin is scheduled to work Monday morning between 5:45 and 6 a.m. on the main track, weather permitting, in preparation for his next start, the Grade 1, $500,000 Woodward Stakes here on August 30.

Last Wednesday, Timeform of England ranked Curlin as the best horse in the world. According to Timeform publishers, its ratings are “the merit of the horse expressed in pounds, and is arrived by careful examination of its running against other horses using a scale of weight for distance beaten which ranges from around three pounds a length at five furlongs and two pounds a length at a mile and a quarter to one pound at two miles.”

Sunday, August 10 2008

NYRA TO HONOR OLAH WITH DEDICATION OF SPA SILKS ROOM

Louis Olah, who was the silks man for the New York Racing Association for more than 40 years, will be honored on Monday, August 11th at 10:30 a.m. when the Saratoga Race Course silks room is dedicated to his memory. Additionally, Monday's first race has been named in his honor.

Olah passed away in March at the age of 79 and is greatly missed by everyone who had the pleasure of meeting the 4-foot-8-inch tall, 90-pound lifetime racetracker.

SARATOGA RACE COURSE NOTES, Saturday, August 9, 2008

Hall of Famer Nick Zito has some very promising three-year-olds coming out of the Jim Dandy and Haskell Invitational. Da’Tara, upset winner of the Belmont Stakes, and his stablemate, Anak Nakal, both came out of the Jim Dandy no worse for wear.

Da’ Tara worked well yesterday, going a half-mile in 50.66 on the Oklahoma Training Track. Friday, Zito has decided to try something new for Anak Nakal. He sent him to the turf course.

Friday, August 08 2008

WEST POINT FEATURES REMATCH OF STATE-BRED TURF SPECIALISTS

Sunday’s 29th running of the $100,000 West Point Handicap for older New York-bred males on the turf at nine furlongs will feature a rematch between the 1-2-3 finishers in last month’s Thunder Puddles Stakes, with an additional seven horses looking to crash the party.

Nyala Farm’s Banrock heads the Thunder Puddles contingent following his fast-closing 1 ¾-length score on good turf in July over Gimme Credit and Classic Pack. Three races back, Banrock took Kingston Handicap in similar style on yielding turf.