Saturday, July 24 2010

AVERAGE ON-TRACK HANDLE HOLDS STEADY AT 2010 BELMONT PARK SPRING/SUMMER MEET

ELMONT, N.Y. – On-track handle held steady and all-sources handle slipped marginally at the 2010 Belmont Park Spring/Summer Meet compared to 2009 figures, decidedly outperforming industry-wide year-to-year decreases of 5.8 percent in June, 8.0 percent through the first six months of 2010, and double-digit handle drops at other recently-concluded spring thoroughbred meets, according to the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA).

“The Belmont numbers are a big win for NYRA given the reduced horse population and increased competition from the Monmouth Park experiment,” said NYRA president and CEO Charles Hayward. “Meanwhile, the stalls at Saratoga are packed with two-year-olds, turf horses, and stakes horses, an encouraging sign of a powerful meet to come here at the Spa.”

Friday, July 16 2010

BELMONT PARK NOTES: Friday, July 16, 2010

ELMONT, N.Y. – One week from today, the gates will open at Saratoga Race Course for the 142nd time and Opening Weekend promises to be an exciting one with the Grade 3, $100,000 Schuylerville for 2-year-old fillies on Friday, the Grade 1, $250,000 Betfair TVG Coaching Club American Oaks for 3-year-old fillies on Saturday, the Grade 2, $150,000 Sanford for 2-year-olds on Sunday and the $75,000 Evan Shipman for New York-breds on Monday.

Expected to head the field for the six-furlong Schuylerville is the Wesley Ward-trained Final Mesa, who has won all three of her races by a combined margin of 20 lengths, including a 7 ¾-length score in the My Dear Stakes at Woodbine in her most recent start.

“KIARAN’S KIDS” ENJOY SUMMER OUTING AT BELMONT PARK

ELMONT, N.Y. – Thursday was a great afternoon for a group of elementary school students from Elmont, starting with a behind-the-scenes backstretch tour of trainer Kiaran McLaughlin’s barn and finishing with a winner’s circle celebration at Belmont Park.

McLaughlin, who has hosted small groups of sixth-graders as part of an after-school program with Gateway Youth Outreach since last fall, received an expanded audience Thursday as 29 children in grades 4-6 assembled at his barn for a horseshoeing demonstration from farrier Liam Goodwin and an equine anatomy lesson and x-ray demonstration from veterinarian Kristian Rhein, DVM, CVA.

NEW YORK WATCH: SOVEREIGN DEFAULT

ELMONT, N.Y. – His name might be Sovereign Default, but the $95,000 his connections paid for him as a yearling is looking like a solid investment after the 2-year-old broke his maiden on debut Thursday at Belmont Park.

With the victory, Sovereign Default joins the New York Watch series, profiling up-and-comers that have recently cleared the maiden ranks at Aqueduct, Belmont Park, and Saratoga. Sovereign Default’s page is located at http://www.nyra.com/nywatch/SovereignDefault.html.

Thursday, July 15 2010

LATE BLOOMERS STRADIVINKSY, FORMIDABLE CLASH IN JAIPUR

ELMONT, N.Y. – A sharp Stradivinsky will put a three-race winning streak at risk when he steps up in class for Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Jaipur, the final stakes of the 2010 Spring/Summer Meet at Belmont Park.

An easy winner against $25,000 claimers in a turf sprint at Gulfstream Park on March 7, Stradivinsky followed that performance with an equally impressive score against $35,000 claimers when dashing on the grass at Arlington Park on May 1. Sent to Churchill Downs by trainer Larry Rivelli, the 7-year-old gelding scored by 2 ¼ lengths on May 27.

POSITION LIMIT, BY STEINBRENNER’S BELLAMY ROAD, BREAKS MAIDEN ON DEBUT AT BELMONT

ELMONT, N.Y. – George Steinbrenner, the principal owner of the New York Yankees who passed away Tuesday at the age of 80, was renowned for his will to win, and Position Limit helped keep that legacy alive today at Belmont Park when she broke her maiden impressively.

Position Limit is a 2-year-old daughter of freshman sire Bellamy Road, who dominated his opponents in the 2005 Grade 1 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct Racetrack by 17 ½ lengths while racing for Steinbrenner’s Kinsman Stable.

NYRA EXPANDS IN-HOUSE DRUG TESTING PROGRAM, CLOSES SECURITY BARN

ELMONT, N.Y. -- The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) announced plans today to expand and enhance its in-house drug testing program to detect illegal performance-enhancing substances in thoroughbred race horses utilizing state-of-the-art science, technology, and procedural processes. As a result, NYRA’s backstretch security barn, initiated in May 2005, will become obsolete and will cease operations as of opening day at Saratoga Race Course, Friday, July 23.

The expanded program includes random out-of-competition testing designed to effectively deter the use of blood doping agents such as Erythropoietin (EPO), bronchial dilators, and other emerging threats. Out-of-competition testing will focus primarily on claimed horses, horses shipping in and out of NYRA tracks, horses running in stakes races, and other random occurrences.

Saturday, July 10 2010

GIO PONTI MOWS THEM DOWN IN MAN O’WAR

ELMONT, N.Y. – Reigning Turf Champion and Older Male Gio Ponti ran down 53-1 pacesetter Mission Approved in the final strides of the $600,000 Man o’War Saturday afternoon at Belmont Park to win consecutive runnings of the race and capture his fifth career Grade 1 victory.

Breaking from the far outside as the 2-5 favorite in the field of eight, Gio Ponti settled in last as the field crawled through opening fractions of 26.13 and 52.27. He advanced coming out of the far turn, swung four wide into the lane and closed unrelentingly after splitting horses in the stretch to prevail by a neck over the Naipaul Chatterpaul-trained Mission Approved, who led nearly every step of the way as the longest shot on the board.

BELMONT PARK NOTES - Friday. July 9 2010

ELMONT, N.Y. – The final stakes for Belmont Park’s spring/summer meet is next Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Jaipur Breeders’ Cup on the Widener Turf, with seven probables eyeing the six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up.

Escrow Kid, recent winner of a stakes at Monmouth Park; Formidable, fourth in the Grade 2 True North on Belmont Stakes Day; Perfect Officer, fourth in a stakes in New Jersey on June 5; Stradivinsky, winner of three straight claiming races out of state; True to Tradition, winner of a starter handicap at Philadelphia Park on June 22, and Yield Bogey, who won an optional claimer at Belmont on June 25, and Our Friend Harvey, third in that race, are likely for the Jaipur, according to Andrew Byrnes, stakes coordinator for The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA).

Thursday, July 08 2010

ALLEN JERKENS INTERVIEW FROM ON THE LEAD

ELMONT, N.Y. – Each month, On The Lead, the monthly email newsletter of The New York Racing Association, Inc., (NYRA) does an in-depth interview with a racing personality. This is in addition to information on upcoming news and events, advance information on major stakes races, recent news developments, the latest information on the NYRA Rewards wagering program, exclusive podcasts, and computer desktop wallpapers featuring the top stakes performer from the previous month.

Fans can sign up to receive On The Lead at http://www.nyra.com/belmont/stories/OnTheLead.shtml.

GIO PONTI COMMANDS RESPECT IN MAN o’WAR

ELMONT, N.Y. – Although still looking for his first win of 2010, dual Eclipse Award winner Gio Ponti’s elite combination of class and ability makes him the overwhelming 1-2 morning line favorite in Saturday’s 52nd running of the Grade 1, $600,000 Man o’War at Belmont Park.

Gio Ponti heads a field of eight in the 1 3/8-mile turf race, one of four consecutive Grade 1 contests he won last year en route to Eclipse honors as both top male turf horse and older male.

Tuesday, July 06 2010

NY-BREDS SWEEP THREE BELMONT WEEKEND GRADED STAKES

ELMONT, N.Y. – It was a historic weekend at Belmont Park, as New York-bred horses swept all three graded races; Haynesfield impressively winning the Grade 2 Suburban on Saturday, Franny Freud running away with the Grade 1 Prioress on Sunday, and Rightly So hanging on in deep stretch to take Monday’s Grade 3 Bed o’ Roses Handicap by a head.

“This holiday weekend demonstrated where New York-breds are today, quality pedigrees, graded performances,” said Jeffrey Cannizzo, executive director of the New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc.