Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Tour Ireland Bids to Get It ‘Straight’ in Friday Allowance
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (May 12, 2008) - Veteran horseman Noel Hickey shipped his Florida homebred 3-year-old Tour Ireland from his Irish Acres Farm in Ocala to Calder Race Course to finish a game second in the $400,000 Calder Derby (G3) on Apr. 26 in only the third start of a promising career.
Hickey has the chestnut son of home stallion Tour d’Or entered to make a return trip to Calder for a one-mile turf allowance race on Friday, and money is obviously not the lure on this occasion with more ambitious plans ahead this summer.
Tour Ireland set the pace under pressure from the start in the Calder Derby and was two lengths in front in mid-stretch, but ‘ducked in gap’ in the final sixteenth under jockey Yamil Rosario and finished second at 11-to-1, 1 ¾ lengths behind 3-to-2 favorite Sporting Art.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Smooth Air Likely Bound for Ohio Derby
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (May 11, 2008) - Mount Joy Stable’s 3-year-old Smooth Air bounced out of his 11th-place finish behind Big Brown in the Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs on May 3 in good condition, and trainer Bennie Stutts, Jr. now has him targeted for the $300,000 Ohio Derby (G2) at Thistledown on Sat., May 31.
“He got back here by van on Tuesday,” said Stutts on Sunday morning from his Calder Race Course barn. “He never backed off his feed at all with the whole experience. Other than a little scrape on a hock, he came back fine. He got off badly and was checked twice in the race.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Calder Barn Notes: 5-10-08
‘Paco’ Lopez Wins Four on Friday Card at Calder
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (May 10, 2008) - Apprentice jockey Pascacio (Paco) Lopez made an emphatic statement on Friday’s card at Calder Race Course that he will be a major factor here this summer as he won four races for four different trainers, including one for defending Calder meet leader Kirk Ziadie.
Lopez is a 22-year-old native of Vera Cruz, Mexico and began riding at Calder last summer. He rode Quarter Horses in Mexico before coming to the U.S. where he has posted approximately 80 victories, including 30 at the highly competitive Gulfstream Park meet, and will retain a five-pound apprentice allowance until October.
The four victories Friday brought his total to 11 after eight days to take the early lead with two more than veteran 2006 Calder leader Manoel Cruz at nine with 2007 Calder meet champion Elvis Trujillo third with seven tallies in the early going.
Ziadie sent out Acclaimed Racing Stable’s 7-year-old gelding Deputized to win Friday’s ninth race with Lopez aboard. Ziadie has won the last three straight training titles here, beginning with the 2006 Tropical Meet, last year’s Calder title and the 2007 Tropical meet that concluded on Jan. 2 this year.
Deputized gave Ziadie his fourth winner in the early days of this meet to tie for the lead with veteran horsemen Manny Tortora and Bill White, followed by Eddie Plesa, Jr., Bill Kaplan, Tim Ritvo and Christophe Clement with three apiece.
Gentleman James Gets Class Break in Monday Allowance Feature
Timothy O’Toole’s 3-year-old Gentleman James was last seen leading the field into the backstretch of the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs on Mar. 15 before retiring to sixth behind Big Truck, and returns Monday in a decidedly softer spot at Calder Race Course in a six-furlong allowance with Jose Rivera II aboard for trainer Myra Mora.
A son of Yankee Gentleman, Gentleman James set the pace in the Tampa Bay Derby as previously undefeated favorite War Pass was having a bad day chasing him early in third before trailing in last of seven at the wire. A $30,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase, Gentleman James finished second in the seven-furlong Pasco Stakes at Tampa Bay two starts before in January and may be at his best sprinting.
Gentleman James faces seven rival 3-year-olds in Monday’s ‘non-winners of two’ allowance with Jacks or Better Farm’s Florida homebred Heaven’s Awesome possibly the favorite with Eduardo Nunez in the saddle for trainer Stanley Gold. The son of Awesome of Course also made his last start at Tampa Bay Downs, finishing a dull eighth trying two turns on turf in the Sophomore Stakes on Apr. 5.
However, fans are certain to notice that Heaven’s Awesome finished second in his previous start in a one-mile ‘off-the-turf’ allowance at Gulfstream Park on Mar. 5, albeit 12 ¾ lengths behind Big Brown. Heaven’s Awesome broke his maiden here last summer in his third start and finished second in the Fasig-Tipton Dash on turf after that.
Completing the field for Monday’s feature are Tommy Heard’s Broadway Bobby Z, Jermaine Bridgmohan; Bea Oxenberg’s Smokin Bee, Manuel Aguilar; Michael Sherman’s Moneymaking, Manoel Cruz; Carolyn Hine and partners’ Post Time, Finlay Bishop; Costas Malapanis’ Unlimited Dreams, Elvis Trujillo; and Ellen Raphael’s I’ve Repented, Ariel Smith.
