Tuesday, March 09 2010
National Steeplechase Association Kicks Off 2010 Season As Organization Charts a Course for Growth
The National Steeplechase Association’s 2010 racing season begins March 20 with the traditional kickoff at Aiken, S.C. In all, the NSA’s spring season encompasses 19 race meets extending from Georgia to Pennsylvania. The historic Tanglewood Steeplechase in Clemmons, N.C., is returning to the NSA schedule on May 8. (See spring schedule at bottom.)
As the new season opens, NSA President Guy J. Torsilieri and the Board of Directors are charting a course for growth for the steeplechase sport in 2010 and beyond. Despite the economic recession, American steeplechasing held its own in 2009. “While much of horse racing was contracting, we added races to our schedule, and the Queen’s Cup meet returned to the spring lineup,” Torsilieri said in a letter to the NSA’s members and supporters. (The full text of the letter is available on the National Steeplechase Association’s website,
http://www.nationalsteeplechase.com.)
Valentine Fever Wins Monday Feature
NEW ORLEANS (Monday, March 08, 2010) – Lloyd Madison Farms IV’s Valentine Fever, allowed to settle behind the early leaders in Monday’s Fair Grounds $44,500 feature, threaded through those with a well-judged ride by jockey Francisco Torres to win the sprint for accredited Louisiana-bred fillies and mares at about five and a half furlongs over the Stall-Wilson turf course by a head.
Trained by Greg Foley, the 5-year-old mare toured the distance in the course rated firm in 1:04.77, returned mutuels of $22, $9.40 and $5.60 and increased her career earnings to $224,969 with her fifth career victory in 21 lifetime starts.
From ‘A’ to ‘Z’ with Zardana Owner Arnold Zetcher
NEW ORLEANS (Monday, March 08, 2010) – The “buzz” concerning Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra’s rivals in Saturday’s $200,000 New Orleans Ladies mostly surrounds the Brazilian-bred mare Zardana.
That’s because she is conditioned by John Shirreffs, who also trains Zenyatta, Rachel Alexandra’s projected rival in Oaklawn Park’s Apple Blossom April 9.
Rachel Alexandra Projected as 1-5 Choice in New Orleans Ladies
NEW ORLEANS (Monday, March 08, 2010) – Based on her unprecedented success as a 3-year-old filly last year, Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra has been installed as the prohibitive 1-5 morning line choice when she faces four female rivals in Fair Grounds’ inaugural running of the $200,000 New Orleans Ladies this Saturday in the super filly’s first start of the 2010 racing season.
The Ladies will be contested at 1 1/16-miles over the main track at the historic Crescent City oval – the same venue where Rachel Alexandra underlined her initial 2009 success with a facile 1 3/4-length win in the Grade II Fair Grounds Oaks a year ago. It will go at 5:15 p.m. CST as Race 10 on an 11-race program with first post set for 12:40 p.m. CST.
Rachel Alexandra Has Final Work Before Saturday’s New Orleans Ladies
NEW ORLEANS (Monday, March 8, 2010) – Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra, with regular exercise rider Dominic Terry aboard, put in her final timed workout in advance of Saturday’s $200,000 New Orleans Ladies this morning, going four furlongs in :49, breezing, over the fast main track at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.
Trainer Steve Asmussen: “It was just an easy half. It’s hard to compare her to anybody else so we just gave her an easy half and let him get along with her and it looked like she went beautiful. She’s a beautiful mover. That’s how she runs and that’s what makes her special. She went over the racetrack very well; it was in great shape this morning. That’s all we could hope for. She got the breeze in, did very well, looked good.”
Three Stakes Reduced by $100k Each
NEW ORLEANS (Monday, March 8, 2010) – Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots will reduce the purses of three stakes races still to be run this season—the Grade II Fair Grounds Oaks, the Grade II Mervin H. Muniz Jr. Memorial Handicap and the Grade II New Orleans Handicap—by $100,000 each, to $300,000.
“This move, painful as it is, ensures that we will not have to cut overnight purses for our final month of racing,” said Fair Grounds Vice President and General Manager Eric Halstrom. “Looking at this from a long-term perspective we have to get closer to a balanced purse account if we are to offer the highest possible purses for our horsemen next season.”
Rachel Alexandra Assigned Post Two for Saturday’s New Orleans Ladies
NEW ORLEANS (Monday, March 8, 2010) – Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra drew post position No. 2 in a five-horse field for her 2010 debut in Saturday’s $200,000 New Orleans Ladies. Regular rider Calvin Borel will be aboard, carrying 123 pounds, the maximum weight as the conditions are written.
Rachel Alexandra will break to the outside of Fighter Wing, who set the pace in last month’s Pelleteri Stakes before fading to second and has been on or very near the lead in all of her recent starts.
‘FESTIVAL FREE PASS’ OFFERED TO WINNERS OF SELECTED GROUP I RACES AS WELL AS ARLINGTON PREPS
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (March 8, 2010) – Arlington Park officials announced that the track will offer automatic starting berths into the Arlington Million and other International Festival of Racing events plus waive entry and starting fees for the winners of selected Group I races overseas as well as the top finishers in the track’s local Festival prep races.
In addition to the Grade I Arlington Million, the August 21 International Festival of Racing includes the Grade I $750,000 Beverly D. for fillies and mares and the Grade I $400,000 Secretariat Stakes for 3-year-olds. All three races will be run over Arlington’s internationally acclaimed turf course.
Emirates Racing Authority (ERA) Horses in Training Sale to be staged this Wednesday
The 2010 Emirates Racing Authority (ERA) Horses in Training Sale, to be staged at Meydan Racecourse at 5pm on Wednesday March 10th, has received in excess of 80 entries with several Dubai International Racing Carnival performers among them.
With a nice balance of Carnival and 'domestic' season horses, there should be something to appeal to all, whatever the budget as racing in the UAE gears up for a first full season at Meydan.
Monday, March 08 2010
Kentucky Derby 136 Update (3.8.10)
NEW YORK / BRITISH INVADER AWESOME ACT ROLLS IN GOTHAM – Mrs. Susan Roy and Vinery’s British import Awesome Act displayed a clear affinity for traditional dirt in his first start over the surface and placed himself in contention for a start in the $2 million Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI) with a stylish victory in Saturday’s Gotham Stakes (GIII) at Aqueduct.
Trainer Jeremy Noseda traveled from his Newmarket yard to watch his favored 3-year-old son of Awesome Again tackle the leaders with a four-wide rally on the far turn and spurt clear in the stretch under Julien Leparoux to hold off runner-up Yawanna Twist by 1 ½-lengths.
Kentucky Oaks 136 Update (3.8.10)
CALIFORNIA / CRISP REBOUNDS TO UPSET BLIND LUCK IN SANTA ANITA OAKS – A third straight Grade I stakes victory by Blind Luck In Saturday’s Santa Anita Oaks (GI) would have made the Jerry Hollendorfer trainee a near-prohibitive favorite for the $500,000-added Kentucky Oaks (GI), America’s premier race for 3-year-old fillies, at Churchill Downs on April 30.
But the race provided another reminder of why races are contested on track and not on paper.
Rachel Alexandra Goes Easy Half-Mile in Last Work for New Orleans Ladies
NEW ORLEANS (Monday, March 8, 2010) – Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra, with regular exercise rider Dominic Terry aboard, put in her final timed workout in advance of Saturday’s $200,000 New Orleans Ladies this morning, going four furlongs in :49, breezing, over the fast main track at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.
Fair Grounds clockers caught fractional times of :25 1/5 and :37 1/5 en route to the official final time of :49, with a five-furlong gallop-out time of 1:01 4/5.
