Wednesday, March 10 2010

Eskendereya Leads Florida Derby Nominations

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL (Wed., Mar. 10, 2010) – Zayat Stable’s Eskendereya, 8 ½ lengths winner of the Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 20, is among 92 3-year-olds nominated for the $750,000 Florida Derby (G1) to be run at 1 1/8 miles on Sat., Mar. 20, and trainer Todd Pletcher has confirmed it is the next logical start for his promising colt.

The 59th edition of the Florida Derby will highlight the biggest day of racing annually on the South Florida calendar and will also include renewals of the $150,000 Swale Stakes (G2) for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs, $200,000 Bonnie Miss Stakes (G2) for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/8 miles, $150,000 Rampart Stakes (G2) for fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles and $100,000 Appleton Stakes (G3) for 3-year-olds and up at 7 ½ furlongs on turf.

Grasshopper & ‘Phil’ Clash in Gulfstream Park Handicap

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL (Wed., Mar. 10, 2010) – William S. Farish and partners’ 6-year-old Grasshopper and Paul Pompa, Jr. and partners’ highly-accomplished sprinter This Ones for Phil meet for the first time going one mile Saturday in the $300,000 Gulfstream Park Handicap (G2), a distance perhaps short for one and longer than the other prefers.

Jockey Alan Garcia rides Grasshopper for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin in the 66th running of the storied event won early in its history by Armed, Coaltown, Sailor, Round Table, Bald Eagle, Kelso and Gun Bow and later by Forego, Bowl Game, Christmas Past, Cigar, Skip Away and Corinthian.

Santa Anita STABLE NOTES, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10TH, 2010

ZENYATTA TO ARRIVE AT SANTA ANITA THURSDAY FOR 2010 DEBUT SATURDAY

The countdown to Zenyatta’s 2010 debut is on in earnest. The undefeated Breeders’ Cup Classic winner is set to accept high weight of 127 pounds for Saturday’s Grade I, $250,000 Santa Margarita Handicap, a race the racing world expects will lead to a showdown with Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra in the $5 million Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn Park on April 9.

Hollinger heads Queen’s Plate Winterbook

TORONTO, March 10 - Undefeated three-year-old Hollinger was today installed the early 5-2 favourite for the 151st edition of the Queen's Plate.

Last year, Sam-Son Farm’s Eye of the Leopard rallied in deep stretch to defeat Mr. Foricos Two U and Milwaukee Appeal to take the winner's share of the $1 million purse. The son of A.P. Indy was 40-1 in the Winterbook.

Rachel Alexandra Stretches Legs in Wednesday Gallop, plus New Orleans Ladies Facts & Figures

NEW ORLEANS (Wednesday, March 10, 2010) – Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra returned to the track Wednesday morning for an easy gallop three days prior to her 4-year-old debut in Saturday’s $200,000 New Orleans Ladies. On Tuesday, the Medaglia d’Oro filly walked the shed row in trainer Steve Asmussen’s barn, the normal routine on the morning following a workout. Wednesday’s exercise came over a fast track on a breezy morning with temperatures in the low-60s.

Traditions, new ideas, fun mark Lane’s End Stakes

FLORENCE, KY . . . March 10, 2010 . . . Community-linked events and traditions mark the 39th running of the Lane’s End Stakes at Turfway Park, set for March 27. With its $500,000 purse, the Grade II Lane’s End virtually guarantees the winner a spot in the Kentucky Derby and has long been a major stop on the Derby trail.

The premier venue for the Lane’s End Stakes is the Maker’s Mark VIP Tent, with seating for about 1,800 fans. Sponsored since 2002 by Kentucky bourbon distiller Maker’s Mark, the tent features Executive Chef Peter Haubi’s grand buffet, premium open bar, and live entertainment. New to the tent this year is the Rube Goldberg-inspired Maker's Mark bar, a whimsical collection of moving parts that represents the painstaking process used to make the famed handmade bourbon.

Traditions, new ideas, fun mark Lane’s End Stakes

FLORENCE, KY . . . March 10, 2010 . . . Community-linked events and traditions mark the 39th running of the Lane’s End Stakes at Turfway Park, set for March 27. With its $500,000 purse, the Grade II Lane’s End virtually guarantees the winner a spot in the Kentucky Derby and has long been a major stop on the Derby trail.

The premier venue for the Lane’s End Stakes is the Maker’s Mark VIP Tent, with seating for about 1,800 fans. Sponsored since 2002 by Kentucky bourbon distiller Maker’s Mark, the tent features Executive Chef Peter Haubi’s grand buffet, premium open bar, and live entertainment. New to the tent this year is the Rube Goldberg-inspired Maker's Mark bar, a whimsical collection of moving parts that represents the painstaking process used to make the famed handmade bourbon.

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.”