Aug 5 - Saratoga Special

The Year 10 • Issue 12

✫ aratoga Saratoga’s Daily Newspaper on Thoroughbred Racing

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Miss Canada

Attfield shipper Miss Keller captures De La Rose Tod Marks

Thursday Stakes Previews • Entries/Handicapping

here&there... at Saratoga 517 Broadway, Suite 207 Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 (Second Floor, around the back)

worth repeating

The Special quotes from Saratoga

By The Numbers

“Didn’t need to, but I always do. He was about the same, he couldn’t have gotten better.”

Todd Pletcher, when asked if he looked at Hip 101, the sales-topper, more than once

“I’ll be more nervous when Quality Road runs.”

Todd Pletcher when asked if he’s more nervous running Quality Road in the Whitney or buying the sales-topper

“We’ve got Willard Scott announcing tonight.”

Fasig-Tipton’s Boyd Browning, after Terence Collier warned of a storm Tuesday night

3:27 a.m.: Time of call from Siro’s to the Special’s Sean Clancy Wednesday morning 1:03.40: Time for Eclipse Award winner Gio Ponti to breeze 5 furlongs inside the dogs on the Oklahoma turf Wednesday morning

Names of the Day Ordained, second race. Westrock Stable’s 2-year-old colt is by Pulpit out of People’s Princess.

No Inflation, eighth race. Glen Hill Farm’s 4-year-old is by Repriced.

Hey Babe, 10th race. Why is the 3-year-old filly not trained by Rick Dutrow?

Weather Today: Sun and clouds, chance of thunderstorms. high 86.

Tonight: Partly cloudy, isolated storms. Low 61.

Tomorrow: Summer with afternoon shower. High 82. Low 49 (our first 40 of the summer?).

Saturday: Mostly sunny and clear. High 77, low 50.

Tod Marks

Fore, or Four? The sales grounds turned into a pitch and putt Wednesday.

Sunday: Party sunny. High 83, low 60.

Phone: (518) 490-1175 Sean Mobile: (302) 545-7713 Joe Mobile: (302) 545-4424 E-mail: sean@st-publishing.com or jclancy@st-publishing.com Internet: www.saratogaspecial.com Published Wednesday through Sunday during the racing season.

Every day of Sales Week Aug. 2-8.

The Staff

Editors/Publishers: Sean Clancy, Joe Clancy.

Staff Writers: Phil Janack, Karen Johnson, Mike Kane, Terese Karmel, Ben Meyers, Katie Bo Williams.

Layout/Design: Dan Vunk.

Photographers: Tod Marks, Dave Harmon, Connie Bush.

Handicappers: Gaile Fitzgerald, Dean Keppler, Brian Nadeau, John Panagot, John Shapazian Assistants: Chelsea Brown, Maggie Kimmitt.

Distribution: Ryan Clancy, Jack Clancy, Nolan Clancy, Jane Motion.

Advertising Sales: Contact a Clancy or call Kathy Rubin at (203) 650-6815.

ST Publishing Inc. Home Office 364 Fair Hill Drive, Suite F, Elkton, MD 21921 (410) 392-5867 • Fax (410) 392-0170 www.st-publishing.com info@st-publishing.com The Saratoga Special Steeplechase Times Thoroughbred Racing Calendar The Best of The Saratoga Special Saratoga Days and other acclaimed products and services within the equine industry.

Call us about your editorial needs.

“Editorial excellence is not a goal to be sought and one day acquired and then retired to the trophy case. It is instead an ambition which must be pursued each day, never ending, never totally achieved. That striving, that ambition is an essential part of our newspapers, a cornerstone of what we have been, what we are, and what we will be.”

– Lee Hills, Pulitzer Prize winner, Knight Ridder chief executive, in 1974

“Final Mesa is something very, very special. I think she’s the best I’ve ever trained and I’ve trained some nice horses.”

— Wesley Ward

Selling Hip# 354 • Fasig Tipton NY bred preferred, August 7, 2010 • Half-brother to undefeated 2YO multiple stakes winner FINAL MESA, out of multiple stakes-producing mare FINAL STYLE.

By Andromeda’s Hero: • Son of Fusaichi Pegasus, sire of #1 second crop sire Roman Ruler and leading freshman sire Bandini • Won, or placed in 10 stakes races, including 4 Grade 1 • First foals are 2YO of 2010. 2YO sales average $75,000

catalogue update: final meSa - goes 3 for 3, winning her second stakes race, the $145,500 my dear Stakes at Woodbine by 73/4 lengths.

— Rhapsody Farm/Hidden Lake Farm consignors

Both Final Mesa and Hip#354 were foaled, raised and sales prepped at Dutchess Views Farm E-mail: mail@dutchessviewsfarm.com • Website: www.dutchessviewsfarm.com

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Thursday, August 5, 2010

here&there...

Continued from previous page

“Jack’s been on the vet’s list.”

Trainer Dave Donk, after The Special’s Jack Clancy missed a few mornings

“Free?”

Fan, while tentatively taking Wednesday’s issue of The Special

“Strong.”

worth repeating

The Special quotes from Saratoga

“In an eight-year window of time, the numbers are very consistent. In many respects, it demonstrates how good Saratoga is and the growth of Saratoga. Clearly we’ve had a change in the marketplace in the last two years but if you compare Saratoga in a historical context, it’s still hanging in there which is indicative to the quality of horses we’re being offered right now.”

Trainer Ralph Nicks, about Bill Mott’s coffee

“I do not get involved with the dog training.”

Hall of Fame trainer Jonathan Sheppard as two dogs, tied together, wrestled in his shedrow

“Well, I can cross that off my bucket list.”

Mother of a Special employee after closing down Siro’s Wednesday morning

ATTENTION If you found a camera – or saw someone find a camera – at the viewing stand near the wire on the Oklahoma track after 10 on Wednesday morning, please call The Special office at (518) 490-1175.

Browning, while reading figures scribbled on a piece of paper

“They’re jogging 2 miles, so yeah.”

Trainer Glenn Disanto, while standing in the patrol-judge tower to watch his first set train Wednesday morning, when asked if he wanted a Special

“He was in a bad mood earlier, now he’s more neutral.”

Assistant trainer about his boss

“He acted like he could clip along in 13s all day long so he ought to make a good steeplechaser.”

Trainer George Weaver, about former pupil Dynantonia

“The geeses are on the track.”

Trainer Angel Penna pointing to a gaggle of geese who had congegrated on the turf course Wednesday morning

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Just Sayin’ “I have to thank everybody on the farm for taking such good care of him and taking such a beating from me.”

Bluewater’s Meg Levy, after selling the sales-topper

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3

A.P. SMITHWICK PREVIEW

Three for the Show Sheppard trio set to play big role in Grade II steeplechase stakes by joe clancy

J

onathan Sheppard is not a handicapper. He doesn’t know which one of his three horses in today’s first race will run the best. Doesn’t care either.

“Somehow that side of it doesn’t appeal to me, you could put it under the heading of handicapping and that doesn’t interest me too much,” he said Thursday morning. “All I’m trying to do is get each individual horse to the race the best I can and then we’ll see what happens. They’re running against each other, but I have to treat it like each one is the only horse I’m running.”

Sheppard often starts multiple horses in Saratoga jump races, owing to a big stable, numerous owners and a desire to support the steeplechase product. His three runners in today’s $75,000 A.P. Smthwick Memorial (Gr. II) account for 43 percent of the field and will surely

make an impact on the 2 1/16-mile stakes – the day’s first race. The Smithwick dropped to a field of seven with the expected scratch of Dynantonia, with Slip Away the morning-line favorite at 2-1.

The Sheppard horses – The Price Of Love, Divine Fortune and Arcadius – fit somewhere in the middle of the preview picture but must be respected.

“None of them should be picked first, second or possibly even third,” he said.

“They’re all nice useful horses, just kind of under the best level so far. They’ve all got credentials, but they’ve all got a question or two.”

Owned by Bill Pape, The Price Of Love and Divine Fortune race as an entry (5-1) and sport oddly similar records with four wins and a little more than $170,000 in earnings. The two 7-yearolds chestnuts come from the fertile Pape/Sheppard breeding program and See SMITHWICK page 8

Tod Marks

Divine Fortune is one of three horses entered by Jonathan Sheppard in today’s Smithwick.

We make the grade.

Dave Harmon

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David Scanlon P.O. Box 599 Williston, FL 32696

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P: (352) 528-2329 F: (352) 528-2218 Thursday, August 5, 2010

Thursday, August 5, 2010

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JOHN MORRISSEY STAKES PREVIEW

Not so “Naughty”

Fox Ridge veteran makes second stakes run of meet

P

by joe clancy

icture a circle of sympathetic horses all listening intently. One stands and reluctantly speaks.

“Hello, my name is Naughty New Yorker and I’m a biter.”

“Hello, Naughty New Yorker.”

Potential member of Biters Anonymous, Naughty New Yorker returns to the scene of his near attack of Icabad Crane in the Evan Shipman Stakes 10 days ago. Contrite and repentant he is not, but he would like people and horses to know he’s not such a bad guy.

“It’s more like a growl, not an attack,” said trainer Pat Kelly, of the 8-year-old millionaire who runs in today’s $70,000 John Morrissey for New York-breds.

“Do you suppose he knows he’s getting old and he’s unhappy or cranky

Maggie Kimmitt

Naughty New Yorker

Saturday November 6, 2010

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about it?” said Kelly’s father, Hall of Fame trainer T.J. Kelly. “Maybe that’s it. You know how it is.”

“He’s a nice horse, not so bad,” said groom Ronsendo Lopez. “He’s tough to catch in the stall, he doesn’t want you to catch him. He’s always been like that since he was a baby. Then when you catch him, he’s fine. He likes attention, but he wants you to leave him alone.”

But he really can’t be biting other horses. Icabad Crane reportedly had a mark on his neck, but video evidence was inconclusive.

In the Shipman, Naughty New Yorker blasted through the field on the backside, then faded to finish sixth. Two starts back at Belmont, he broke behind the field and bared his teeth in anger.

Kelly plans to use a drop noseband on the Fox Ridge Farm runner, winless in his last 21 starts but a steady statebred stakes performer with 12 lifetime wins. Listed at 15-1, he faces a tough task today with the likes of 3-5 favorite Driven By Success part of the six-horse field.

“We didn’t plan on running,” Kelly said. “They called and said they were short, I thought I was going to have Good Card ready, but he’s a couple of weeks behind. At least at 6 1/2 furlongs, our horse will have some pace to run into. They go faster early and then he can come running for the last part of it.”

Kelly hopes to see Legal Consent go after the favorite, and maybe even Mor Chances. Rank during the second quarter of the Shipman, Naughty New Yorker should have no problems settling behind the speed under Ramon Dominguez.

“I know he hasn’t won, but he’s been close and I don’t know what else to do with him,” said Kelly. “He’s still a colt. We tried to sell him as a stallion a couple of years ago and nobody wants all-day Quiet American pedigree. He’s a neat horse – big, strong, sound, trains See MORRISSEY page 8

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Thursday, August 5, 2010

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Smithwick –

Continued from page 4

they both own Saratoga jump wins, The Price Of Love in 2008 and Divine Fortune in 2007.

The Price Of Love (Willie Dowling to ride) makes his first jump start since 2009, but prepped on the flat at the Open House here July 18. His stablemate makes his fifth start of 2010 after missing two years. The son of Royal Anthem exits a fourth in a stakes at Colonial Downs July 11. Sheppard’s first-call jockey Danielle Hodsdon gets the ride.

Hudson River Farm’s Arcadius opened 2010 with an allowance score, then placed third in the Grade I Iroquois.

Brian Crowley, who won the Saratoga jump opener last week, gets the call on the 3-1 second choice.

“The Price Of Love hasn’t run over jumps for a year, Arcadius is probably not quite quick enough to win 2 1/16 at Saratoga and Divine Fortune – I don’t know, his last race was a little bit disappointing but I think Dani was being cautious with him and thinking of it as a prep for here maybe. He might need just a little bit more distance too.”

Despite sounding vague, Sheppard knows how to win the race, first run in 1980. His horses have won 10 runnings, including Mixed Up’s victory in the 2009 renewal en route to an Eclipse Award as champion steeplechaser.

Sheppard’s counterpart Tom Voss brings Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s Slip Away into the race, which honors Hall

Jonathan Sheppard

Tod Marks

of Fame steeplechase jockey “Paddy” Smithwick. The gray front-runner will try to improve upon two sub-par finishes here last year. Champion jockey Paddy Young gets the call. Fox Ridge Farm’s Planets Aligned, third in the 2009 Smithwick, also represents Voss and gets Xavier Aizpuru at 4-1.

Peggy Steinman’s Dark Equation, on the comeback trail after being injured in last year’s Smithwick, brings the most back class into the race wtih a win in the 2008 New York Turf Writers Cup (Gr. I) and a second in that year’s Smithwick. The late-running 9-year-old rallied to be third at Colonial Downs in his most recent start. Jeff Murphy rides at 8-1. Irv Naylor’s Dr. Bloomer, once part of Sheppard’s stable, ended a 14-month layoff by placing second at Colonial Downs last time. Darren Nagle gets the return riding assignment at 15-1.

Morrissey –

Continued from page 6

well; he’s the toughest horse in the barn to gallop.”

“He’s like a pet when you know him. He eats everything: apples, corn, peaches, watermelon, cucumbers . . .”

• Repole Stable’s Driven By Success rides a two-race winning streak into the MorrisRonsendo Lopez, groom, sey for trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey about Naughty New Yorker John Velazquez. The 5-year-old son of Precise End won an open optional claimer at Belmont May 31 and backed that up with a state-bred optional claiming win July 1. The chestnut is in form, 2-for-3 at the distance and 2-for-4 at Saratoga.

Trainer Rudy Rodriguez entered Endless Circle, who finished second here July 26 and drops back to state-bred company after two starts outside the ranks. Edgar Prado rides at 5-1. In his last two starts, Legal Consent (Jose Lezcano, 6-1) chased the favorite home and tries to turn it around for trainer Carlos Martin. Mark Hennig sends 2009 Morrissey winner Law Enforcement (Javier Castellano, 8-1) into a rematch with Driven By Success as well while Mor Chances (Rajiv Maragh, 10-1) comes off a win in his first start for new trainer Gary Contessa.

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Fine books and old prints bought and sold.

Appraisals, collections and entire libraries purchased.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

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Thursday, August 5, 2010

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the

Power grid John Shapazian

John Panagot

Gaile Fitzgerald

Brian Nadeau

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Slip Away Arcadius Dark Equation Saucy Stash Skylord Wicky Jones Driven by Success Endless Circle Mor Chances Delano Manhattan Fox Good Entry Elusive Raven Simply Delightful Inflation Hedge Antrim Shield Seeking the Sluice Macedonian Trust of Honor Sensationalist Reign of Kings Godolphin Entry Sr. Henry Brother Nick Bridgetown Flamin’ Hot Don’t Say No Conga Bella Such Time as This Setting Seas

Divine Fortune Slip Away Arcadius Gangsterontherun Saucy Stash Ordained Driven by Success Legal Consent Law Enforcement Ezzy Delano Moon Ala Mode Simply Delightful Inflation Hedge Elusive Raven Antrim Shield Macedonian Indianapolis Starr West Sensationalist Trust of Honor Birdrun Rogue Victory Sr. Henry Westover Wildcat Bridgetown Red Rally Ambidaxtrous Settling Seas Hey Babe

Sheppard Entry Slip Away Arcadius Skylord Saucy Stash Gangsterontherun Driven By Success Endless Circle Legal Consent Delano Good Entry Manhattan Fox Simply Delightful Elusive Raven Cedar Grove Macedonian Antrim Shield Ryvit Starr West Reign Of Kings Trust Of Honor Birdrun Pulpit Point Sr. Henry Bridgetown Westover Wildcat Flamin’ Hot Such Time As This Ambidaxtrous Flask

Arcadius Slip Away Planets Aligned Ordained Gangsterontherun Saucy Stash Endless Circle Driven By Success Legal Consent Ezzy Delano Manhattan Fox Cedar Grove Simply Delightful Elusive Raven Macedonian Antrim Shield Ryvit Reign Of Kings Sensationalist Starr West Atomic Rain Brother Nick Pulpit Point Dazzled Saint Flamin’ Hot Bridgetown Annual Appeal Flask Ambidaxtrous

Records

38/97

31/97

35/97

26/97

Race #

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

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Dean Keppler Divine Fortune (Entry) Planets Aligned Arcadius Saucy Stash Wicky Jones Skylord Driven by Success Endless Circle Legal Consent Delano Academy Run Manhattan Fox Elusive Raven Playing Pirates Inflation Hedge Indianapolis Seeking the Sluice Yankee Scholar Starr West Reign of Kings Sensationalist No Inflation Pulpit Point Summer Patriot Flamin’ Hot Never Content Don’t Say No Spring Elusion Settling Seas Princess Maura

24/97

Thursday, August 5, 2010

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For trip details and to reserve your space, call George Wagner, 1-800-368-0872 or visit our website www.horseracingtripsworldwide.com

thursday’s Saratoga entries Thursday, August 5. Post Time 1 p.m. Entries with program number, post position, jockey, trainer, and morning-line odds.

1st (Post time 1:00) A. P. Smithwick Memorial Steeplechase S. (G2) 2 1/16 Miles (Hurdle) 4&Up PURSE: $75,000 1 1 The Price of Love.......Dowling W............ Sheppard Jonathan..5-1 1A 8 Divine Fortune............Hodsdon D............ Sheppard Jonathan..5-1 2 2 Dr. Bloomer................Nagle D................. Fogarty Desmond...15-1 3 3 Planets Aligned..........Aizpuru X.............. Voss Thomas H........4-1 4 4 Dynantonia.................Rafter C................. Gomena Julie...........6-1 5 5 Slip Away...................Young P J............. Voss Thomas H........2-1 6 6 Dark Equation.............Murphy J............... Fout P Douglas.........8-1 7 7 Arcadius.....................Crowley B.............. Sheppard Jonathan..3-1 A-Coupled: The Price of Love and Divine Fortune Exacta, Trifecta, Pick 3 Races (1-3), Daily Double 2nd (1:35) 5 Furlongs 2YO Maiden Purse: $50,000 1 1 Skylord.......................Velazquez J R........ Pletcher Todd A........2-1 2 2 Ordained.....................Borel C H............... Lukas D Wayne........3-1 3 3 Wicky Jones...............Leparoux J R......... McPeek Kenneth......8-1 4 4 Saucy Stash...............Bridgmohan S X.... Asmussen Steven.....5-2 5 5 Gangsterontherun......Solis A................... Ward Wesley A.........6-1 6 6 Halo Doctor Joe.........Santiago V............. Ward Wesley A.........8-1 Exacta, Quinella, Trifecta, Pick 3 Races (2-4), Pick 4 Races (2-5) Daily Double 3rd (2:08) John Morrissey S. 6 1/2 Furlongs NY BRED 3&Up Purse: $70,000 1 1 Legal Consent............Lezcano J.............. Martin Carlos F.........6-1 2 2 Driven by Success......Velazquez J R........ Pletcher Todd A........3-5 3 3 Naughty New Yorker...Dominguez R A..... Kelly Patrick J.........15-1 4 4 Law Enforcement.......Castellano J J........ Hennig Mark.............8-1 5 5 Mor Chances..............Maragh R.............. Contessa Gary C.....10-1 6 6 Endless Circle.............Prado E S.............. Rodriguez Rudy R....5-1 Exacta, Trifecta, Pick 3 Races (3-5), Daily Double 4th (2:41) 5 1/2 Furlongs (Turf) 3&Up Allow Purse: $52,000 1 8 Capt Obvious..............Albarado R J......... Good John................6-1 1A MTO China....................................................... Good John................6-1 2 1 Manhattan Fox............Leparoux J R......... Clement Christophe.. 7-2 3 2 Academy Run.............Castellano J J........ Tagg Barclay.............5-1 4 3 Ezzy............................Coa E M................ Callejas Bernardo...10-1 5 4 Bachhaus...................Velazquez J R........ Schosberg Richard.15-1 6 5 Moon Ala Mode..........Dominguez R A..... Domino Carl J..........6-1 7 6 Gentlemansapproval...Maragh R.............. Hackworth Robert..30-1 8 7 Spanish Fortune.........Velasquez C........... Clement Christophe.10-1 9 9 Delano........................Gomez G K............ Mott William I...........3-1 10 10 Straight Romance......Cohen D................ Ferraro James W....15-1 11 MTO Jazzy Johann..............Cohen D................ Badgett William Jr....5-1 A-Coupled: Capt Obvious and China Exacta, Quinella, Trifecta, Super (.10), Pick 3 Races (4-6), Daily Double 5th (3:15) 5 Furlongs Fillies 2YO Maiden Purse: $50,000 1 1 Maple Forest..............Cohen D................ Pletcher Todd A........8-1 2 2 Inflation Hedge...........Gomez G K............ Violette, Jr. R A........6-1 3 3 Cedar Grove...............Castellano J J........ Brown Chad C..........6-1 4 4 Deja Blu......................Leparoux J R......... Mott William I.........12-1 5 5 Elusive Raven.............Velazquez J R........ Pletcher Todd A........7-2 6 6 Upper East Sider........Prado E S.............. Kelly Patrick J.........30-1 7 7 Simply Delightful........Bridgmohan S X.... Asmussen Steven.....3-1 8 8 Playing Pirates...........Borel C H............... Lukas D Wayne........5-1 9 9 Arabian Song..............Garcia Alan............ Harty Eoin..............12-1 10 10 Thatagirl.....................Maragh R.............. Contessa Gary C.....20-1 11 AE Maria’s Luck...............Dominguez R A..... Cesare William.......20-1 12 AE Cabriole......................Bridgmohan S X.... Casse Mark............12-1 Exacta, Trifecta, Super (.10), Pick 3 Races (5-7), Pick 6 Races (5-10) Daily Double 6th (3:49) 1 3/8 Miles (Inner turf) 3&Up Maiden Purse: $51,000 1 1 Antrim Shield.............Maragh R.............. Clement Christophe.. 4-1 2 2 Temple Fair.................Gomez G K............ Day James M.........15-1 3 3 Indianapolis (BRZ).....Borel C H............... McPeek Kenneth......4-1 4 4 Seeking the Sluice......Dominguez R A..... Tagg Barclay.............6-1 5 5 Ryvit...........................Cohen D................ Phipps William.........6-1 6 6 Swell Party.................Prado E S.............. Fout P Douglas.......10-1 7 7 Yankee Scholar...........Velazquez J R........ Pletcher Todd A........8-1 8 8 Zhivago......................Leparoux J R......... Bond H James........15-1 9 9 Macedonian................Desormeaux K J.... Mott William I...........3-1 Exacta, Trifecta, Super (.10), Pick 3 Races (6-8), Grand Slam Races (6-9) Daily Double

Sallee Horse Vans 1-800-967-VANS • (772) 260-2586 Thursday, August 5, 2010

Don’t Just Be a Spectator, Be an Owner

Tod Marks

Summer Patriot returns to Saratoga, scene of his John’s Call Stakes victory in 2008, in the eighth.

7th (4:23) 6 Furlongs 3&Up Mdn Clm ($20,000) Purse: $22,000 1 1 Candy Heart................Espinoza J L.......... Stoklosa Richard....20-1 2 2 Trust of Honor............Velazquez J R........ Benzel Seth..............7-2 3 3 Make It Special...........Lezcano J.............. Zito Nicholas P.........8-1 4 4 Sensationalist.............Castellano J J........ Dutrow, Jr. R E.........5-1 5 5 Mr. Hadif....................Maragh R.............. Lostritto Joseph.......8-1 6 6 Knead the Dough........Coa E M................ Galluscio Dominic ...8-1 7 7 Reign of Kings............Dominguez R A..... Domino Carl J..........6-1 8 8 Starr West..................Cohen D................ Jacobson David........3-1 9 9 Scotchirish.................Garcia Alan............ Lerman Roy S..........8-1 Exacta, Trifecta, Super (.10), Pick 3 Races (7-9), Pick 4 Races (7-10) Daily Double 8th (4:57) 1 1/16 Miles (Inner turf) 3&Up Allow/Oc ($75,000) Purse: $57,000 1 6 Pulpit Point................Dominguez R A..... bin Suroor Saeed.....7-2 1A MTO Atomic Rain................Bravo J.................. bin Suroor Saeed.....7-2 2 1 Sr. Henry....................Leparoux J R......... McPeek Kenneth......9-2 3 2 Sheila’s Magic............Maragh R.............. Trombetta Michael.. 20-1 4 3 Brother Nick...............Desormeaux K J.... Jerkens James A......6-1 5 4 Lemon Spice..............Coa E M................ Brown Chad C..........9-2 6 5 Skipadate...................Albarado R J......... Romans Dale..........10-1 7 7 No Inflation................Gomez G K............ Proctor Thomas.......6-1 8 8 Rogue Victory............Castellano J J........ Weaver George.........8-1 9 9 Orthodox....................Mena M................. Glenney John.........30-1 10 10 Summer Patriot..........Velazquez J R........ Tagg Barclay.............8-1 11 AE Veiled Prophet............Hill C..................... Arnold George R.......8-1 12 AE Yorktown (FR)............Garcia Alan............ Motion H Graham...10-1 13 MTO Eye of the Leopard.....Albarado R J......... Howard Neil J.........12-1 14 MTO Birdrun.......................Desormeaux K J.... Mott William I...........3-1 15 MTO Tranquil Manner.........Garcia Alan............ McLaughlin Kiaran...6-1 Exacta, Trifecta, Super (.10), Pick 3 Races (8-10), Daily Double 9th (5:31) Latham S. 5 1/2 Furlongs (Turf) 3YO Purse: $70,000 1 1 Dazzled Saint..............Gomez G K............ Bourke W John.........6-1 2 2 Never Content............Castellano J J........ Brown Bruce R.........8-1 3 3 Westover Wildcat.......Dominguez R A..... Dutrow Anthony ......5-1 4 4 Red Rally....................Albarado R J......... Scherer Merrill R....15-1 5 5 Bridgetown.................Leparoux J R......... McPeek Kenneth G...3-1 6 6 Don’t Say No..............Desormeaux K J.... DiMauro Stephen L..8-1 7 7 Escrow Kid.................Bravo J.................. Doran Carl..............12-1 8 8 Flamin’ Hot.................Garcia Alan............ Violette, Jr. R A........4-1 9 9 Enumerate..................Bridgmohan S X.... Asmussen Steven.....8-1 10 10 That’sthequestion.......Lezcano J.............. Trombetta Michael.. 30-1 Exacta, Trifecta, Super (.10), Daily Double 10th (6:04) 1 Mile (Inner turf) F&M 3&Up Starter allow Purse: $49,000 1 1 Spring Elusion............Solis A................... Rice Linda................5-1 2 2 Hey Babe....................Dominguez R A..... Ritvo Timothy.........10-1 3 3 Princess Maura..........Velasquez C........... Schosberg Richard.12-1 4 4 Settling Seas..............Desormeaux K J.... Mott William I...........5-1 5 5 Flask...........................Leparoux J R......... Kenneally Eddie........6-1 6 6 Such Time as This......Garcia Alan............ Matz Michael R.........7-2 7 7 Can’t Rezist................Hill C..................... Hushion Michael....15-1 8 8 Unique Citizen............Espinoza J L.......... Ortiz Paulino O.......12-1 9 9 Triple Tax Exempt.......Velazquez J R........ Domino Carl J........12-1 10 10 Ambidaxtrous.............Castellano J J........ Bush Thomas M.......9-2 11 MTO Conga Bella................Hill C..................... Dutrow, Jr. R E.........4-1 12 MTO Tribeca.......................Velazquez J R........ Donk David.............12-1 13 MTO Annual Appeal............Borel C H............... Brown Bruce R.........5-1 Exacta, Trifecta, Super (.10)

11

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338 Curly’s Pride filly Saratoga Glen Farm, Agt.

417 Penthouse Melody colt Saratoga Glen Farm, Agt.

375 Katina K filly Blake-Albina Thoroughbred Services, Agt.

471 bay Virginia Sunset colt Saratoga Glen Farm, Agt.

Jose Lezcano

Tod Marks

Saratoga Leaders Through Wednesday

Jockeys Javier Castellano................................16 John Velazquez..................................16 Ramon Dominguez............................10 Julien Leparoux....................................7 Alan Garcia...........................................6 Garrett Gomez......................................5 Edgar Prado.........................................5 Rajiv Maragh........................................5 Eibar Coa..............................................4 Shaun Bridgmohan..............................4 Kent Desormeaux.................................3 David Cohen.........................................3 Jose Lezcano.......................................3 Cornelio Velasquez...............................2 Robby Albarado...................................2 Jose Espinoza......................................2 Channing Hill........................................2 Miguel Mena........................................2 Freddie Lenclud....................................2 Jamie Rodriguez..................................2 Calvin Borel..........................................1

STONESIDER

Trainers Chad Brown.........................................9 Todd Pletcher.......................................8 Bruce Levine........................................4 Linda Rice............................................4 George Weaver....................................3 Bill Mott...............................................3 Steve Asmussen..................................3 Dale Romans........................................3 Tony Dutrow........................................3 Tom Proctor.........................................3

Giant’s Causeway-Added Gold, by Gilded Time Property of Robert & Janice McNair’s Magnolia Racing Stable

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Thursday, August 5, 2010

LATHAM STAKES PREVIEW

Sitting on Go Gr. III winner Bridgetown returns in turf spring for Melnyk, McPeek

2009 NY Bred Yearling Grad undefeated FiNal Mesa demolished the field in the $150,000 My Dear S. at Woodbine by 7¾ lengths

For NY’s finesT Maggie Kimmitt

Second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf last year, Bridgetown leads a field of 10 in the Latham.

by mike kane series of fast works behind him, A Bridgetown returns to the races today in the $70,000 Latham Stakes.

Bridgetown is the only graded stakes winner in the field of 10, but he’s facing a pretty seasoned group of nine other 3-year-olds in the 5 1/2-furlong turf stakes, today’s ninth of 10 races and trifeature along with the A.P. Smithwick Memorial and John Morrissey.

Red Rally has a record of 5-2-2 from 11 starts for trainer Merrill Scherer, Escrow Kid has been out 11 times as well and has been consistently competitive for trainer Carl Doran and Flamin’ Hot has been torrid for trainer Rick Violette with four wins and three seconds in eight career starts. Dazzled Saint brings a three-race winning streak at Presque Isle for owner/trainer John Bourke into the Latham and Don’t Say No has won two straight at Calder for Stephen DiMauro.

Bridgetown, Melnyk Racing’s homebred son of Speightstown, will be making his first start of 2010 following an impressive 2-year-old season for trainer Ken McPeek. He broke his maiden at the Latham distance at Saratoga last summer, won the 1-mile Grade III Summer Stakes at Woodbine in September, finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf and was fourth in the Grade III Generous at Hollywood Park.

“He got a little R&R after running second in that Breeders’ Cup race and came back in a stake at Hollywood Park,” McPeek said. “We tried to stretch him out to a mile last year, but in this case we’re shortening him back up to probably what I would think would be a better distance for him.”

McPeek said the chestnut colt out of the Tabasco Cat mare Ellesmere has matured and is ready to run.

“From 2 to 3 he’s grown and looks good,” McPeek said. “He’s trained super since we’ve had him back.”

Bridgetown’s work tab shows a couple of bullets and four other breezes that were in the top four at the distance that day.

McPeek said he doesn’t have a firm plan in mind for the colt, who will be ridden by Julien Leparoux.

“We’re going to see how he runs first time,” McPeek said. “We suspect that he will run really well.”

McPeek is pretty sure of one thing: Bridgetown is more comfortable on the turf.

“He seems like he likes the grass a lot,” the trainer said. “His dirt works are a lot slower than his turf works. He seems like he’s probably going to specialize in sprints to the maximum of a mile on the turf. I don’t know where we’ll go from here, but he’ll probably stay on the grass someplace in his next start.”

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DE LA ROSE STAKES RECAP

Smooth Sailing

Miss Keller, Castellano navigate a perfect trip in Saratoga turf stakes by sean clancy Javier Castellano knew he had a problem as soon as the entries were drawn for the De La Rose.

Full field. Inner turf. Outside post.

Miss Keller made it easy.

Sent off second choice in the field of nine, the Canadian shipper broke quietly which worked in her favor.

Castellano, hovering above her withers, guided her with a loose rein to the inside rail. She flowed over eight lanes to work a perfect spot in seventh before the field hit the first turn. While fourth choice Miss Catalyst and others clattered into each other around the first bend, Castellano melted Miss Keller on the inside rail. From there, it was connect the dots.

Longshots Be Fair and My Baby Baby led the field through a quarter-mile in 23.88 and a half in 47.22.

Miss Keller responded to the cocoon – switching off and watching the fillies in front of her. Sixth and six wide turning for home, Miss Keller rushed to the lead

Miss Keller (10) glides into position from her outside post early in the De La Rose Stakes Wednesday.

while getting first run on the troubled Keertana who got swept to the inside at the head of the stretch just when Miss Keller lengthened stride. By the wire, Miss Keller had a length on Keertana with Dreamt third after a mile in 1:34.88.

Owned by Three Chimneys Racing and trained

by Roger Attfield, Miss Keller won her first stakes since being imported from Ireland. The daughter of Montjeu won an allowance at Keeneland this spring to go along with three on-the-board finishes in Grade II stakes. Castellano met Miss Keller at Keeneland and

Dave Harmon

learned quickly.

“She’s got a little temper, you can not ride her too hard, you start hitting her and she’ll back up, I watched a couple of her races and I learned a little about her when I rode her at Keeneland,” Castellano said. “You’re better off riding her nice and easy and let her find her kick. If you get too aggressive, sometimes she will panic.”

Miss Keller, adorned in protective headgear after See de la rose page 14

Join a winning team Kathy McKenna Racing 610-470-0636 Quiet Approval wins at Saratoga to continue a 21% strike rate in 2010.

Photo by Tod Marks

14

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Thursday, August 5, 2010

15

De La Rose –

Continued from page 16

getting hit in the eye in her last start, did not panic.

Carrying her head high, with Castellano’s hands nearly in her ears, she sprinted home to win the $70,000 stakes. The jockey credited the trip – into and around the first turn – with the victory.

“I thought if I could get her to handle the first turn then I would win the race. It’s hard to win a race from there, you have to be a really, really nice horse, I was very fortunate to get a good trip,” said Castellano, who won four races on the card. “She broke a little slow, I was able to stick her right behind horses and she relaxed, she lose the bit and was just galloping, that’s the key, it was beautiful.”

Negotiating the first turn with little energy spent

and little ground given made all the difference in the second turn, when Castellano had to produce her late burst while spinning six wide. She made that look easy too. Castellano never turned his whip.

Miss Keller is a member of the second class in Robert Clay’s Three Chimneys Racing LLC, a partnership formed two years ago. Each year, Three Chimneys buys proven fillies from Europe and tries to improve them in North America.

“We want something with form – stakes, gradedstakes placed, listed winner – just to reduce the odds,” Clay said. “It’s more about form than pedigree, if we think we can move them up then we’ll buy them and bring them over.”

The group has three fillies at Woodbine with Attfield. Miss Keller earned the second stakes win of the season for Attfield who won the Grade II Lake George with Perfect Shirl last week.

“We’ve got partners here, she likes the mile, the

timing was right, Roger has had some luck here,” said Clay about the decision.

Three Chimneys recruits fillies who have run well in Europe and could improve.

“You can find horses over there who are groupplaced or listed winners and they can move up a grade here,” Clay said. “You can get a Group III winner who can win a Grade I here occasionally, that’s always our goal, to win a Grade I. It’s about fun, we tell all these guys, it’s just about fun, getting to the winner’s circle.”

Three Chimneys has a stringent management plan in place.

“We’re going to take these fillies back to Newmarket and sell them there this fall. Last year, we sold them here and we left some money on the table,” Clay said.

“We’ll sell them all, that’s the deal, it’s a cash-in, cashout and roll it over into another one, we have eight or nine partners on five or six horses a year.”

SIX 2-year-old winners in 2010 • Sunday Splitsville at Saratoga for Mike Repole and Todd Pletcher

• Another Silver Oak, 3rd in the Sanford at Saratoga for Mike Repole and Todd Pletcher.

• Loving Dove at Monmouth Park for Red Oak Farm and Gregory Sacco.

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• K.R.’s Jazz at Monmouth Park for A Woman’s Thing and Mary Hartman.

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www.newcastlefarm.com 16

Our graduates include:

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Class Act Convocation tames optional claimer, eyes start in Woodward

by PHIL JANACK

WEDNESDAY RECAP

t one point, trainer Jimmy Jerkens gave some thought to bringing Convocation, Centennial Farm’s multiple graded stakes-placed colt, back to the races in the Grade I Whitney Handicap.

Instead, Jerkens opted for an optional claimer Wednesday at Saratoga Race Course, the same day entries were taken and post positions drawn for Saturday’s Whitney. Convocation dueled with 11-1 longshot Glenwood Canyon the length of the stretch, getting his head down at the wire to score by a neck. Odds On finished third.

“We were toying with running in the Whitney, but it looks like the best he could do is run the race of his life and be third, and he’s tired of that,” Jerkens said. “That’s what we’ve been doing the last couple of times. We hoped he’d get a race like this under his belt and get a little boost in his confidence, and then run him back in the Woodward. That’s probably what we’ll do.”

Under Javier Castellano, who had four winners on the day, Convocation

ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.78. The Grade I Woodward, also at 1 1/8 miles, will be run at Saratoga Sept. 4.

“He’s got this good two-turn race under his belt. It might be a good time to try a race like that,” Jerkens said. “I don’t know who else is pointing for it yet, but it can’t be as tough, I wouldn’t think, as the Whitney. It might be the time to try it.”

Convocation had two wins from 10 previous starts, his maiden victory last June over older horses at Belmont Park, and an entry-level allowance in March at Gulfstream Park to open his 4-year-old season.

He ran second in the Grade II Dwyer and fifth in the Grade II Jim Dandy at 3, and this year has run second in the Grade II Suburban and Grade III Westchester, and fourth in the Grade I Met Mile.

The competition was much softer Wednesday, though Glenwood Canyon gave Convocation, who broke from the outside post, everything he could handle down the lane.

A

Convocation (left) battles with Glenwood Canyon late in Wednesday’s optional claimer.

“Those races are tricky. When there’s no speed, no one knows who’s going to go to the lead,” Jerkens said. “If he came out of there a little quicker, we were going to take it if he could cross over, but he didn’t get enough run-up in time and ended up getting hung out real wide.

And, the rail’s unbelievably fast today.

They just keep running. Horses on the rail are fighting back like they haven’t all meet long.”

Jerkens felt the visual might have been a bit deceiving.

“I think it was a little easier than it

Tod Marks

looked,” Jerkens said. “He’s funny that way. He’s not going to do any more than he has to. As soon as he pulled up right next to him, then he surged again.

I’m glad he didn’t keep him out there. If he kept him further out, the other horse might have slipped in and got him.”

• It wasn’t the way they drew it up on paper, but neither trainer Linda Rice nor jockey Channing Hill could argue with the end result.

See wednesday page 19

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Thursday, August 5, 2010

Continued from page 18

Owned by Michael Marceda, Abilio surged to the lead, opening a 16-length advantage with a half-mile to run in Wednesday’s opener, a New Yorkbred allowance on the inner turf. The 3-year-old Pioneering colt held on for a 6 1/2-length victory, hitting the wire in 1:35.97 for a mile.

“Just looking at the Form, I wasn’t wanting to be on the lead, but I know how fast this colt can be,” Hill said. It was Hill’s fourth straight ride on the New York-bred, and second win.

“He stumbled a little bit and I made the mistake of tapping him on the shoulder and kind of kicked him into gear,” he said. “Down the backside, we had a couple of good breathers. He was all by himself and he actually took a nice deep breath, and we just had enough to turn them back.”

Abilio ran through splits of :23.40, :46.12 and 1:10.27, leaving Hill feeling lonely as his competition disappeared in the rear-view mirror.

“It was just like a glorified turf breeze.

You just hope that nobody comes and runs us down,” he said. “He’s kind of a big kid still. He wants to run off a little bit and then, when he gets by himself, he just settles.”

Saratoga’s defending trainer champion, Rice was cautiously optimistic even as the gap between Abilio and the field widened, then began to close rapidly.

“This horse has some quality to him,” she said. “Even though we were in front by so far, and it’s not exactly

“Saddle up and enjoy the ride with Susan Richards.

You’ll love it.”

— Rita Mae Brown

Three elegant tales filled with horses as complicated and spirited as their human counterparts, these are inspiring stories of courage and hope and the ways in which all love — even a horse’s — has the power to heal.

• In the Belmont spring-summer meet that preceded Saratoga, Jose Lezcano finished fourth in the jockey standings with 41 wins from 180 starts, and was fifth in purse earnings with $1,392,061.

The 25-year-old native of Panama had only two wins from his first 45 mounts at Saratoga, with five seconds and 13 thirds, despite riding for meetleading trainer Chad Brown.

“It’s just the luck of the draw,” Brown said. “You’ll end up on some horses that didn’t fire like they were supposed to, or some weather or some scratches. I don’t think it’s really indicative of Jose. I look at his percentages in the money from how many he’s ridden, and he’s doing very well.”

Jockey and trainer teamed up to win Wednesday’s third race with 4-5 favorite Kid Kate, who came from off the pace to run down longshot leader Proclaim and win the 7-furlong optional claimer in 1:23.14 for Dell Ridge Farm.

“I’m always confident when Jose Lezcano rides a horse for me,” Brown See wednesday page 22

Owners, Trainers, Riders & Friends of Betty Merck Her birthday was in January, but the party is today!

Please come raise a glass to her 90th year (85th in the saddle) and to her Horses.

After the races at the Reading Room 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Heritage

Wednesday–

the way we wanted it to go, I knew that he might hang on. The owner bred this horse, and he said that the mother had a lot of speed and she was rank and hard to rate. I wanted to cover this horse up at Belmont the first time we had him on the grass, and it just didn’t happen. I was frustrated because there was enough speed in the race to cover him up that day. Today, I didn’t feel there was much speed in the race and I wanted to put him on the front end – but not by 14. It was pretty exciting, though.”

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19

Wednesday’s Saratoga results Wednesday, August 04, 2010 Track Good 1ST 1 Mile (Inner turf) 3 YO & Up Allowance Purse: $43,000 10 Abilio Hill C 9.60 5.30 3.80 8 Joey’s Chance Prado E S 6.40 4.40 9 Thunder Chief Velazquez J R 4.90 Time 1:35.97 Winning Trainer: Rice Linda - Owner: Marceda Michael B.c.3 by Pioneering - Minni Sangue by Slew Sangue Breeder: Michael Marceda $2 Exacta (10-8) Paid $47.40 $2 Trifecta (10-8-9) Paid $222.50 $2 Superfecta (10-8-9-7) Paid $656.00

Paint the town blue and yellow

Racing Partnerships

2ND 5 1/2 Furlongs (Turf) 3&Up Maiden Special Purse: $50,000 1 Fiscal Stimulus Velazquez J R 3.10 2.30 2.10 7 Ender’s Universe Gomez G K 4.90 3.10 3 Promovedor Glory Leparoux J R 3.40 Time 1:03.00 Winning Trainer: Brown Chad C Owner: Klaravich Stables, Inc. and Lawrence, W.H. Ch.c.3 by Roman Ruler - Grab Gingerly by Fred Astaire Breeder: S Morris, B Graves & D Lanni $2 Exacta (1-7) Paid $13.80 $2 Quinella (1-7) Paid $11.40 $2 Trifecta (1-7-3) Paid $57.00 $2 Daily Double (10-1) Paid $18.80 Daily Double Pool $214,513 $2 Superfecta (1-7-3-6) Paid $181.00 3RD 7 Furlongs 3&Up Allowance OC ($50,000) Purse: $54,000 3 Kid Kate Lezcano J 3.80 2.80 2.20 4 Proclaim Velazquez J R 7.30 3.90 6 Hit It Rich Maragh R 2.50 Time 1:23.14 Winning Trainer: Brown Chad C - Owner: Dell Ridge Farm B.f.3 by Lemon Drop Kid - Run Kate Run by Cherokee Run Breeder: Dell Ridge Farm LLC $2 Exacta (3-4) Paid $34.80 $2 Trifecta (3-4-6) Paid $76.50 $2 Pick 3 (10-1-3) 3 Correct Paid $25.40 Pick 3 Pool $105,503 $2 Daily Double (1-3) Paid $5.20 Daily Double Pool $59,863 4TH 6 Furlongs 2 YO Maiden Special Purse: $40,000 1 Bug Juice Castellano J J 5.80 3.40 6 Bound by Humor Samyn J L 4.00 7 Double Black Dominguez R A Time 1:10.83 Winning Trainer: Levine Bruce N - Owner: Our Blue Streaks Stable B.g.2 by Mingun - Twilight Express by Twilight Agenda Breeder: Milfair Farm Inc. $2 Exacta (1-6) Paid $18.60 $2 Quinella (1-6) Paid $11.00 $2 Trifecta (1-6-7) Paid $63.50 $2 Pick 3 (1-3-1) 3 Correct Paid $12.00 Pick 3 Pool $63,621 $2 Daily Double (3-1) Paid $10.00 Daily Double Pool $73,391 $2 Superfecta (1-6-7-2) Paid $360.00

2.50 2.70 4.30

5TH RACE 5 1/2 Furlongs 3&Up clm ($20,000) Purse: $25,000 10 Daily Star Castellano J J 5.30 3.60 3.50 3 Buddys Dream Prado E S 9.40 5.40 4 Speed Dating Hill C 3.60 Time 1:04.38 Winning Trainer: Terranova John P II - Owner: Four Roses Thoroughbreds Ch.f.4 by Five Star Day - Fozzie Lady by Bold Revenue Breeder: Dixiana Stables LLC $2 Exacta (10-3) Paid $68.00 $2 Trifecta (10-3-4) Paid $223.50 $2 Pick 3 (3-1-10) 3 Correct Paid $30.20 Pick 3 Pool $72,501 $2 Pick 4 (1/5/9-3-1/3-10) 4 Correct Paid $45.00 Pick 4 Pool $187,556 $2 Daily Double (1-10) Paid $18.80 Daily Double Pool $57,389

6TH 7 Furlongs 3 YO & Up Claiming ($15,000) Purse: $20,000 1 Runweiser Gomez G K 21.20 8.30 6.80 9 Renewed Hope Espinoza J L 4.40 3.80 6 Audies Champ Richards G G 8.40 Time 1:23.50 Winning Trainer: Duggan David P - Owner: Silverton Hill LLC Ch.g.3 by Milwaukee Brew - Dream Affair by Touch Gold Breeder: Team Penney Racing & Mike Oliveto $2 Exacta (1-9) Paid $121.00 $2 Trifecta (1-9-6) Paid $1,864.00 $2 Pick 3 (1-10-1) 3 Correct Paid $216.00 Pick 3 Pool $70,700 $2 Daily Double (10-1) Paid $108.50 Daily Double Pool $68,333 $2 Superfecta (1-9-6-8) Paid $21,331.00 7TH 1 1/8 Miles 3 & Up Allowance OC ($50,000) Purse: $55,000 9 Convocation Castellano J J 2.60 2.20 2.10 2 Glenwood Canyon Gomez G K 5.60 3.20 8 Odds On (BRZ) Leparoux J R 3.40 Time 1:48.78 Winning Trainer: Jerkens James A - Owner: Centennial Farms B.c.4 by Pulpit - Shade Dance by Nureyev - Breeder: Darley $2 Exacta (9-2) Paid $10.40 $2 Trifecta (9-2-8) Paid $45.80 $2 Daily Double (1-9) Paid $35.20 Daily Double Pool $64,825 $2 Pick 3 (10-1-9) 3 Correct Paid $113.00 Pick 3 Pool $75,875 8TH De La Rose Stakes 1 Mile (Inner turf) 4&Up Purse: $70,000 10 Miss Keller (IRE) Castellano J J 7.40 3.90 3.00 4 Keertana Lezcano J 3.50 2.80 1 Dreamt (GB) Desormeaux K J 4.40 Time 1:34.88 Winning Trainer: Attfield Roger L - Owner: Three Chimneys Racing LLC B.f.4 by Montjeu (IRE) - Ingozi (GB) by Warning (GB) Breeder: Hascombe and Valiant Studs $2 Exacta (10-4) Paid $21.60 $2 Trifecta (10-4-1) Paid $123.50 $2 Grand Slam (3,4,10-1,6,9-2,8,9-10) Paid $28.00 $2 Pick 3 (1-9-10) 3 Correct Paid $125.00 Pick 3 Pool $65,798 $2 Daily Double (9-10) Paid $8.90 Daily Double Pool $85,809 $2 Superfecta (10-4-1-8) Paid $902.00 9TH 1 1/16 Miles (Turf) 2 YO Maiden Special Purse: $51,000 9 Silver Medallion Velazquez J R 9.50 5.50 4.10 4 Forum Castellano J J 4.80 3.40 2 Nolangrant’skitten Leparoux J R 5.10 Time 1:45.82 Winning Trainer: Brown Chad C - Owner: TYB Stable B.c.2 by Badge of Silver - Another Vegitarian by Stalwart Breeder: Brereton Jones $2 Exacta (9-4) Paid $43.20 $2 Trifecta (9-4-2) Paid $382.00 $2 Superfecta (9-4-2-1) Paid $1,690.00 $2 Daily Double (10-9) Paid $34.20 Daily Double Pool $207,222 $2 Pick 3 (9-10-9) 3 Correct Paid $36.00 Pick 3 Pool $176,977 $2 Pick 4 (1-1/3/5/9-10-9) 4 Correct Paid $681.00 Pick 4 Pool $345,213 $2 Pick 6 (1/3-10-1-1/3/5/9-10-9) 5 Correct Paid $23.20 Pick 6 Pool $2 Pick 6 (1/3-10-1-1/3/5/9-10-9) 6 Correct Paid $2,999.00 Pick 6 Pool $76,226 Saratoga Attendance: 14631 Mutuel Pool: $2,014,281 ITW Mutuel Pool: $2,615,987 ISW Mutuel Pool: $6,120,932

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Thursday, August 5, 2010

Wednesday’s Saratoga winners • Photos by dave harmon

1 Abilio

2 Fiscal Stimulus

3 Kid Kate

4 Bug Juice

5 Daily Star

6 Runweiser

7

8 Miss Keller

9

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Wednesday –

Continued from page 19

“My son (5-year-old Jack) knows I like the bug juice at night,” Galvin said. “He’ll say, ‘Dad, isn’t it time for a bug juice?’ It’s time right now.”

said. “There’s never any doubt in my • It rained enough overnight that Wednesmind I’m going to get a good effort and a day’s fifth race (a 5 1/2-frulong $20,000 claimsmart ride. He came to the paddock with er) was taken off the turf, the only one of five a plan, this kid. He said, ‘I’d like this filly scheduled grass races to be moved to the dirt. to rate. I know last time she was battling As a result, Four Roses Thoroughbreds’ for the lead on the cutback. I’m going to 4-year-old filly Daily Star, entered for main rate her.’ He had a very assertive plan. I track only, drew into the race and made trainer said, ‘You know what, I’m going to let John Terranova look like a genius. you do whatever you want to do.’ Down “I left last night and they said it was going to the backside, I was a little concerned only rain, but I didn’t know it was going to rain that because she was between horses and it much,” he said. “You never know up here. I looked like she steadied a bit. He told me guess I caught a break. You need them up here. she did steady a little bit, but he was never You need them everywhere in this game.” really worried because she felt great the Daily Star ended up with meet-leading jockentire trip.”

Dave Harmon ey Javier Castellano replacing Channing Hill, Lezcano won the inaugural Breeders’ Silver Medallion (9) wins a slugfest with Forum on the line in the ninth race. who had first call on Speed Dating for trainer Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and the Grade Mike Hushion. Speed Dating finished third.

30 drought.

III Miss Grillo on Maram for Brown, who Daily Star won for the fourth time in 10 lifetime Bug Juice’s victory in Wednesday’s fourth race (a starts, but the first since finishing sixth of seven in an registered three wins Wednesday to overtake Todd state-bred maiden for 2-year-olds) was Galvin’s sixth entry-level allowance on Aqueduct’s inner track in late Pletcher in the trainer standings, 9-8.

“He puts me on good horses,” Lezcano said. “I ap- at Saratoga, by his own count, and no less thrilling February. She tuned up for the race with a pair of bulpreciate the opportunity. I started a little slow here, but than the first. let half-mile works on the Oklahoma training track.

“You know, I love going to Keeneland,” Galvin that’s the way it goes sometimes in this business. Some “She just wasn’t right, so we did right by her,” Tersaid. “But I love Saratoga more.” weeks are good, and some weeks are not so good.” ranova said. “Nothing in particular. My crew up here, A juvenile son of Mingun, Bug Juice was purchased (assistant) Reynaldo (Abreu) and everyone did an awe• Neal Galvin still lives in the same Saratoga Springs for $2,700 at the New York Breeders’ Sales Co. fall some job. She was up here all spring. She’s a fast filly. neighborhood where he grew up, only blocks from the breeding stock sale in October 2008. He went gate- She’s a little quirky, but she’s fast. When she has things to-wire for trainer Bruce Levine, stopping the clock in her way, she’s tough. She’s been a real useful filly.” clubhouse gate.

Back then, he used to jump the fence to get on the 1:10.83 for 6 furlongs.

“You know what’s funny?” Galvin said. “My wife grounds. These days, he is the owner of AFSCO Fence NOTES: Castellano, who won five on a single day earlier Supply, a local company that installed fences around and my friend Rita went to the sale and picked him in the meet, just missed getting his fifth victory Wednesday out.

I swear he looked like a little alligator.

I come over the paddock and the former security barn compound and they say, ‘Oh my God, we love him so much. He’s when Forum lost a head bob to Silver Medallion in the finale on the backstretch.

He’s also a horse owner, running as Our Blue so beautiful.’ He actually looked like a stuffed animal, – a turf race for maiden 2-year-olds. Brown’s third winner Streaks Stable, a tribute to the athletic teams at Sara- with a swayback and everything. I said, ‘That’s not of the day, Silver Medallion (John Velazquez) turned aside toga Springs High, where he graduated with the class him, right?’ They were like, ‘He’s so beautiful. Wait ’til Forum after a back-and-forth stretch battle . . . The Whitney drew six entrants: Quality Road, Blame, Musket Man, Mine of 1977. Galvin, 50, won for the first time at his you see him.’ That’s him. Unbelievable.”

That Bird, Haynesfield and Jardim.

And the name? hometown track on Aug. 16, 2006, ending an 0-for-

170 south broadway saratoga springs, ny 12866

22

Thursday, August 5, 2010

cupofcoffee

by Sean Clancy

Pizza boxes teeter on the top of trash cans. Stall plaques, promising the world a few days earlier, lean against stall doors or hang in solitary, remnants. White kickboards are strewn for pickup and storage until the next show. Muck sacks get thrown in a heap, then filled in a heap, then tossed in a heap.

A gray filly sleeps, flaked out in a straw bed, too much stress for a young horse. A chestnut colt kicks the full white screen, it sounds like cell doors, too much stress for a young horse. Pinhooker Murray Smith divides a yearling purchase while sitting on a park bench in front of Bluewater Sales.

The kitchen girls tally up receipts. Newpapers blow in the wind. Stonedust has taken over the walkways.

Gainesway’s posters still hang with pride.

The Fasig-Tipton grounds crew work like they’re being chased. A few haggard wanna-be buyers kick tires looking for one who might have fallen through the cracks. Team Sallee organizes shipping papers, slip by slip.

Two men in coveralls wheel a handcart toward Henry Street, complete with a ladder, sleeping bag and enough fans to lift a small boy off the ground. An econo-size box of Chex Mix lies at the end of a shedrow. Marshall Silverman’s consignment is long gone, nothing but a cardboard plaque for a horse with a new home. Taylor Made still looks tidy, even on moving day. Bluewater’s ice cream truck has been unplugged.

Closing Time The circus has left town.

The 2010 Fasig-Tipton Select Sale is in the books.

Numbers were down, consignors looked beaten and spoke somberly the morning after; buyers remained skeptical, hands in their pockets the night before.

Both sides of the trade knew the sale couldn’t keep the zenith pace set last year, they were just hoping it would keep some pace. More than $32 million went through the till; $20 million less than a year ago. People buy on confidence, they have no confidence in the economy, racing or their bank.

Consignors look hung over (some by booze, others by RNA), still reeling from the night before. Free lunches are over.

The wave of New York-bred consignors begin to filter in, replacing KY-Bred with NY-Bred on the stall doors. Paramount, Denali and Legacy are sticking around for the Preferred Sale, their props still in place.

Nobody’s moving quickly. Boys rake, the incessant raking sounds like static from a radio, you get used to it. Wide-eyed yearlings negotiate their way across the macadam and to awaiting Sallee and Brook Ledge vans. The show’s over.

Meg Levy, casual, puts out a few more fires and organizes a last-minute details. She sold the sales-topper, a colt by A.P. Indy. Champions on both sides of his pedigree, he fetched $1.2 million from Todd Pletcher and Ben Leon. They called the colt Superman on the farm. Levy watched the proceedings as Pletcher bid.

Knowing the reserve, knowing the expectations, Levy watched with knowledge, counting every bid until the horse was in the black and out of the red.

That was Tuesday night when the lights glowed and the auctioneers flowed. By Wednesday morning, Levy was one of the few left standing. She was packing un-

der the trees in front of what was left of her consignment. She was ready to get out of town.

Saratoga will wear on you, especially if you’re holding the trigger on a potential sales-topper. The public sales are exactly that – public. If you fail, it’s public failure, right on the results page the next morning.

RNA. Of course, if you succeed, it’s public success.

HR. For Levy and the rest of the consignors, it’s a moment of action in a lifetime of preparation. She’s been on the losing side of things as well.

I stroll up, still fishing for this column, my finger on my recorder. Levy looks tired. Stressed. Hardly, jubilant after such a heady night.

“I’m dealing with stuff on the farm,” she said minutes before heading home. “Saratoga has a way of . . . you just never know what’s going to happen” Levy smiled and said goodbye. Tired, but content.

Saratoga fading in her mirror. The big top put away for another year.

Tod Marks

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