Welcoming a new soul into the horse racing world at Hill ‘n’ Dale. GLENN SIKURA helps out EXPECT THE END, who won over $200,000 and was a stakes winner by Precise End, as she delivers a Silent Name (JPn) colt. Thanks to Lorie Sikura for these awesome images of this special moment. Good luck to this colt in the future (he’s ‘Expecting a Name’…just an idea!)
ASSERTING BEAR, WE MISS ARTIE HEAD CANADIANS TRYING THE SPIRAL
Early look with comments on each horse below.
The fields for the $550,000 Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati Spiral Stakes and the $125,000 Pure Romance Bourbonette Oaks, both to run at Turfway Park this Saturday, were drawn today.
Both Grade 3, the races are designated qualifiers for the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Kentucky Oaks (G1), respectively, offering 50 points to the winner, 20 to the runner-up, 10 to the show horse, and five to the fourth-place finisher.
$550,000 Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati Spiral Stakes (gr. III, Race 11, 6:28 p.m. EDT), 3YOs, 1 1/8 miles (Polytrack)
PP, Horse, Jockey, Trainer, Odds
FIELD JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS COMMENT
1. Big Bazinga, L. Contreras, K Vassilieva, 30-1 – Ran better on the grass in an allowance race, not much else to say
2. Asserting Bear, J. Rocco, Jr., R Baker, 12-1 – Added blinkers for Sam Davis, weakened, returns to Polytrack (83 Beyer)
3. Poker Player, C. Hill, W Catalano, 5-1 – Harlan’s Holiday colt comes from far back, has run well at Turfway
4. Tamarando, R. Baze, J Hollendorfer, 3-1 – already has $625K in bank, has 91 and 93 Beyers, he’s a monster
5. Coastline, S. Elliott, M Casse, 8-1 – on edges at Oaklawn, is 1 for 1 on Polytrack, may not like distance
6. Smart Cover, C. Lanerie, D L Romans, 20-1 – 11th on turf in return, beat Tapiture last year when 2nd in Iroquois on dirt
7. All Tied Up, L. Saez, T A Pletcher, 12-1 bby Even the Score, has only ever run on turf, was behind Bazinga last time
8. Solitary Ranger, F. Geroux, W M Catalano, 6-1 – Speedball by US Ranger won the Battaglia on this track recently
9. Almost Famous, C. Borel, P Byrne, 6-1 – beaten 31 lengths in 2 stakes in Florida, tends to be speed runner
10. Harry’s Holiday, R. Napravnik, M J Maker, 20-1 – sprint winner was 3rd to Solitary Ranger
11. We Miss Artie, J. Velazquez, T A Pletcher, 4-1 – 87 Beyer in grass return, bombed in Fountain/Youth last time, likes Poly
12. Arctic Slope, A. Jimenez, K G McPeek, 30-1 – 2nd Lasix, 3rd to Artie at KEE last fall, returns from vacation
All assigned 123 pounds.
ASSERTING BEAR won the Coronation Futurity at Woodbine last year and is getting back to Polytrack at Turfway on Saturday against a tough Spiral field. TERENCE DULAY PHOTO
Track notes:
Trainer Reade Baker has a history of stakes success at Turfway; he won two of the 2008 Kentucky Cup Day of Champions races, taking the Sprint with Fatal Bullet, later named Canada’s Sovereign Award champion sprinter and Horse of the Year, and the Kentucky Cup Distaff with Bear Now, who won the 2008 Sovereign Award as champion older mare. Like Asserting Bear, Fatal Bullet and Bear Now were owned by Bear Stables Ltd.
Asserting Bear has two wins, a second, and a third in seven starts, six of them coming in his 2-year-old season. He broke his maiden on the turf in his second start, pushing the leader all the way and getting up at the wire. After finishing off the board in his next start, the Grade 2 Summer Stakes, Asserting Bear reeled off three excellent races in restricted stakes, finishing third in the Cup and Saucer, winning the Coronation Futurity, and finishing second in the Kingarvie, all at Woodbine in his 2-year-old season.
In his first start of 2014, Asserting Bear was fifth, beaten less than four lengths, in the Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay. Baker put blinkers back on for that race after running without them the previous three starts.
“We put the blinkers back on for the Sam Davis and it helped keep his attention. He’s not the easiest horse to train. He doesn’t apply himself at all in the morning. But the cooler weather (on Saturday) may help him. When it was 86 degrees and 90 percent humidity down here (Palm Beach Downs in Florida), he trained poorly, more so than any of the other horses.
“He doesn’t need the lead but he’ll need to stay in the race,” Baker continued. “We’ll look for a stalking trip, but maybe 11 other horses will also be looking for that, so we’ll see how it goes.”
Joe Rocco was aboard for the Sam F. Davis and will be aboard for the Spiral as well, and Baker expects that consistency to help Asserting Bear as well.
Asserting Bear had his final work on Saturday on the dirt at Palm Beach Downs, breezing five furlongs in 1:03 flat. He arrived at Turfway Monday morning and will gallop over the Polytrack on Wednesday.
According to Turfway’s assistant racing secretary and stakes coordinator Tia Murphy, trainer Wayne Catalano has moved Battaglia Memorial runner-up Poker Player from “considering” to “expected to enter.”
The Spiral Stakes, for 3-year-olds, covers 1 1/8 miles on Turfway’s Polytrack surface. The companion Bourbonette Oaks, for 3-year-old fillies, covers one mile on Polytrack. The Spiral purse of $550,000 includes $50,000 from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF); the latter portion of the purse is available only to Kentucky-sired, Kentucky-bred contenders. The $125,000 Bourbonette Oaks purse includes $25,000 in KTDF money.
CANADIAN STUFF
David Lovlie’s homebred OHTHGIFT won his maiden at Gulfstream on Wednesday for $16,000 claiming. The Alberta-bred is by Othello out of Lasting Gift by Sir Ap. The gelding raced 1 mile on grass in 1:34.
The Nick Gonzalez barn continues to make noise at Gulfstream as it won with recent claim PUNTROOSKIE winning a maiden allowance last week by more than 6 lengths for Tucci Stables. This Florida-bred by In Summation was claimed for $75,000 from his previous race, shortend up from a route to 6 1/2 furlongs and won the maiden race in 1:16.16, good for a career high 82 Beyer Speed Figure.
The Gonzalez team of Martha Gonzalez and Horse n Around claimed for $25,000 from a runner-up placing on Wednesday at Gulfstream. The barn has won 9 of 37 races in 2014.
Canadian bred DRUNKEN LOVE, a stakes winner who is now 9-years-old, won again on Wednesday at Gulfstream, his 6th win in his last 9 races. The Whiskey Wisdom fellow, originally a $5,000 yearling purchase has won 22 races in 53 starts and over $712,000. He is currently owned by Midwest Thoroughbreds and trained by Jamie Ness. His 5 furlongs on turf was run in 55.09, good for a 90 Beyer Figure.
On the worktab – UP WITH THE BIRDS is up to 5 furlongs at Fair Grounds, working the distance on March 14 in 1:00.60. The 4yo Sam-Son colt is up for Horse of the Year and champion 3yo colt at the Sovereign Awards on April 11.
At WOODBINE on Wednesday, 39 workers braved the cool, rainy weather and two from the ROBERT TILLER barn sped 4 furlongs in 48 flat – PROROGUING and TULI’O’S BREW, both winners at 2 last year.
On Tuesday at Woodbine, 68 horses worked including a 2-year-old, Kentucky bred ENGLISH SUNSET, who went in 25.80 for two furlongs.
HERPES UPDATE, ONE CASE FOUND AT WOODBINE
There has been a report of EHV-1 in a 5 year old thoroughbred [MARE] SIC residing in Barn 10 at Woodbine Racetrack. The horse showed neurological signs on Thursday March 13 but did not have a fever. The horse was removed from Woodbine to isolation on Saturday March 15. The horse’s condition is stable.
Results from tests available today showed non-neurotropic EHV-1 in blood but not nasal secretions. This is an unusual testing result and the horse has been retested. The risk of transmission to other horses may be low, as the infection is spread by nasal secretions. There have been no reports of any other sick horses in barn 10. Sporadic incidents of infection occur not infrequently and can be isolated incidents.
The non-neurotropic form of EHV-1 identified from this horse differs from the neurotropic form identified from thoroughbreds at Woodbine in June of last year. Although the both types of EHV-1 can cause neurological disease the non-neurotropic strain is thought to be less likely to do so. EHV-1 has an incubation period of approximately 3 to 8 days, and may in some cases be as long as 14 days.
Given these facts, the following measures will be in place, effective immediately
· All horses must have their temperatures taken twice daily. Trainers with horses that have clinical signs consistent with EHV-1 infection (including fever (101.5 F/38.5 C or above), respiratory signs (cough, nasal discharge and/or neurological signs) must report these findings to their veterinarian immediately;
· Horses from Barn 10 will be allowed to train at the end of training hours;
· Only ponies housed in Barn 10 will be allowed to pony horses in Barn 10;
Horse people are reminded to remain vigilant and institute appropriate biosecurity measures and should consult their veterinarians for advice
KEENELAND 2-YEAR-OLD SALE
Ontario -breds in catalogue
48 – filly by Line of David – Summer Star BRED BY SPENDTHRIFT FARM
77 – colt by Lemon Drop Kid – Beautyandthebeast BRED BY BALLYCROY TRAINING CENTRE
117 – colt by Speightstown out of Impossible Time by Not Impossible (Ire) BRED BY CHARLES FIPKE
