WEDNESDAY’S BITS – Sam-Son colt gets icky post for big race…Canadian-owned CROWDED HOUSE in Dubai and top name 3yo’s in FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH on Saturday…
SNOWY, COOL TEMPS GREET WOODBINE FOLKS who are shipping in this week
the meeting starts April 2 – the stakes sked was released earlier this week
Dave Landry photo
CANADIAN-BRED HOTEP 12 TO 1 FOR RISEN STAR
HOTEP, a full brother to last year’s champion 3yo colt and Queen’s Plate winner EYE OF THE LEOPARD, drew a tough post – 12 of 12 – for Saturday’s RISEN STAR Stakes at Fair Grounds as the colt tries to make a name for himself south of the border in the classic ranks.
The Sam-Son Farm son of A.P. Indy – Eye of the Spyhnx comes off a win in slow time (79 Beyer Figure) but seems to be improving gradually.
On Monday, Sam-Son’s other good 3yo GIANT’S TOMB, also a Canadian-bred, was beaten just a nose in an allowance race.
He’s a beauty- DISCREETLY MINE (Mineshaft) is in the FOY
Vanessa Ng photo
Risen Star Stakes (gr. II), Feb. 20, Fair Grounds, $300,000, 3-year-olds, 1 1/16 miles, 4:43 CST.
PP – Horse – Wgt. – Jockey
1 – Bravo Whiskey – 116 – Curt Bourque
2 – Tempted to Tapit – 116 – D. Cohen
3 – Mountain Justice – 116 – Shane Sellers
4 – Discreetly Mine – 116 – J. Castellano
5 – Random Move – 116 – Miguel Mena
6 – Drosselmeyer – 116 – Kent Desormeaux
7 – Northern Giant – 116 – John Jacinto
8 – Worldly – 116 – Pat Valenzuela
9 – Stay Put – 116 – Jamie Theriot
10 – Letsgetitonmon – 116 – Shaun Brigmohan
11 – Ron the Greek – 120 – John Graham
12 – Hotep – 116 – Robby Albarado
BUDDY’S SAINT (Saint Liam) is a danger in the FOY
Vanessa Ng photo
from Fair Grounds media site:
by Graham Ross | February 15, 2010
Jack Hammer’s Ron the Greek, hero of Fair Grounds’ Grade III Lecomte Stakes Jan. 23, and WinStar Farm’s Drosselmeyer, a rapidly emerging sophomore who won his first start of the year in impressive fashion at Gulfstream Park Jan. 31, may vie for favoritism when they head a field of 12 named to Saturday’s Grade II Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds.
Ron the Greek has been installed as the lukewarm 3-1 choice in Saturday’s final major local tune-up for the Grade II Louisiana Derby March 27, while Drosselmeyer has been tabbed at 4-1.
The Risen Star heads a 13-race Louisiana Derby Preview Day program with six stakes, including four of which are graded, with an early first post of 12:10 p.m. CST. A special all-stakes Pick Four will be offered on Races 7-10, with the first race of the that sequence, the Pan Zareta Stakes, set for 3:13 p.m. CST. The Risen Star, carded as Race 10, will go off at 4:43 p.m. CST.
Trained by Tom Amoss, the only conditioner to win a Fair Grounds training championship nine different seasons, Ron the Greek won the first two starts of his four-race career before finishing fourth in the $200,000 Springboard Mile at Remington Park Dec. 13 while closing strongly in the late stages. The son of Full Mandate then returned to his Fair Grounds home base to rally boldly in the mile-and-40-yard Lecomte, improving from eighth to first by a length-and-a-half in the final furlong. Fair Grounds’ current leading rider James Graham returns in the irons astride Ron the Greek, who breezed a bullet three-quarters in 1:13 at Fair Grounds Feb.10.
Drosselmeyer, conditioned by Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, made his first two starts on grass last year without reaching the winner’s circle, missed by a head in his third over Keeneland’s Polytrack last October 24, and then broke his maiden by six lengths Nov. 18 at Churchill in a race scheduled for the Louisville lawn but transferred to the main track. The Distorted Humor colt then made it two in a row at Gulfstream at last asking in non-winners-of-one-other-than company, but won by a length-and-three-quarters with authority. Kent Desormeaux is named to handle the reins Saturday aboard Drosselmeyer, who breezed a half-mile Sunday in :50 at Payson Park in South Florida.
E. Paul Robsham’s Discreetly Mine, trained by Todd Pletcher, is the 5-1 third choice in the Risen Star morning line. The son of Mineshaft broke his maiden easily last Aug. 22 at Saratoga, finished second in Belmont’s Grade II Futurity last Sept. 19 and was once again runner-up in Belmont’s Grade I Champagne Oct. 10. He finished fourth in his lone 2010 start in Gulfstream’s $100,000 Spectacular Bid Stakes Jan. 9, but worked a half-mile handily in 48.80 at Palm Meadows in South Florida on Sunday. Javier Castellano comes in from South Florida to ride Discreetly Mine.
Completing the Risen Star lineup with riding assignments and morning line odds is Letsgetitonmon, Shaun Bridgmohan (8-1); Stay Put, Jamie Theriot (8-1); Tempted to Tapit, David Cohen (8-1); Worldly, Pat Valenzuela (10-1); Northern Giant, John Jacinto (12-1); Hotep, Robby Albarado (12-1); Mountain Justice, Shane Sellers (20-1); Bravo Whiskey, Curt Bourque (30-1); and Random Move, Miguel Mena (30-1).
OBS SALE REVIEW FROM Ocala Star-Banner
OBS spring auction is no gift horse
Average thoroughbred sold for $97,186 at annual sale, down from $106,115 last year
BY CARLOS MEDINA
Chuck Sandford is as new to the thoroughbred owners’ world as they come. He raced his first horse last month.
Tuesday, he bought the highest-priced horse at the Ocala Breeder’s Sales 2-Year-Olds in Training sale for $475,000.
“We just got in the horse business last June,” Sandford said.
The OBS sale is the first 2-year-old sale in the country and is an early indicator for the 2-year-old market. Typically, 2-year-olds – also known as juveniles – which are sold at the beginning of the year, are better equipped, physically and mentally, to race earlier in their careers. Thoroughbreds are not raced until they are at least juveniles.
Tuesday’s overall results showed a market still trying to rebound. There were 160 horse listed for sale this year, down from 200 in 2009. Sixty-six sold for $6,414,000, compared to 93 horses last year which sold for $9,868,700. The average also dipped from $106,115 to $97,182.
MEYDAN TOMORROW
UAE 2000, Maktoum Challenge 2
Three-year-olds are in the spotlight tomorrow at Meydan for the UAE 2000 and an interesting entrant is OLYMPIC DANZ.
The Brazilian bred not only has a hunch-type of name but is a son of 22-year-old stallion SHUDANZ, a Canadian bred Danzig Connection horse who raced at Woodbine years ago for Kinghaven Farms.
Shudanz was prominent in the Canadian Triple Crown and fared well in the MOLSON MILLION, 2nd in that Grade 2 race.
from pedigree query:
Owner: Kinghaven Farms & partners
Winnings: 29 Starts: 8 – 3 – 8, $640,646
Won, Eclipse H. (G3,Can); Fort Harrod S. (G3); Victoria Park S. (L,Can).
2nd, Molson Export Million (G2).
3rd: Ohio Derby (G2), Queen’s Plate S. (R-Can).
Classic sire in Brazil.
Thursday, Meydan Racecourse, Dubai
UAE 2000 GUINEAS-G3, $250,000, 3yo, 1600m
(AWT)
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER
1 Oroveso (Brz) Fahm (GB) Pereira Bary
2 Dubai Miracle Consolidator Buick Simcock
3 Quartier Latin (Arg) Orpen Hills Watson
4 Della Barba (Chi) Della Francesca Peslier Barton
5 Maroon Machine (Ire) Muhtathir (GB) Fallon O’Neill
6 Real Secret (Brz) Redattore (Brz) Blandi Cintra
7 El Amarillista (Arg) Mutakddim Supple Barton
8 Storm Chispazo (Arg) Bernstein Moore Brown
9 Olympic Danz (Brz) Shudanz Nunes Cintra
10 Jardim (Brz) Ski Champ Mullen Cintra
11 Frozen Power (Ire) Oasis Dream (GB) Ajtebi bin Suroor
12 Rock Jock (Ire) Rock of Gibraltar (Ire) Smullen Manuel
13 Solid Choice (Aus) Redoute’s Choice (Aus) Shea de Kock
14 Musir (Aus) Redoute’s Choice (Aus) Soumillon de Kock
Also Eligible:
15 Mr Crazy Boy (Arg) Numerous no rider de Kock
16 Black Snowflake Elusive Quality no rider bin Suroor
17 Astonishment (Ire) Desert Style (Ire) no rider Nass
18 Happy Dubai (Ire) Indian Ridge (Ire) no rider Al Raihe
SH: 131 pounds. NH: 121 pounds.
Crowded House set for Thursday Tapeta debut
By Jason Ford 4:58PM 16 FEB 2010
CANADIAN-OWNED CROWDED HOUSE IS SOMETHING SO STRONG
J. Paul Reddam’s white faced chestnut colt CROWDED HOUSE
Thursday, Meydan Racecourse, Dubai
AL MAKTOUM CHALLENGE-ROUND 2-G3, $200,000,
NH4yo+/SH3yo+, 1900m (AWT)
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER
1 Mr Crazy Boy (Arg) Numerous Soumillon de Kock
2 Bon Grain (Fr) Muhtathir (GB) Supple bin Shafya
3 Allybar (Ire) King’s Best Ajtebi bin Surror
4 Perfect Stride (GB) Oasis Dream (GB) Moore Stoute
5 Jet Express (SAf) Jet Master (SAf) Ffrench Al Raihe
6 Calvados Blues (Fr) Lando (Ger) Durcan bin Suroor
7 Storm Sir Johannesburg Peslier Al Abed
8 Jalil Storm Cat Dettori bin Suroor
9 Poet (GB) Pivotal (GB) Smullen Charpy
10 Crowded House (GB) Rainbow Quest Spencer Meehan
11 Snaafy Kingmambo Hills Al Muhairi
12 Mr Brock (SAf) Fort Wood Shea de Kock
All carry 131 pounds, bar Mr Crazy Boy at 121.
EXCERPT FROM RACING POST:
CROWDED HOUSE will make his debut on the Tapeta all-weather surface at Meydan on Thursday when he runs in the second round of the Maktoum Challenge.
However, the four-year-old’s rivals in the Group 3 event will not include Eagle Mountain after trainer Mike de Kock changed his mind and elected to run his Dubai World Cup hope in a 1m conditions race on Friday instead.
The Brian Meehan-trained Crowded House, who won on Kempton’s all-weather as a juvenile, will be ridden by regular partner Jamie Spencer in the Maktoum Challenge II rather than waiting for Friday’s Group 2 Al Fahidi Fort on the turf.
A fair second on turf on his Dubai debut earlier in the month, Crowded House will face a pair of De Kock challengers in the 1m½f Tapeta feature in the shape of course-and-distance winner Mr Brock and Mr Crazy Boy, the sole three-year-old in the field.
De Kock explained the apparent volte face after he said 24 hours earlier than Eagle Mountain, a Group 1 winner in Hong Kong, would make his Dubai debut in the Maktoum Challenge.
“After a lot of thought we decided to try him over a mile first time,” said De Kock.
YOUTH-FULL
Saturday is the Fountain of Youth, a Derby prep
SARATOGIAN previews race:
By MICHAEL VEITCH
Buddy’s Saint, one of the leading New York hopes for the Kentucky Derby, is slated to kick off his campaign Saturday in the Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park.
The Grade 2 event, worth $250,000 at 1 1/8 miles, has long been one of the most important stepping stones to the classics.
Buddy’s Saint was last seen winning Aqueduct’s Remsen Stakes in November, at the same nine furlongs.
Trained by Bruce Levine, he is considered one of the leading members of the division.
Among his opponents in the Fountain of Youth is Eskendereya, winner of the Pilgrim Stakes last year and a good-looking winner of his 3-year-old debut going one mile at Gulfstream Park.
Another top contender is Jackson Bend, coming off a good second in the Holy Bull Stakes last month at the Florida track.
http://www.saratogian.com/articles/2010/02/17/sports/doc4b7b6df1572b5658516594.txt
