Lots of cool racing coming up this weekend including the Cigar Mile and Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes in New York and Kentucky today.
Locally, the sprinters try for titles (see yesterday’s post)
Weather has taken a biting turn, very cold and windy. It was tough to win on the pace yesterday at Woodbine.
Fun to see SHACKLEFORD go out a winner in the Clark at Churchill yesterday. The Forestry colt is 6 for 20 with 3 million in earnings. Woodbine runners STEALCASE (7th) and EYE OF THE LEOPARD (9th) did not show up.
CANADIAN-BRED 2YO UPCAPTURED goes for a Grade 2 today for John Oxley:
Saturday, Churchill Downs, post time: 5:35 p.m. EST
KENTUCKY JOCKEY CLUB S.-GII, $150,000, 2yo, 1 1/16m
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER ML
1 Java’s War War Pass Lebron McPeek 20-1
2 Lew and Mike Lewis Michael Hernandez Drury Jr 30-1
3 Fear the Kitten Kitten’s Joy Pedroza Cotto 30-1
4 Uncaptured K Lion Heart Mena Casse 9-5
5 Track Rocker K Rock Hard Ten Bridgmohan Zito 8-1
6 Frac Daddy K Scat Daddy Cohen McPeek 4-1
7 Will Take Charge K Unbridled’s Song Court Lukas 30-1
8 Tesseron Tapit Bravo Carroll 8-1
9 Dewey Square Bernardini Lanerie Romans 8-1
10 Joha Johar Rocco Jr Maker 6-1
11 Indiano Jones K A.P. Indy Castanon Casse 15-1
12 Positively K Distorted Humor Borel Byrne 10-1
13 Silver Tongued Flatter Franklin Greenhill 50-1
”
CHECK MATE
Thats 3 in a row for Norm NcKnight
Big day for trainer Norm Knight as he scored a natural pick 3 in races 6 7 and 8 including a 2nd win by the nice 2yo filly AUNT ELS.
The RMC Stable homebred, by Consolidator – Frivolous Flo by Flame Thrower won for $32K 2nd time out but burst through the inside from off the pace to surprise many in the stretch run. Justin Stein rode.
More Friday…
MOUNTAIN ECHO was a predictable winner of the first race on Friday, a day that started out mild but got much colder as the hours went by.
Of course, the winner, trained by Richard Davis, had a 21 2/5 first 2 furlongs to run at and she moved early on the turn under Cory Spataro, went very wide off the turn and she shot clear, holding on late to win.
The winner, a Tempered Appeal mare bred in Oregon, is owned by Dave Ford and James Schlehr and she is 5 for 11 this year. She was 4 for 10 last season. Her earnings are in the $250,000 range.
POSTER LADY win her maiden in a 2yo filly, $25,00 claiming race in the 2nd event. Claimed from her debut for $20K by Max Berketa and Pinnacle Racing, the filly had made 4 starts before having a 4 week break. Ridden by Patrick Husbands, the Steven Chircop traineee broke from the rail post, stalked a 4 horse pace battle, scooted up the rail on the turn when it opened up like the red sea and took off for her win, She was bred by Richard Lister and is by Lion Heart.
The prep for the VALEDICTORY STAKES was a 1 1/2 mile tour of the Polytrack and the pace was 26 3/5, 53 1/5 and most noticeable for the first half of the race was the battle between jockey Davy Moran and Get a Grip. The former was wrestling the 5yo gelding and the horse was not happy, throwing his head for a entire one-turn of the race.
Meanwhile, the big favourite, Quaesitor, moved early and 4 wide in the race, taking the lead at the quarter pole but he had nothing in the stretch as the last to move, PEYTON, owned and bred by Bill Graham, roared past under Luis Contreras to win for the 2nd time this season. Mike Doyle trains the Tale of the Cat gelding.
Stakes winner ARTIE HOT, now racing for $7,500 claiming, drew off to win a 9 furlong claiming race to continue the PIck 4. He was 9 to 1 and drew off under heavy pressure from jockey Jesse campbell. Tucci Stables own the 8yearold gelding and Nicl Gonzalez trains. It was Artie’s 13th win in 73 races and his first at Woodbine in more than a year.
The classy ITALO, who raced in England at the outset of his career and was once chased around Union Rags before winning a stakes race on turf last year,, dropped to just $12,500 claiming and stalked the pace battle and then rallied for the win. He is 3 for 12 in his career and is now owned by CEC Stables and trained by Norm McKnight. Gerry olguin rode the winner, who was 6 to 1.
It looked as if MYTHICAL CHIMES had led all the way to win the 7th race for Laurie Silvera, she was 25 to 1. Except it is h=very hard to win on the pace on this track right now and she drifted out all through the stretch run. The McKnight filly NAYEER rallied to win under Chris Griffith,
The well bred ESSENCES BEST, a half sister to champion Essence Hit Man, won her maiden in the finaly at 5 furlongs. The filly had finished 3rd in her most recent race and somehow led all the way to win at 18 to 1 while drifting out badly in the stretch run.
There seems to be a while lot of drifting out in races these day! The winner is a Chris Steve project, he claimed her for $10K from Audra Cappuccitti. Skye Chernetz won her 13th race race of the meeting.
OTHER STUFF
BRITISH COLUMBIA named its HORSE OF THE YEAR on Thursday night and it was TAYLOR SAID, the multiple stakes winner who is a strong candidate for Sovereign award Horse of the Year also. The son of Stephanotis, bred in BC, won 6 straight stakes including the Longacres Mile.
He ran big Beyer Figures and was so popular, he was recently sold by Glenn Todd to Dubai.
JAL DASTUR’S Ontario bred PARTY LAD won an allowance at Penn National yesterday for his 2nd win in 3 races. He was bred by Nancy Mitchell and is a son of Vibank, who now stands in Kentucky.
Thank you to commenters who wrote in this week, showing the passion we have for our sport. Throughblog enjoyed a recent comment from a reader who mentioned our award-winning story on Victoriously Bold.. go safe horses..winter is almost here!
