PHOTO – HARD NOT TO LIKE, foaled in Erin, Ontario, wins her 3rd Grade 1, the Diana on Saturday at Saratoga. Shes wearin’ red and white these days! NYRA PHOTO
Below – that is her winning the Cup and Saucer 4 years ago at Woodbine – Michael Burns photo
RIKER is an island, Colin Stakes winner posts 86 Beyer Figure
Tucci Stables, which rose to prominence with One for Rose years ago and then again in 2013 with Midnight Aria, are back again with the unbeaten 2yo colt RIKER, a son of Include – Desviacion by Unreal Zeal.
This is a quick colt who would not let favoured THE ZIP ZIP MAN past and he won in 1:09.44 (86 Beyer) by 1/2 a length under Jesse Campbell. Nick Gonzalez trains. Turner Farms in Kentucky bred the colt who was a $60,000 purchase from the April Ocala 2yo sale by Paul Sharp, agent.
The colt is the 14th named foal for the mare, a winner of $35,000 who was once sold in foal to Fuasichi Pagsus for $475,000.
Saturday was a warm and humid day out at Woodbine and it was certainly a tough day for picking winners with plenty of longshots winning and heavy favourites simply missing the mark.
The turf course is extremely fast – SPIN THE KING went 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:13.75, just missing the course record set 6 years ago. He earned a 90 Beyer Figure.
Lightly raced UCHENNA(ire) upset the Grade 3 Ontario Matron with a rail rally, holding off champion STRUT THE COURSE in deep stretch of the 1 1/16 mile race on Polytrack. Owned by Triton Stables LLC of George Hofmeister, the Fastnet Rock (Aus) 4yo filly was ridden by Alan Garcia. It was her 2nd North American win and she is trained by Roger Attfield.
She posted an 89 Beyer Figure in the win in 1:43.74.
And congratulations to Tim and Suzanne Drake whose LION OF JUDAH drew in from the also eligible list and won his maiden in the finale at the MSW level, the couple’s first win of the season. The gelding is a son of the Drakes’ own stallion PICCILO PETE.
ONTARIO BRED HARD NOT TO LIKE rolls on
1:45.22 for 1 1/8 miles, Course Record
She is a lot lighter in colour than she was when she was racing at Woodbine for breeder Garland Williamson but HARD NOT TO LIKE, now 6-years-old, is still in Grade 1 form. With a remarkable turn of foot in the last eighth of a mile, the daughter of Hard Spun – Like a Gem by Tactical Cat won the Grade 1 Diana at Saratoga on Saturday. The $500,000 race featured a tough Grade 1 winner in Tepin, trained by Mark Casse, who finished 2nd. Hard Not to Like was sold at Keeneland November last fall for $1.5 million by Williamson to Speedway Stables, which has won two Grade 1 races with her now. Her earnings are just over $1.2 million.
Like a Gem has a 2yo half sister by More Than ready owned by Williamson who is training at Fair HIll. Her name is MORE TO LIKE.
http://www.saratogian.com/sports/20150725/hard-not-to-like-closes-fast-wins-diana
