Saturday Results
– Saturday was a banner day for Steve Asmussen at Churchill. Not only did the trainer break the record for most wins in a meet at the track (Courier-Journal), he swept the day’s juvenile stakes with Rated Fiesty in the Debutante and Kodiak Kowboy in the Bashford Manor. Rated Fiesty went wire-to-wire in 1:09.27, smashing the six furlong stakes record by approximately two seconds; Kodiak Kowboy went a smidge faster in the Bashford, finishing the six furlongs in 1:09.15. The Beyer for Rated Fiesty came back as an 85, for Kodiak Kowboy an 87.
Asmussen has had a real breakthrough meet with his baby stock: By end of Sunday, he had sent out 17 first-time two-year-old starters, getting eight wins and finishing in the money 15 times (47%/88%). In 2006, during the same period, he had 16 two-year-old first-timers, getting three wins, four ITM (19%/25%); in 2005, 20, getting three wins, eight ITM (15%/40%); and in 2004, 14, getting two wins, six ITM (14%/43%).
– Favorite Dream Rush had no problem winning the Prioress. “She’s just a fast filly,” said trainer Rick Violette after (DRF). The Prioress was the second graded stakes win for Violette and owner West Point Stable in a week; the connections won Wednesday’s Tom Fool with High Finance.
– Journeyman Jean-Luc Samyn proved there’s still something to the saying “Samyn on the Green,” with two wins in a row on the turf at Belmont, the first with longshot Junkanoo Party (trying stakes company for the first time) in the ungraded Crockadore, then with Inside Info in the seventh, an allowance event on the inner field.
– Trainer Barclay Tagg also got two wins at Belmont on Saturday. In the day’s two-year-old maiden special, Tale of Ekati stalked the early speed, then drew away to win his debut by 8 1/4 lengths. The colt, by Tale of the Cat, is out of Silence Beauty, a half-sister to champion mare Sky Beauty. His dam’s female family includes BC distaff winner Pleasant Home as well as Boca Grande and Pine Island. Tagg’s second score was with Dance Away Capote, trying turf for the first time, in the Duda Stakes. The mare rallied from last to win by 1 1/2 lengths.
– Calder’s Summit of Speed fulfilled the promise of its name: In the Smile Sprint, Mach Ride upset favorite Smokey Stover (Blood-Horse), who finished third after flattening out in the stretch, earning a 109 Beyer. Black Seventeen wired the Carry Back in 1:09.84, which translated into a 110 Beyer. And in the Princess Rooney, undefeated River’s Prayer dueled with Shaggy Mane for the lead before drawing away to win by half a length (ThoroTimes).
– At Hollywood, apprentice Joe Talamo scored his first two Grade 1 wins, capturing the Vanity Invitational with Nashoba’s Key and the Triple Bend aboard Bilo (LA Times).
