JC / Railbird

Races/Results Archive

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).

Posted in Races/Results on July 8, 2007

The Pride of New York

– That would be Funny Cide, in the words of Finger Lakes announcer Ross Morton, winning the Wadsworth Memorial Handicap in leisurely style this afternoon. Breaking slowly from the gate, jockey Alan Garcia settled Funny Cide into fifth down the backstretch, well off the lead and to the outside, letting second favorite Johnie Bye Night set moderate fractions alone on the lead before turning even-money Funny Cide loose in the stretch to win by three lengths. A packed grandstand applauded as the gutsy gelding returned to the winner’s circle, his first trip to one since last year’s Dominion Day Stakes at Woodbine.
– At Belmont, a speed duel with Rondo cooked favored Commentator in the Tom Fool. The first quarter was run in :22.07, the second in :21.92. “If you look at 10,000 races, you’ll never see that again,” said Commentator’s trainer Nick Zito after. “A ’21’ second quarter? Have you ever heard of that?” The third slowed to :24.55, but the first half proved too much for the favorite, who tired and finished third. High Finance, never more than half a length off the pace, got the win; Awesome Twist was second by a neck. Trainer Rick Violette is already considering the Forego Handicap for High Finance’s next start.
– Eleven minutes to the Dwyer and Any Given Saturday is the 7-5 favorite and Nobiz Like Showbiz, at 8-5, is wearing front bandages for the first time …

Posted in Races/Results on July 4, 2007

Funny Cide Hits the Road

Funny Cide travels to Finger Lakes for the Wadsworth Memorial Handicap on Wednesday, and his upstate fans, even those who’ll be running or riding horses against him in the race, are feeling pretty excited about the Derby winner’s appearance:

The Wadsworth drew a field of eight; Funny Cide’s main competition will be Johnie Bye Night, a local speedball and winner of last year’s Wadsworth.

Posted in Races/Results on July 3, 2007

Lava Man Three-Peats

The only knock on Lava Man is his 0-for-5 record when racing anywhere other than Southern California. “I hate traveling and apparently he does too,” said co-owner Jason Wood after Lava Man won his third straight Hollywood Gold Cup (Blood-Horse), matching the record held by Native Diver, with a gutsy, tough performance in which he was challenged hard by A.P. Xcellent, to whom he conceded nine pounds (quite a bit these days). Final time for the 10-furlong race was 2:03.21, a Hollywood Cushion Track record. Given the current state of the older horse division post-Invasor’s retirement (see: Belmont, Suburban Handicap), Lava Man may well be honored with an Eclipse Award this year on the strength of victories like this one, without having to travel anywhere ever again.

Posted in Races/Results on July 1, 2007