JC / Railbird

Suffolk Downs Archive

Monday at Suffolk

Janine Savoie earned her first win as a licensed trainer in race seven, with longshot Freda Z. In race nine, Cahill Mango, formerly of Jeff Mullins’ Santa Anita stable and shipping in from Belmont for Bruce Levine, ran the fastest six furlongs at Suffolk Downs so far this year, winning in 1:09.9.

Posted in Suffolk Downs on July 12, 2005

Suffolk Notes

It was a good day at the Downs, with fine weather and two stakes races on the card. I had the great pleasure of hanging out with Bud from Thoroughbred Racing Fans of New England for the second half of the afternoon. Bud’s the photographer for the group, which meets at Suffolk occasionally and takes trips to Saratoga and such events as the Breeders’ Cup.

Bud told me that he didn’t handicap, but proved he knew horses — especially New England horses — when he spotted Spectacular Orage in the African Prince, a stakes race for state-breds, and struck up a conversation with the owner about Spectacular Orage’s grandsire, 1994 New England turf champion, Eternal Orage. Photos from today are already up — check out the nice shot of Winston Thompson winning the Old Ironsides on Miesque’s Approval.

In the African Prince, Reprized Strike was the even money favorite for obvious reasons. The three-year-old colt won the Norman Hall Stakes last fall and came back this year with a fourth in the Rise Jim. I picked 5-1 Stylish Sultana, who finished a respectable fourth against tough competition in the Isadorable Stakes last month. She made a late move in the stretch, coming from sixth to win by a neck on the outside. Reprized Strike finished third, Spectacular Orage second.

I didn’t do as well in the Old Ironsides, picking One Nice Cat, who finished fifth. Miesque’s Approval, a New York shipper trained by Bill Mott, won easily. Canyon’s Way ran second and Tom the River Rat third. This race was the high point of the day for me, for the simple reason that Bud and I stood at the rail on the turf course and watched the horses come by at the first turn and again at the finish. It was a beautiful sight — the horses so near, the turf so lush.

The Old Ironsides was a high point for jockey Winston Thompson as well: The race was his sixth win of the afternoon. It was Thompson’s first career six-win day; he is the seventh rider to accomplish the feat at Suffolk.

Posted in Suffolk Downs on June 18, 2005

NETWA Elects Inaugural HOF Class

The New England Turf Writers Association will honor the inaugural class of the New England Racing Hall of Fame at their awards dinner this July 7. The inductees are jockey Rudy Baez, who won 24 riding titles at Suffolk Downs and Rockingham Park; thoroughbred owner and breeder Peter Fuller; the late James Moseley, who was chairman of Suffolk Downs and instrumental in the track’s 1992 reopening; the late Sam McCracken, a noted Boston Globe turf writer for 30 years; and Waquoit, the 1987 Massachusetts Handicap winner. A plaque bearing the inductees’ names will be hung in the Sports Museum of New England. Tickets to the dinner, which will be held at the Danversport Yacht Club, are $55 apiece. Call 617-568-3220 for more information.
Lowell Sun racing writer Paul Daley wonders if the New England Turf Writers “may have missed the boat” with their selections this year:

Posted in Suffolk Downs on June 17, 2005

Suffolk Notes

Trainer LeRoy Jolley pops up at Suffolk Tuesday, with a horse named Louie Na’ssal in the ninth race, a six furlong allowance event that’s attracted a pretty good field for a weekday card. Ten are entered, including Lucky Sherman, who ran third at Churchill Downs on May 1 in a claiming $30,000 race, and Symbolic Times, a former California runner who’s returning from a layoff of more than year.
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Sunday’s Hot Dog Safari was a success for the Joey Fund, an organization founded to fund cystic fibrosis research. More than 30,000 people braved the chilly weather to eat more than 150,000 hot dogs, meet local sports stars and politicians, and watch nine live races specially carded for the day. (Boston Herald)

Posted in Suffolk Downs on May 23, 2005