aratoga - This is Horse Racing

Transcription

TR
A
COMPLIMEN
TS OF
H
SARATOGA’S DAILY NEWSPAPER ON THOROUGHBRED RACING
SA
R AT O G A S P E
C
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Speed Trap
Cross Traffic makes early lead last in Whitney
ASSATEAGUE TAKES DE LA ROSE • ENTRIES & RESULTS • MEET THE TRACK BARTENDERS
Dave Harmon
Year 13 • No. 13
L
TO T
E
IA
ARATOGA
NS
TIO
the
R SUBSCRIP
INE
War Front
Sire of 11 SWs, 8 Graded SWs
in 2013, including
D a n z i g – S ta r ry D r e a m e r , b y r u b i a n o
WAr fronT winning the
2006 Vanderbilt H.-G2 at Saratoga.
Queen Anne S.-G1 winner
DeclArATion of WAr
Virginia Derby-G2 winner WAr DAncer (center)
and 3rd-placed GSW JAcK MilTon (left)
•
Selected Yearlings
Fasig-Tipton Saratoga
•
Monday August 5
137 colt out of half-sister to
GSW/Stakes Producer DANCE DRESS
170 full brother to 2yo SW TENSAS PUNCH,
family of G1 SW LIAISON
coventry S.-G2 winner
2Yo WAr coMMAnD
Tuesday August 6
183 fillyfromthefamilyofChampionMASHAALLAH
andG1SWFOLKART
126 colt out of a KinGMAMbO mare
fromthefamilyofChampionCAERLinA
130 fillyoutofahalf-sistertoGSWPROMEnADEGiRL,
family of DANCE COLONY
illinois Derby-G3 winner
DePArTinG
Post Office Box 150 Paris, Kentucky 40362-0150
Tel.(859) 233-4252 Fax 987-0008 claibornefarm.com
inquiries TO Bernie sams e-mail: [email protected]
Photos © horsePhotos, coady
13-0451.CLB.WarFront.SS.Aug4.indd 1
2
8/2/13 11:10 AM
the saratoga special
the
ARATOGA
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(Off Long Alley)
here&there... at Saratoga
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Published Wednesday through Sunday
during the racing season.
Every day of Sales Week Aug. 5-11.
The Staff
Editors/Publishers: Sean Clancy, Joe Clancy
Managing Editor: Tom Law
Staff Writers: Rebecca Fedler, Gabby Gaudet,
Ryan Jones, Ryan Martin, Dan McDonough,
Catlyn Spivey
Layout/Design:
Rich Mendoza
Photographers:
Tod Marks, Dave Harmon, Connie Bush
Handicappers:
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John Shapazian, Chad Summers
Distribution:
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Horse Trailer. A float in Friday’s Saratoga 150 parade showcased an equine theme, though that looks like a Standardbred.
Tod Marks
WORTH REPEATING The Special’s quotes from Saratoga
Miles Clancy, 4,on how things were going
on the farm (we hope he’s exaggerating)
“Can you see where they are?”
One jump jockey to the other as the two leaders sped away in Thursday’s first (via Jim Cornes, who heard it from the turn)
“What are you reading that for?”
Bill Hirsch, to The Special’s Sean Clancy who was busy
reading Saturday’s edition of The Special (checking for mistakes)
“This is a Kodak day. Only the old guys will know what I’m talking about
with that.”
Mill Ridge’s Mike Bell, on a beautiful morning at Fasig-Tipton
“We sat at dinner and talked about Mr. Hot Stuff for half an hour.”
Former owner Bill Casner, about Grade 1 steeplechaser Mr. Hot Stuff
“I went there once.”
The late great Joe Hirsch, when describing a restaurant he didn’t like
“Gary Stevens congratulated us.”
“He’s back.”
“All the horses are lame.”
Casner, on the reach of Mr. Hot Stuff
Trainer Gary Contessa,after Rydilluc worked 5 furlongs
on the Oklahoma turf in 59.87 Friday morning
The Saratoga Special
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The Best of The Saratoga Special
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“Kiss the kids, if you’re going to mess with me. That’s all I’m saying, kiss
the kids.”
“Snake” Thompson, sales handler of the stars,
while raising a clenched fist
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“Always be careful around a one-eyed, limping Irishman.”
Fasig-Tipton’s Bill Graves,
offering words to live by around the sales grounds
“What did this guy say, he’s coming from Aqueduct?”
David Fawkes, waiting for freelance exercise rider
to jog Bahamian Squall Thursday a little past 9 a.m.
“We need a good day today.”
Lucy Meza, from the Morning Line Kitchen on Whitney morning
“Gag snaffle on a 2-year-old. How tough is that horse going to be?
Fawkes watching training on the main track Saturday
www.thisishorseracing.com
“An apology.”
The Special’s Ryan Martin,on what he was
going to give an editor if he found a mistake in his story
3
here&there...
th
Lee Thomas ©
“Nothing gives us
greater joy than the
success of the horses and
clients we represent.”
Continued from
previous page
— Headley Bell —
5 generation horseman and managing partner
Among our 30 Grade 1 winners since 2000 …
6 - Breeders’ Cup winners 5 - Horse of the Year titles
1 - Kentucky Derby winner
1 - Santa Anita Derby winner
1 - Blue Grass Stakes winner
Tod Marks
Va Va Vespa. Every parade needs a guy on a yellow scooter. Oh wait, that’s track announcer
Anticipate ownership of #31
Tom Durkin making a point.
Contact: Headley Bell, [email protected]
cell: 859.221.5108 www.millridge.com
WORTH REPEATING
“We just try to keep her healthy and happy. That’s the story with all our horses.”
Susan Wantz, owner of Dance to Bristol
LICENSE PLATES OF THE DAY
The Chief... Day 13
TRYFECTA, New York.
“William Blocker, he was a good groom, he used to watch me like a hawk,
he’d say, ‘You’re paying extra special attention to this one, ain’t you?’ I
said, ‘What do you mean? I pay attention to all my horses?’ He’d say,
‘Yes, you do, I’ll give you credit for that, but you’re paying extra special
attention to this one, must be near time ain’t it?’ Those old guys all
thought you prepared horses to win a bet,
there was nothing further from the truth.”
WINPHOTO, New York.
NAMES OF THE DAY
Bake Shop, sixth race. The 4-year-old gelding is out of Sugar Cookie.
Necessary Luxury, seventh race. The 5-year-old mare is out of French Manicure.
Milkyyourway, seventh race (main track only). A little silly, but there’s a point.
The 4-year-old filly is by Andromeda’s Hero out of Galaxy Spirit.
- Trainer Allen Jerkens
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Pletcher, that guy’s hard to beat.”
– Trainer David Fawkes,
who will try to do that today in the Vanderbilt
The New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association
www.nytha.com | 516.488.2337 | visit us on Facebook
4
800-523-8143
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5
WHITNEY STAKES RECAP
Crossing
Guard
Pletcher engineers Gr. 1
score with front-runner
BY SEAN CLANCY
It was a stupid question. Moments after winning
the Whitney Handicap, John Velazquez was asked if
he knew where Fort Larned was as he guided Cross
Traffic to the lead going into the first turn of the
$750,000 stakes. Like asking the Road Runner if he
knew where the coyote was.
Velazquez’s eyes lit up, his voice raised another
pitch and his words came out quicker, even for him.
“I knew where he was, buddy. I knew exactly
where he went,” Velazquez said, in Spanish staccato.
“I knew right away.”
Like a signature on a check, Velazquez took that
knowledge and won the Whitney.
Favorite and pace candidate Fort Larned and Brian Hernandez broke from the 3 post while Velazquez
and the other pace candidate Cross Traffic broke one
stall to the right. They were the speed horses in the
field of eight, all scenarios hinged on the decisions of
Velazquez and Hernandez.
6
Cross Traffic (right) defeats Successful Dan (left) and Mucho Macho Man in Saturday’s Whitney.
The gates opened and Cross Traffic instantly gained
a half-length advantage over Fort Larned, Velazquez
crouched and nudged Cross Traffic for the first five
strides, igniting his natural speed outside Mucho Macho Man, as Edgar Prado tried to keep Mucho Macho
Man in the window. Playing other people’s moves,
Hernandez didn’t have a lot of choice and angled Fort
Larned across the heels of Mucho Macho Man and
Cross Traffic to establish a stalking position, wide and
Tod Marks
stacked. Velazquez wasn’t going to make anything
easy for Hernandez.
“He didn’t break as good as they wanted him to,
he didn’t leave from there,” Velazquez explained. “I
squeezed my horse a little bit because Prado was coming out going into the first turn. As soon as I got to
the first turn, I eased out, I knew he was going to be
See WHITNEY page 8
7
13 G1 Winners Sold.
In the last 12 months,
Graded SWs sold by WinStar incl:
W i n n e r o f t h e 2 0 1 2 Tr a v e r s S . ( G 1 )
Winner of the 2012 Alcibiades S. (G1)
The Whitney winner takes a turn in the winner’s circle.
Tod Marks
3-Time GSW incl. 2013 Black-Eyed Susan S. (G2)
Whitney –
Continued from page 6
Set NTR in 2013 Dominion Day S. (G3) with 110 Beyer
Winner of the 2013 Vigil S. (G3)
Get your next
a t T h e S a ra to ga S a le .
www.WinStarFar m.com
8
outside of me, I parked him all the way
to the middle of the track. If he wants to
run fast, he’s going to have to run in the
middle of the track.”
Fort Larned applied tepid pressure
from the outside as Cross Traffic managed the first quarter mile in :24.17 and
a half in :47.28. Mucho Macho Man
settled in third as Csaba, Alpha, Ron
The Greek, Successful Dan and Fast
Falcon waited, well off the pace.
Leaving the backside, Hernandez cued
Fort Larned to engage Cross Traffic as
Prado swung Mucho Macho Man three
wide. For a moment, passing the quarter pole, Cross Traffic, Fort Larned and
Mucho Macho Man stacked but only
for a moment. Fort Larned faltered in a
matter of strides, Mucho Macho Man
stayed but didn’t finish and Cross Traffic opened up a quick, commanding gap.
From well back, Successful Dan rounded
into the fray from the outside, but the
third choice had done a lot of running
to get there. Passing the eighth pole,
Velazquez hit Cross Traffic left handed
and he drifted out, Velazquez switched
to his right and he drifted in. At the moment, Cross Traffic was wallowing, Successful Dan drifted in just enough to alter
his momentum. Time’s up, Cross Traffic
kept it together to win by three-quarters
of a length over Successful Dan, who had
made up nearly 12 lengths in the 9-furlong classic. The third choice reared up
and lost Julien Leparoux in the chute just
before stepping on to the track. Cross
Traffic finished in 1:47.89 to earn his
first stakes win.
Owned by GoldMark Farm, the
4-year-old son of Unbridled’s Song
spanned a chasm in five starts, going
from a maiden debut winner in January
to a Grade 1 winner in August. Trained
by Todd Pletcher, the $300,000 Saratoga yearling purchase snapped a bitter
two-race losing streak (a head decision
to Flat Out in the Grade 3 Westchester and nose loss to Sahara Sky in the
Grade 1 Met Mile).
Pletcher watched Cross Traffic gallop
out after those losses and confidently
circled the Whitney.
“The thing that was interesting
about those races is he got beat on the
wire but he galloped out in front. We
always felt like when we got going longer, the better. He’s got a high-cruising
speed, keep-cruising kind of horse. We
were always coming to this race, that
was the plan,” Pletcher said. “I felt like
he would get the mile and an eighth,
the question was could he get the mile
and an eighth fast enough against Fort
Larned and those kind of horses. Everything about what he had done, figure-wise and everything, suggested he
was good enough.”
Aboard for his first two wins and
his latest loss, Velazquez exuded confidence about stretching another furlong,
knowing he could settle if necessary and
send if necessary.
“It’s always in the back of your head,
you don’t know how they’re going to
handle it, but the way he trains, it looks
like he can go all day, you don’t know
until they run, but I just thought he
See WHITNEY page 9
The Whitney field leaves the gate with eventual winner Cross Traffic (fourth from right) bounding toward the front.
Whitney –
could do it,” Velazquez said. “He’s fast enough, he’s
going to be close, he’s not crazy fast, unless you get
somebody leaning on him the whole time. Today was
a perfect scenario. I was outside. Plan A was to let him
run to the first turn, if they take back, we’ll be on the
lead, if they don’t, I’ll be laying second or third.”
Hernandez took back and went outside, Prado
eased back and stayed inside. Velazquez, on a long
rein, managed to ration the speed of Cross Traffic
through a half-mile that was over two seconds slower
than when he led the Met Mile back in May. Watching
in the stands, Pletcher recognized the blueprint he and
Velazquez had drawn up before the race.
“We felt like this is our horse’s strength, let him
run into the first turn, if somebody goes crazy, you’re
going to have make that call, but we know what our
weapon is, let’s go ahead and use it,” Pletcher said.
“He came out of there, they put up a 24, I just said, ‘It
doesn’t get any better than this.’ ”
GoldMark sent Cross Traffic to Pletcher last year.
As a 3-year-old, Cross Traffic nearly made his debut in
June but hit the sidelines and went back to GoldMark
in Ocala. About four months later, he returned to
Pletcher and made his long awaited debut in a maiden
Tod Marks
sprint at Gulfstream Park in January. He pressed the
pace before winning by nearly two lengths. Six weeks
later, he drew off to trounce the more experienced
Fast Falcon. In just his third start, he took on classy
veteran Flat Out in the Westchester, just missing by a
head in a determined effort. A month later, he lost the
Met Mile after drifting in at the start, getting pressed
on the lead and being caught late by Sahara Sky who
rallied wide and late. Pletcher watched him gallop out
each time, thinking he had more to give.
“We always felt like he was a good horse,” Pletcher
said. “But how often do you have a 4-year-old break
their maiden in January and win the Whitney in August. It’s very, very rare.”
9
DE LA ROSE STAKES RECAP
Life’s
a Beach
Matz, Assateague
pull upset in turf stakes
BY TOM LAW
Nothing’s ever been completely easy for Assateague.
The filly by Stormy Atlantic battled physical issues
for more than a year. A spur in a knee that eventually required surgery derailed not only the end of her
2-year-old campaign and also wreaked havoc on her
3-year-old season. She’s always battled mental issues.
A tendency to be rank, to run off or just be downright
unsettled in the early and middle stages led to her undoing in most her defeats.
Those issues are now seemingly behind her and Assateauge is left with her abilities. She put those abilities—mainly her natural speed and an affinity for the
inner turf at Saratoga—to good use Saturday and won
the $100,000 De La Rose Stakes on the Whitney undercard.
“We had such an unlucky season with her as a
2-year-old and 3-year-old,” winning trainer Michael
Matz said. “Hopefully we’re getting things in order so
we can go on with her now.”
10
Assateague drives toward the finish, holding off Ruthenia, to win the De La Rose Stakes.
Assateague, who won the 1-mile De La Rose by
a half-length from Ruthenia with the favored Laugh
Out Loud third, was always meant to go on to bigger
and better.
She was a training partner to eventual graded
stakes-winning juvenile Somali Lemonade. Matz
Tod Marks
couldn’t separate the two and Assateague won a maiden race on the turf late in the 2011 Keeneland fall meet
to earn her chance in a graded stakes late in the fall
of her 2-year-old year. Sent to Southern California for
See DE LA ROSE page 12
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11
De La Rose –
the Miesque Stakes at Hollywood Par,
Assateague never got the chance to start
in the Grade 3 stakes after coming up
lame with a spur in a knee.
“She was like a 2-5 favorite and she
got out there and had a spur in her
knee,” Matz said. “When she galloped
on the synthetic it didn’t chip it, but
it cracked it a little bit. It didn’t come
off, but she didn’t pass the vet. So we
shipped her all the way to California
and had to ship her all the way back.”
A chip was removed once she returned to the East Coast and Assateague
was on the sidelines for more than nine
months. When she returned she looked
like the same filly that might have won
the Miesque, winning a Saratoga allowance early in last year’s meet to earn a
berth in the Riskaverse late in the meet.
Assateague lost that race and her
next three stakes tries last fall in New
York, Kentucky and Florida.
“Her 3-year-old year she was stakesplaced but she never got to show her
ability,” Matz said. “She can be quite
rank in the beginning. Usually she was
Assateague and Luis Saez return to the winner’s circle after the De La Rose.
12
Tod Marks
so rank we couldn’t rate her. She was
just running off and going.”
A return to the allowance ranks was
ordered up and Assateague lost her
next two. Luis Saez go the leg up for an
optional claiming race June 26 at Belmont and while she raced on the lead,
she responded to his touch and rated
kindly. Saez was back aboard for the De
La Rose, the filly’s first stakes win and
the young rider’s first stakes victory at
Saratoga.
Matz was quick to credit the Panamanian rider, who moved his tack
to New York this year. The trainer
deserves credit, too, for getting the
Kentucky-bred filly out of Amelia, by
Dixieland Band, that he trains for his
sister-in-law Helen Alexander, motherin-law Helen Groves and his wife Dee
Dee something beneficial for her second
career down the road.
“My sister-in-law was, ‘we need
black type, we need black type,’ so
thank goodness I’m off that hook,”
Matz said with a laugh minutes after
the race.
Future broodmare Assateague got
the black type and validated the faith
her connections put in her way back in
the fall of her 2-year-old campaign.
And none of it was easy.
Check out
for more from The Special team.
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Alae Rouge
Allen's Prospect
Alster
Ameri Valay
Amerrico’s Bullet
Appealing Skier
Awad
Bowman’s Band
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Call Again
Carnivalay
Cat Country
Cherokee's Boy
Citidancer
Concern
Country Only
Crowd Pleaser
Cruisin’ Dixie
Crypto Star
Dance With Ravens
Deputed Testamony
Deputy Storm
Diamond
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Domestic Dispute
Dr. Best
Eastern Echo
Eternal Star
Fantasticat
Fleet Foot
Gators N Bears
Go for Gin
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Greek Sun
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Hawk in Flight
In Case
Itaka
Ivory Frontier (IRE)
Java Royal
Jazz Club
Ken Doll
La Reine's Terms
Larrupin'
Lion Hearted
Lord Concorde
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Love of Money
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Makin Money
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Medallist
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Money's Star
Mr. Shoplifter
Mr. Zill Bear
No Armistice
Not For Love
Oh Say
One Golf Sierra
Ops Smile
Oratory
Our Emblem
Outflanker
Parker's Storm Cat
Partner's Hero
Perfecting
Polish Miner
Polish Numbers
Polish Payola
Precious Marque
Pulverizing
Purple Passion
Que Man
Regal American
Rinka Das
Rock Slide
Root Boy
Rubiyat
Rush Bay
Same Day Delivery
Scipion
Secret Firm
Seeking Daylight
Smart Alec
Smart Guy
St Averil
Sticks and Bricks
Storm Broker
Swear by Dixie
Tamayaz
Touch 'n' Fly (IRE)
Trial Prep
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13
From Miami
to Saratoga
Fawkes, Bahamian Squall sail
north into tough Grade 1 field
BY TOM LAW
Nothing really bothers Bahamian
Squall, aside from a little soap on his
nose and maybe the bugs flying around
his head earlier this week while grazing
in the courtyard of the stakes barn at
Saratoga Race Course.
The colt’s so laid back at times that
it wasn’t a hard call for David Fawkes
to gas up his truck, hook up the trailer
and make the day-long ride from South
Florida to Saratoga to run in today’s
Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap with his latest sprinting star. It’s a
trip Fawkes made before and he knows
what types of horses can handle it and
what types can’t.
Bahamian Squall, a 4-year-old colt
by Gone West who outfinished champion sprinter Trinniberg last time out at
Calder, never traveled anywhere outside
his native state of Florida, but arrived in
14
A.G. VANDERBILT PREVIEW
Saratoga Wednesday without any outward signs of stress.
“So far he’s handled it well,” Fawkes
said as Bahamian Squall dropped his
blazed head and tore at the grass in the
small courtyard at the stakes barn Friday.
“He actually ate on the van. A lot of
them don’t eat on the van, but he did.
We stopped, to kind of quiet things
down and get off the roads for a bit,
maybe 6 or 7 o’clock we put the dinner
feed in and it was gone the next time
we stopped for water. They’ll eat a little,
naturally, the ones that do eat.”
Bahamian Squall, who earned a trip
to Saratoga with that win over Trinniberg last time in the Grade 2 Smile
See VANDERBILT page 15
Sean Clancy
Bahamian Squall gets in some light exercise Saturday morning at Saratoga. He breaks from the
rail at 7-2 in the Vanderbilt.
Vanderbilt contender Delaunay makes sure the photographer gets his good side.
Vanderbilt –
Sprint, takes on a small but tough
group in the 6-furlong Vanderbilt. The
field includes the first two finishers from
the Iowa Sprint in Gentlemen’s Bet and
Delaunay, respectively, multiple graded
winner Justin Phillip and the ageless
Caixa Eletronica.
Fawkes and his longtime assistant
Don Stetler both say Bahamian Squall
needs to step up a little to win the Vanderbilt. They also agree that he fits with
the group and earned the right to make
the trip after a consistent record in
stakes company back home.
Stetler doesn’t travel much, usually
staying back in Florida while Fawkes
ships for big pots out of town. He did
come here with Big Drama in 2010 when
he was second in the Grade 1 Forego—a
race that came after he shipped to finish
second in the Vanderbilt, vanned home,
and then vanned back again at the end
of the meet—and for Big Drama’s starts
in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint in 2010 and
2011 at Churchill Downs. He won the
first, finished seventh in the second.
It’s too early to compare Bahamian
Squall to Big Drama. The latter won
10 stakes, including the Breeders’ Cup
Sprint and also the Smile Sprint and
put $2,746,060 in the bank. Bahamian
Squall has a ways to go but the homebred for Donald Dizney has the tools—
speed to go with his downhill sprinter’s
build—to get there one day.
“He’s nice, but he’s got to step up
his game. We’ve always had high hopes
for him ever since he was a 2-year-old,”
Stetler said. “He’s very classy, very
smart. He’s not very complicated that
way. We can pretty much do whatever
we want with him. He’s easy to train.”
Fawkes didn’t need to do much with
Bahamian Squall once he arrived at
Saratoga. All the heavy lifting was done
Gentlemen’s Bet eyes a third consecutive win for trainer Ron Moquett.
Tod Marks
Tod Marks
15
SUNDAY’S SARATOGA ENTRIES
Sunday, August 4.
1ST (1:00PM). $85,000, MSW, 3 YO’S & UP, 1M (INNER TURF)
Exacta, Trifecta, Pic 3, Daily Double
1 2 Lochte
I. Ortiz, Jr.
K. McLaughlin
1a 4 Camp Floyd
L. Saez
T. Albertrani
1x MTOGeneral Pico
I. Ortiz, Jr.
T. Albertrani
2 1 Calm Pacific
J. Castellano
C. Brown
3 3 Strike It Big
J. Rosario
W. Catalano
4 5 Metro
J. Velazquez
J. Terranova, II
5 6 Sampson County R. Napravnik
J. Lawrence, II
6 7 Easement
A. Solis
H. Jerkens
7 8 Defiant
J. Lezcano
C. Clement
8 9 Bank Float
J. Alvarado
W. Mott
9 10 Brilliant Command J. Ortiz
B. Brown
10 MTODattt Melody
.
W. Mott
11 MTOSneaky Blowout
J. Velazquez
T. Pletcher
7-2
7-2
7-2
10-1
6-1
5-1
12-1
8-1
2-1
12-1
20-1
6-1
9-5
2ND (1:30PM). $85,000, MSW, 2 YO, F , 1 1/16M (TURF)
Exacta, Quinella, Trifecta, Superfecta, Pic 3, Pic 4, Daily Double
1 1 Dance Tap
J. Rosario
T. Pletcher
2 2 Paulownia
R. Albarado
D. Lukas
3 3 Acquant
J. Castellano
A. Goldberg
4 4 Tempers Flair
J. Rocco, Jr.
H. Motion
5 5 Ketel Twist
J. Lezcano
W. Mott
6 6 Fierce Boots
J. Velazquez
T. Pletcher
7 7 La Reine Bourbon J. Alvarado
C. Brown
8 MTOAldara
L. Saez
T. Albertrani
9 MTOMa Billet Doux
.
W. Mott
4-1
15-1
7-2
6-1
5-2
4-1
5-1
4-1
3-1
3RD (2:00PM). $41,000, CLM $25,000, 3 YO’S & UP, 5 1/2F
Exacta, Trifecta, Superfecta, Pic 3, Daily Double
1 1 Risk Management C. Velasquez
L. Rice
2 2 Road Agent
L. Saez
J. Ness
3 3 Song of Aspen
A. Lezcano
R. Persaud
4 4 Meet the Mets
D. Cohen
B. Brown
5 5 Mr Rodriguez
J. Ortiz
R. Rodriguez
6 6 Too Much Talk
J. Lezcano
T. Morley
7 7 Corybant
J. Davis
G. Sciacca
8 8 Sneaky Freud
R. Maragh
R. Persaud
3-1
7-5
20-1
6-1
8-1
5-1
30-1
10-1
4TH (2:31PM). $85,000, AOC $35,000, 3 YO’S & UP, 6F
Exacta, Quinella, Trifecta, Superfecta, Pic 3, Daily Double
1 1 Sam Sparkle
I. Ortiz, Jr.
G. Contessa
2 2 Scout’s Honor
J. Castellano
S. Klesaris
3 3 Eastwood
L. Saez
T. Pletcher
4 4 Majestic Hussar
J. Lezcano
E. Kenneally
5 5 Congressional Page R. Napravnik
M. Trombetta
6 6 Consortium
J. Rosario
K. McLaughlin
7 7 Make a Fortune
D. Cohen
D. Jacobson
8 8 Vexor
J. Alvarado
J. Kimmel
10-1
12-1
2-1
3-1
15-1
5-2
8-1
20-1
5TH (3:03PM). $80,000, MSW, 2 YO, F , 6F
1 1 Garzoni
L. Saez
2 2 Enquete
J. Velazquez
3 3 Guilty Verdict
J. Castellano
4 4 Malibu Angel
J. Lezcano
5 5 Julia Tutwiler
J. Rosario
6 6 Le Plume
J. Alvarado
T. Albertrani
8-1
T. Pletcher
6-5
C. McGaughey III 4-1
G. Carwood
5-1
W. Mott
7-2
D. Lukas
12-1
6TH (3:35PM). $74,000, AOC $25,000, 3 YO’S & UP, 7F
Exacta, Trifecta, Superfecta, Pic 3, Pic 6, Daily Double
1 1 Warrior Up
J. Rocco, Jr.
R. Ubillo
1a 5 Papa Tom
J. Rocco, Jr.
R. Ubillo
2 2 Bake Shop
J. Velazquez
J. Vazquez
3 3 Itsagoodtendollars D. Cohen
G. DiPrima
4 4 Cousin Michael
J. Alvarado
C. Baker
5 6 Quiet Power
J. Ortiz
R. Rodriguez
6 7 Junior Officer
I. Ortiz, Jr.
R. Rodriguez
7 8 Zivo
J. Castellano
C. Brown
8 9 Dehere of the Cat C. Velasquez
M. Trombetta
9 10 Wee Freudian
L. Saez
L. Rice
10 11 Bug Juice
J. Rosario
L. Rivelli
20-1
20-1
5-1
5-1
12-1
8-1
20-1
4-1
5-1
7-2
12-1
7TH (4:07PM). $77,000, AOC $20,000, 3 YO’S & UP, F & M , 1 1/16M
(INNER TURF)
1 1 Moonlit Sonnet
A. Solis
L. Lewis
3-1
1a MTOYampa River
A. Solis
L. Lewis
3-1
2 2 Bourbon Twist
J. Velazquez
C. Brown
6-1
3 3 Rennina
A. Lezcano
F. Raia II
50-1
4 4 Golden Cheetah
J. Lezcano
D. Schettino
12-1
5 5 Funny Money
J. Rosario
C. Brown
5-1
6 6 Eurokay by Me
J. Ortiz
S. Schwartz
20-1
7 7 Hurricane Jackie
J. Castellano
T. Pletcher
7-2
8 8 Necessary Luxury R. Napravnik
W. Heffner
30-1
9 9 Centrina
J. Espinoza
C. Martin
10-1
10 10 Satin Sheeks
J. Alvarado
M. Hushion
15-1
11 11 Miz Owell
I. Ortiz, Jr.
M. Maker
6-1
12 MTOSwift Taylor
L. Saez
H. Bond
5-2
13 MTOMilkyyourway
.
D. Schettino
4-1
14 MTOMotion Lounge
.
D. Schettino
7-2
15 MTOConcealed
.
L. Miranda
8-1
8TH (4:39PM). $73,000, SOC $65,000, 3 & UP, F & M , 5 1/2F (TURF)
Exacta, Trifecta, Superfecta, Pic 3, Pic 4, Daily Double
1 1 Clearly Confused
L. Saez
N. Canani
20-1
2 2 Spun Silky
R. Napravnik
N. Saville
8-1
3 3 Strategic Missile
J. Ortiz
K. Feron
4-1
4 4 My Bella Beauty
J. Lezcano
N. Esler
6-1
5 5 Giulio’s Jewel
R. Maragh
J. Coronel
7-2
6 6 Normandy
J. Rosario
D. Jacobson
6-1
7 7 Indian Splendor
J. Castellano
J. Servis
6-1
8 8 Gnarley Girl
J. Rocco, Jr.
A. Dutrow
12-1
9 9 Spooky Kitten
J. Velazquez
B. Levine
5-1
10 MTOBobby Jo
J. Castellano
B. Brown
2-1
11 MTOQueen Mercury
J. Rosario
J. Toscano, Jr.
3-1
9TH (5:12PM). $400,000, STK - THE ALFRED G. VANDERBILT, 3&UP, 6F
Exacta, Trifecta, Pic 3, Daily Double
1 1 Bahamian Squall
L. Saez
D. Fawkes
7-2
2 2 Gentlemen’s Bet
J. Rosario
R. Moquett
9-5
3 3 Delaunay
R. Napravnik
T. Amoss
8-5
4 4 Justin Phillip
J. Velazquez
S. Asmussen
5-1
5 5 Caixa Eletronica
J. Castellano
T. Pletcher
10-1
10TH (5:45PM). $90,000, AOC $62,500, 3 YO’S & UP, 1 3/16M (TURF)
Exacta, Trifecta, Superfecta, Daily Double
1 1 Bell by the Ridge
J. Castellano
M. Maker
4-1
2 2 Film Making
E. Prado
J. Baker
6-1
3 3 Tricky Hat (CHI)
C. Velasquez
C. McGaughey III 5-2
4 4 Zane
J. Velazquez
M. Nihei
12-1
5 5 Share Out
R. Napravnik
T. Wyatt
12-1
6 6 Majestic Raffy
L. Saez
J. Aquilino
10-1
7 7 Go On Murt (IRE) I. Ortiz, Jr.
J. Englehart
20-1
8 8 Tahoe Lake (BRZ) J. Lezcano
G. Carwood
2-1
9 MTOSpeightscity
I. Ortiz, Jr.
G. Contessa
5-2
10 MTOSuns Out Guns Out J. Rosario
D. Romans
8-5
11TH (6:18PM). $75,000, MSW, 3 YO’S & UP, 1 1/16M (INNER TURF)
Exacta, Trifecta, Superfecta
1 1 Face the Race
J. Rosario
M. Matz
5-2
2 2 Hengroen
A. Solis
P. Kelly
20-1
3 3 Elroi
E. Prado
P. Pugh
8-1
4 4 Sunnysider
I. Ortiz, Jr.
H. Jerkens
7-2
5 5 Eleven Bravo
J. Espinoza
T. Bush
5-1
6 6 Cielo Soleggiato
J. Castellano
D. Schettino
8-1
7 7 Campogiovanni
L. Saez
H. Bond
5-1
8 8 Key Decision
D. Cohen
D. Gargan
15-1
9 9 Polaris Dream
J. Ortiz
G. Goodwin
12-1
10 10 Jack’s R Wild
J. Davis
R. Davis
30-1
11 MTOJesses Giant Dunk J. Espinoza
J. Terranova, II
6-1
Copyright 2013 EQUIBASE Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow us on
@joeclancy65
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@saratogaTL
16
the
Power
grid
Race #
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Gaile
Fitzgerald
John
Shapazian
Charles
Bedard
Chad
Summers
Tom
Law
Sneaky Blowout
Defiant
Strike It Big
Acquant
Ketel Twist
Dance Tap
Road Agent
Risk Management
Sneaky Freud
Eastwood
Majestic Hussar
Consortium
Enquete
Julia Tutwiler
Malibu Angel
Bug Juice
Dehere of the Cat
Zivo
Moonlit Sonnet
Hurricane Jackie
Funny Money
Spun Silky
Normandy
Strategic Missile
Delaunay
Bahamian Squall
Justin Phillip
Bell by the Ridge
Go On Murt
Tahoe Lake
Face the Race
Campogiovanni
Eleven Bravo
Defiant
Sneaky Blowout
Darley Entry
Ketel Twist
Fierce Boots
Acquant
Road Agent
Risk Management
Mr Rodriguez
Consortium
Majestic Hussar
Eastwood
Enquete
Malibu Angel
Garzoni
Itsagoodtendollars
Bake Shop
Zivo
Moonlit Sonnet
Hurricane Jackie
Funny Money
Bobby Jo
Giulio’s Jewel
Strategic Missile
Delaunay
Gentlemen’s Bet
Bahamian Squall
Suns Out Guns Out
Tricky Hat
Tahoe Lake
Face the Race
Sunnysider
Eleven Bravo
Darley entry
Defiant
Sampson County
Ketel Twist
Tempers Flair
La Reine Bourbon
Sneaky Freud
Too Much Talk
Road Agent
Eastwood
Consortium
Majestic Hussar
Enquete
Malibu Angel
Julia Tutwiler
Wee Freudian
Bug Juice
Ubillo entry
Miz Owell
Moonlit Sonnet
Hurricane Jackie
Strategic Missile
Spooky Kitten
Normandy
Caixa Eletronica
Gentlemen’s Bet
Delaunay
Majestic Raffy
Tahoe Lake
Speightscity
Campogiovanni
Sunnysider
Face the Race
Defiant
Darley entry
Easement
Ketel Twist
Fierce Boots
Paulownia
Sneaky Freud
Road Agent
Mr Rodriguez
Majestic Hussar
Scout’s Honor
Consortium
Guilty Verdict
Malibu Angel
Julia Tutwiler
Zivo
Itsagoodtendollars
Bug Juice
Lewis Entry
Funny Money
Hurricane Jackie
Giulio’s Jewel
Indian Splendor
Spun Silky
Gentlemen’s Bet
Bahamian Squall
Delaunay
Tahoe Lake
Tricky Hat
Film Making
Face the Race
Eleven Bravo
Sunnysider
Defiant
Strike It Big
Lochte
Dance Tap
Ketel Twist
La Reine Bourbon
Too Much Talk
Risk Management
Road Agent
Consortium
Majestic Hussar
Eastwood
Enquete
Garzoni
Guilty Verdict
Zivo
Dehere of the Cat
Wee Freudian
Bourbon Twist
Moonlit Sonnet
Funny Money
Spooky Kitten
Normandy
Indian Splendor
Bahamian Squall
Gentlemen’s Bet
Delaunay
Tricky Hat
Film Making
Tahoe Lake
Campogiovanni
Eleven Bravo
Face the Race
40/145
43/145
41/145
25/145
2013 Records
43/145
17
18
Vanderbilt –
back at his base at Gulfstream Park and
he took the colt to the gate Friday and
for some light work late in the morning
Saturday. He would have gone a little
earlier Saturday, but was forced to wait
for a freelance exercise rider.
Fawkes admitted that he wished he
just lined things up with Luis Saez, who
has ridden the colt in all but two of his
12 starts and rides again today, but it
all worked out in the end and Bahamian
Squall got in an easy jog once around
the wrong way Saturday.
Delaunay is the slight 8-5 favorite
for the Vanderbilt, just ahead of the colt
who beat him in the Iowa Sprint, Gentlemen’s Bet at 9-5.
Delaunay’s trainer Tom Amoss said
the horse to beat is again Gentlemen’s
Bet but also said a bad break at Prairie Meadows might have made the
difference between the two last time.
Delaunay didn’t break poorly in his previous start and came away with a victory
in the Grade 2 Churchill Downs Stakes
on the Kentucky Derby undercard.
Amoss has been working with Delaunay at the gate and said the 6-yearold Smoke Glacken gelding showed improvement from his first work here July
20 to his next a week later.
“His last race at the Fair Grounds,
he left the gate a half-step slow and I
found it funny that he did that because
he’s such a pro,” Amoss said. “He was
perfect at Churchill and then he did it
Tod Marks
Things have gone considerably better for graded stakes winner Justin Phillip since he got loose in the post parade for his scheduled debut here back
in 2010.
Check out
for more from The Special team.
Q u a l it y G r a d uates
Gainesway Saratoga Graduate and
G1 Acorn Stakes Winner Midnight Lucky
2013 Sar at o ga C o nsi g nment
+ Located in Barn 6
19
Vanderbilt –
again at Iowa even more so and got himself left. I’d hate
to call it a characteristic of the horse, but I think it’s something that we have to be concerned about.
“I wouldn’t say he’s shown improvement [since training in the gate], as a matter of fact his first work here
was a disappointment. It was an unusual day at the track.
It was. His next work was very characteristic of how he
works, so he’s come around quite a bit. The track here is
funny, horses either like it or they don’t and hopefully he
likes it.”
Gentlemen’s Bet makes his Saratoga debut for trainer
Ron Moquett off that sharp win in the Iowa Sprint, his
fifth victory from six career starts. The only loss on the
4-year-old Half Ours colt’s resume is a third behind Justin
Phillip in the Grade 3 Count Fleet earlier this spring at
Oaklawn Park.
“So far, he’s always left the gates good, so I’m hoping
that he gets a good start,” Moquett said. “In a 6-furlong
race with horses that fast, you better leave the gates good
every time or you put yourself at a disadvantage. [The
Vanderbilt] seems like a natural progression. We want to
see how we stack up and this is an awesome race. This is a
really big deal. My owners and my barn are really excited
to be a part of it.”
Justin Phillip just missed winning the Vanderbilt last
year, when beaten a neck by Poseidon’s Warrior in the
mud. Trainer Steve Asmussen has won two races with
the 5-year-old First Samurai horse this year and he exits a fourth behind Bahamian Squall in the Smile. John
Velazquez rides at 5-1.
The outside post belongs to 8-year-old beast Caixa
Eletronica at 10-1 for Repole Stable and trainer Todd
Pletcher. The winner of 22 races scored in an optional
claimer here July 25 and returns on short rest to try for a
graded stakes. The son of Arromanches makes his ninth
start at Saratoga while bidding for is fourth win over the
course. Javier Castellano takes the return call on the earner of more than $1.7 million.
Tod Marks
Caixa Eletronica gets his game face on at the barn last week.
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A Wealth of Talent...
Hip 11. Smitten Farm’s Speightstown colt.
Hip 30. John Behrendt and Ned and Jill Moore’s
Tale of the Cat colt.
Hip 48. Peggy Augustus’ Curlin filly.
Hip 54. Louisa Lenehan’s Blame filly.
Hip 72. Louisa Lenehan’s Indian Charlie filly.
Hip 88. Hare Forest’s Tapit filly.
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21
Playing The Numbers
Browning, sales
get back to work
Continuing a tradition that started
in 1917, Fasig-Tipton hosts its annual Select Yearling Sale Monday night.
With 152 yearlings catalogued for the
two sessions, it’s exactly how it’s billed,
select.
Saturday morning as yearlings paraded, consignors fretted and buyers
poked and prodded, Fasig-Tipton’s
Boyd Browning Jr. sat down with The
Special’s Sean Clancy to talk about the
catalogue, the approach and the goals
for this sale and beyond.
The Special: Two days before the
sale, what do you think?
Browning: There’s a sense of optimism, the sales have been good throughout most of 2013, we had a good yearling sale in Kentucky, you can sense it at
the racetrack and you can sense it at the
sales grounds, people are enthusiastic
and more energetic, there is a more positive vibe around our game and around
the sales than there was two or three
years ago.
See BROWNING page 24
Tod Marks
Halter tags are ready once again at the Fasig-Tipton sales grounds.
King Congie
A great horse needs a great start. . .
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Jim Crupi h Toll Free: (866) 313-5400 h Cell: (352) 427-1600
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Browning –
grounds here is good. There are smiles on the faces of
people when they talk to you. You go on the backside
this morning, ‘I’ll be over there this morning.’ ‘I’m interested in some horses.’ It’s a subtle thing, it’s hard
to quantify but there is an air of enthusiasm and optimism and that has to be positive from a sales perspective.
The Special: Why?
Browning: It sure doesn’t hurt that the stock market closed just under 16,000 on Friday. The racing
here is phenomenal, we always wondered when it was
going to happen in a positive fashion, it’s happened
and it’s had a profound effect on not only New York
but on the overall industry. New York is still the racing
capital of America, regardless of what anybody in California or Kentucky may want to think, for the quality
of racing that occurs basically on a year-round basis
now. When New York is really good, it helps everybody else. Supply and demand helps, as well. There’s
a combination of factors that are leading to a positive
attitude.”
The Special: Are there times when you come here
and it doesn’t feel this way?
The Special: How much of a correlation is there
between the success of earlier sales and the success of
this sale?
Browning: They’re reflective of the overall heath
of the market. People who sold 2-year-olds had a good
year for the most part, there was some profitability
from the pinhookers’ standpoint. The most encouraging thing we saw at the 2-year-old sales was a broad
demand for horses, it wasn’t dominated by two or
three buyers, there was diversity of buyers. Whether
they occurred at our sales in South Florida or Maryland or other sales in Florida, California or Kentucky,
when there was diversity of buyers, there was interest
in quality horses. We saw the same trend continue at
July, for yearlings and horses of racing age. That’s the
most positive. It’s not a direct, complete parallel but
all the markets are interrelated. If the 2-year-old sales
are good, it helps the yearling sales, if the yearling sales
are good, it helps the mixed sales. If people are feeling
good about the yearling sales and the mixed sales, it
Tod Marks
Boyd Browning.
creates a market of higher expectations at the 2-yearold sales. We live in a world that’s inter-connected.
The Special: Specifically, when the July sale is suc-
cessful, what does it tell you?
Browning: It tells me that there’s interest. It tells
me there are people who want to have horses. The
feel on the grounds in July was good, the feel on the
DAR5419 Saratoga Special Street Cry 4 AUG 13 02/08/2013 14:49 Page 1
Browning: There are times when you feel like all
the momentum is working against you. What was it
two years ago, three years ago, that on the Monday,
the Dow had the biggest drop ever? I was up here one
year, on the Monday before the sale when a war broke
out. Those are things that are completely out of people’s control. When a war breaks out, that has an impact on people’s moods. There are some things that
are frankly a little bit more important than a horse
sale in the greater scheme of things, no matter how
important these things are to us, and to our consignors and the buyers. There are some things that overshadow a horse sale. There have been times when I’ve
been absolutely petrified and scared to death. I’ll still
be nervous, I won’t sleep real well until Tuesday night
because you want to make sure you do everything possible, that you turn over every rock, you do everything
known to mankind to make sure you’ve got the horses
and your sales in position to have the most success in
the sales ring.
The Special: For this sale, specifically, have you
done anything different?
Browning: It’s not going to be a very glamorous
answer, but no. At the end of the day, if we had some
magic recipe for recruiting, we’d certainly implement
it. We recruit quality horses, we try to recruit quality buyers, we talk to people who have had success,
we talk to the people who may not have had the exSee BROWNING page 26
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25
Browning –
perience at Saratoga and try to get them to come to
Saratoga, because generally speaking, once someone
comes to Saratoga they have a positive experience. It’s
a phenomenal place to race, to compete, to buy and
sell a horse. There is no place like Saratoga.
The Special: What is the biggest criticism from
consignors?
Browning: Size of the catalogue. There has gotten
to be a mentality that lots of horses are better than a
smaller number of horses. That’s the biggest obstacle
to overcome. I think all you have to do is look around
and see that there are lots of people who want to buy
a horse at Saratoga.
The Special: What is the biggest criticism from
buyers?
Browning: Same thing, ‘Wish you had a few more
horses.’ At the end of the day, those things balance
out over time. We’ve basically been 150 to 200 horses
the last several years. The one thing you can’t do is to
artificially set a number, if you fill the catalogue with
horses who don’t fit, they’re not going to be successful. Then those owners, those agents, those consignors
don’t have a good experience and they won’t come
back. We are dealing with a reduced supply, hopefully
we’ll have a great sale this year and we’ll get a few
more horses up here next year and hopefully the sales
graduates compete at the highest level.
The Special: Is there an ideal number of horses
for this sale?
Browning: We truly do not set a number and say
THE
Tod Marks
Buyer Cot Campbell checks out a yearling at the sales Saturday.
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71289_CD_SeptStakes_4.875_13.5.pdf
1
7/18/13
4:38 PM
Browning –
we’re trying to get to that. Would I like
to have 25 more, of course. I’m not disappointed in the 150, we knew we had
150 horses that fit. We felt that way
coming in and after looking Friday and
half of today, the feedback from our
people internally has been overwhelmingly positive. You try to avoid horses
who really don’t belong, there might be
some surprises, they all mature differently, but overall, we couldn’t be more
pleased with the consistency of the
quality of the group.
The Special: What’s surprising
about this year’s catalogue?
Browning: It’s not a sexy answer,
but the consistency of the quality. Turn
the page, ‘nice horse.’ Turn the page,
‘nice horse.’ Turn the page, ‘nice horse.’
We’ve got access to our internal notes
from the farm tours, and it’s like, ‘that’s
a good one, that’s a good one, that’s
a good one.’ Sometimes you look and
say, ‘Hmm, I wonder why we took that
horse?’ There are very few of those this
year.
2013 SEPTEMBER HOMECOMING STAKES SCHEDULE
IROQUOIS (GIII)
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$150,000 added
Closes Wed., Aug. 21
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The Special: After making such a
splash here in the past, why is there only
one horse by Bernardini?
POCAHONTAS (GII)
2013 “Win and You're In Juvenile Fillies Division”
2014 Road to the Kentucky Oaks Kickoff
Runs Sat., Sept. 7
Fillies, Two Years Old
$150,000 added
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Browning: It just randomly hap-
pens. We saw several, we accepted several and wound up with one. Would I
like to have some more Bernardinis?
Absolutely. Would I like to have a few
more War Fronts? Absolutely. Would I
like to have a few more Tapits? Absolutely. Would I like to have a few more
Smart Strikes? Absolutely. There is no
plan or process to limit or restrict the
access to any particular stallion.
The Special: You’ve been doing
this since 1988, what’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned?
Browning: I feel like I learn a new
lesson every year. The biggest lesson,
with this sale and every sale, is to make
as much effort and preparation in advance, to anticipate the unexpected and
to really focus on the things you can
control and don’t spend your time and
energy on the things you can’t control.
Don’t worry or complain or stress over
things you can’t control.
The Special: What’s the most surprising thing you’ve seen here?
Browning: Probably chasing that
guy in the parking lot a few years ago
who bid a million dollars. That and the
most amazing night to me is when the
power went out and basically the only
lights on in town were here, running
off the generator. That was the most interesting night of all. You never know
what’s going to happen at a horse sale.
Do your homework, be prepared then
fly by the seat of your pants.
The Special: What do you think of
the catalogue, as far as consignors who
are here and who aren’t here?
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#ChurchillDowns
Browning –
The Special: Explain Fasig-Tipton’s
approach before and after the ownership change.
Browning: We’ve had the mentality,
Browning: We’re very pleased with both internally and in our ownership,
the people who decided to bring horses
to Saratoga. What we’ll do is try to have
a great sale with the ones who chose to
come here. The ones who chose not
to come this year, hopefully we’ll have
them back next year. That’s the truth.
There’s always some disappointments,
you always wish you had a few more
horses. This is a game that changes every year, if you don’t succeed this year,
you better try, try again. We don’t hold
grudges, we’re recruiting, always, for
next year.
The Special: How have things
gone since the change of ownership in
Fasig-Tipton?
Fasig-Tipton tells all the yearlings to smile pretty for the people.
Tod Marks
Browning: The single most dramatic change here in Saratoga is the facility improvements. Walk around here, it
kept the charm of Saratoga but dramatically improved the facilities. The other
thing that has remained in place is that
the goal before and after the ownership
change is to do things the right way. You
do things the right way, day in and day
out, over a long period of time, you’ll
be successful. Don’t be overreacting to
ebbs and flows, do the right thing, try
to have the best horse sale you possibly can, recruit quality horses, associate with the quality people, you’ll be
OK. There’s not been any fundamental
change in that at all.
that we are still going to be stewards
of the financial resources and try to
do things responsibly. This is a business, this is not a hobby. We want to be
successful and run great sales whether
they’re in New York, Kentucky, Maryland, Texas or Florida. We have a responsibility to our customers and our
ownership both. They gave us the trust
and confidence to do it how we thought
it needed to be done. That’s a nice opportunity.
The Special: What is the ultimate
goal for this sale?
Browning: We want this sale to
be the best yearling sale in the world.
Period. End of discussion. That is our
goal. We want to have the finest horses,
both in the sales ring and the racetrack.
We have learned over the years to keep
that in mind, you can’t be guided only
by bottom-line decisions from a longterm perspective. If you have a few less
horses some years, you say, ‘we’re going
to have a few less horses, we’re going
to stick to what works for us and we’re
going to do the very best we can with
those horses.’ You have to be who you
are, we try to be who we are and try to
be the best yearling sale in the world.
It’s a single objective, be the best yearling sale in the world.
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Browning –
Browning: Ask me that question
that should allow us to expand other
sales and bring other sales in. The New
York-bred sale has a record number of
horses, we added the sale here in October last year, there is enormous upside
potential for New York breeding and
racing and sales in the next 10 to 20
years.
The Special: Come on, you have to
The Special: How do you expect to
feel Tuesday night?
The Special: How close are you?
Tuesday night.
answer the question.
Browning: I don’t know. I don’t
know. We are very pleased with the
quality of horses on the grounds but ultimately it’s the men and women who
raise their hands who are the judges,
not us. My opinion doesn’t count now.
The men and women around these sales
grounds are the ultimate judges to how
we’ve done. Hopefully, they’ll respond
positively.
The Special: Five years from now,
20 years from now, what’s your vision?
Browning: I would like to sell every
horse that we have in the catalogue and
have a bunch of smiling customers, people who felt like they could buy horses and people who feel like they could
sell their horses well and fairly. That’s
how we measure our success, it’s pretty
obvious when they go through the ring,
whether we’ve met their goals, exceeded their expectations or missed their expectations.
The Special: Prediction?
Browning: It’s going to be good.
Browning: That’s the most difficult When I say good, it’s not going to be
Tod Marks
insane, it’s not going to be 50 horses
bringing over a million dollars but we’ll
have a good, vibrant, active marketplace. It’s going to be good.
Fasig-Tipton Sales
Select yearlings. Hips 1-152.
Monday and Tuesday, Aug. 5-6.
7 p.m.
Humphrey S. Finney Sales Pavilion
East and Madison Avenues
Other 2013 stakes winners, Point Of Entry, Dayatthespa, Revolutionary, Kobe’s Back, Cigar Street and Data Link
30
Photos by Z
The yearlings enter the ring Monday night.
thing in the Thoroughbred industry
right now, we’ve seen so much change
it’s hard to legitimately have a 20-year
plan. At least it’s been hard for me to
have a 20-year plan. We feel extremely optimistic and positive that Saratoga
is still going to be the most important
month, six to eight weeks in a racing
calendar in North America. For almost
100 years, Saratoga has been a premier
place to buy and sell yearlings, so we’ll
work very hard to maintain that. We’ve
also seen some significant changes in
New York and opportunities exist here
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31
Mixing
It Up
Track bartenders build
careers on serving
drinks, humor all day
BY REBECCA FEDLER
“Two peanuts were walking down a road, and one
was assaulted.”
That joke is one of the many you could hear upon
your introduction to Kurt Rumpler, head bartender at
Saratoga Race Course.
“My job, as a bartender, is to make sure [my customers are] relaxed,” said Rumpler. “If they’re relaxed, then they’re happy.” And if they’re happy, then
that means better tips for the bartender. Rumpler, who
has been tending bar for 43 years, said he makes money because he can relate to people.
People pay $3 to get into the track, and then they’re
shocked at the New York City drink prices. “The thing
we can do to counteract that,” he said, “is to build a
quality drink.”
At his position at Longshots, on the ground floor
in the grandstand, he said they specialize in Bloody
Connie Bush
Kurt Rumpler, a veteran of 43 years behind a bar, pours a drink for some fans at Saratoga Race Course.
Marys. “People like to see their drink being built, and
we build it right in front of them.”
Beyond cracking jokes and mixing drinks, as head
bartender, Rumpler also oversees 50 people on staff –
including his wife of 40 years, Karen.
“And if a complaint comes up, I have to handle
it not as a husband,” he said “But you know what,
we’ve been in this business together so long, that if I
say to her, ‘Listen, put the smile on, kick it up a notch,’
she knows what I’m talking about.”
Karen’s post is at The Ketel One Bar at the base of
the stairs in the clubhouse.
See BARTENDERS page 33
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Bartenders –
“In the clubhouse,” she said, “people
come out later, so the last four or five
races are the busiest. Unlike the grandstand, they get busy early and then they
weed out toward the end. We’re slower
starting because people are fashionably
late in the clubhouse,” she said as she
leaned on her bar during a lull in the
crowd on Monday.
The Rumplers winter in Florida now,
but come up in the spring for the track
and remain through September. During
the off-season, Karen said she’s semi-retired, but has a travel business and also
sells jewelry. Rumpler tends bar at the
Nickelodeon Hotel in Orlando when
not at the track, which, he said, is the
complete opposite of here.
It’s a pool bar, so he does magic tricks
for kids coming up asking for non-alcoholic drinks, he said, and then, “I’m
dealing with mid-life women in bikinis
who maybe shouldn’t be, but a lot of
good ones too. But here, the horseplayer with his cigar. It’s like two different
worlds, but I like both of them.”
Karen said they have two sons, both
of whom now live in Florida with their
families. She said the elder is an executive chef for Disney, and the younger a
doctor in toxicology.
“Yeah, they did good,” Karen said
with a laugh. “That’s what helped put
them through college, is this job.”
On her day off, Karen said she likes
to golf, and that in Florida they have a
boat. “And I like drinking good wine,”
she said with a laugh.
The couple also enjoys spending time
with their grandkids, some of whom
were just up for a visit. There are six
total in the clan: two girls and four boys
– including a set of 5-year-old twins.
Family details are something several
of her customers already know. Karen,
who has been in the restaurant/bar business since she was little (her father built
a bowling center), has been at the track
for 19 years, and on the lower porch in
the clubhouse for the last 16.
“I’ve met a lot of really nice people
over the years. A lot of customers that I
keep in contact with,” she said. “They
know about my family, and I know
about their kids. You see a lot of the
same people come here that get to know
you year after year. And then they come
to you because everybody, when they go
somewhere, they want to see a familiar
face. Everyone likes to be recognized,
and that’s a big thing. If people are recognized when they come somewhere,
then they feel very comfortable.”
And, Karen added with a laugh,
“You remember their name, and what
they drink, and that gets you a bigger
tip.”
But Karen doesn’t gamble with those
tips. “I’m not a bettor,” she said, “I like
to shop instead of spend my money on
gambling.”
And neither is her husband. “I drive
twelve-hundred miles to come here to
work. I’m not gonna fool with the horses. That’s my gas money every day, or
gas money to get back to Florida,” said
Rumpler.
That’s his serious answer, but sometimes, when someone asks, “Hey, you
See BARTENDERS page 34
Kurt’s wife Karen Rumpler also works a bar at the track.
Connie Bush
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Bartenders –
got any horse tips?” he’ll put a shocked expression on
his face, and exclaim, “There’s horses here? There’s
gambling? Are you kidding me?”
All in all, Rumpler sees himself in his job for as
long as he can do it. As well as being head bartender,
he was also voted union steward. He said, “It’s a very
strict seniority system here.”
When Rumpler does his stack of paperwork, which
takes about three hours on a Tuesday to get ready for
a Wednesday, seniority gets first pick when it comes to
the schedule. He said, Joe O’Brien, who’s been at the
track since 1968, gets that first assignment, followed
by Tony Benequisto, who has been here for 42 years.
“This is the perfect summer job,” said Benequisto,
a retired physical education teacher from Schenectady
Public High School.
Rumpler said, if a guy is in a senior position, then
he is allowed to cut days without losing seniority. The
time-keepers he called them. “We don’t throw them
out because they’re old. You can’t throw out history.
Institutional knowledge is a valuable thing.”
But some do choose to cut down on days, and the
long hours involved. Karen said they leave their house
in Troy at 8:30 in the morning to get to the track for
a 9:30 start, and then don’t get home until almost 8
at night.
Technically closed at the post-time of the last race,
the bartenders switch hats to clerks at the end of the
day. They have to catalog inventory, from quantity of
liquor (the bottles have meters on them), to cans of
Coors Light, to plastic cups. Everything gets counted.
“By the time you get home, decide what you’re going to eat for dinner, cook it . . . I don’t like eating at
9:30, 10 o’clock at night, but you know, you don’t
have any choice,” said Karen.
Which is why when she walked to her husband’s
bar at the end of the day and he was still talking, she
said, “We have a chance to get out of here early to-
Connie Bush
A retired teacher, Tony Benequisto has worked at Saratoga Race Course for 42 years.
night, so get a jump on it.”
To speed things along, she counted out his tip jar.
It had a label that read: “Divorce Fund – My Ex-Wife
Thanks You.”
“Oh, that’s my joke of the day,” said Rumpler with
a laugh, as his wife of 40 years counted it out for him.
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35
Family Tradition
Local student Maydick takes
bell-ringing torch from brother
BY REBECCA FEDLER
A loud ding rings out over the
grounds of Saratoga Race Course. It’s
heard everywhere, but originates at the
winner’s circle.
The source is a hand-rung bell that
reminds the public of the track’s deep
roots in history.
The bell is rung seven times, 17 minutes before each post. As one ding dims
down and quiets, a hand rings another.
This year, the hand belongs to one
Maggie Maydick, a 15-year-old Saratoga Springs High School student. Maydick said that this is her first season as
the bell-ringer, but that her brother did
it last year, so it’s almost a family tradition now.
“I ring the bell to warn the jockeys
to come over to the paddock, and also
for the people to see the jockeys at the
paddock,” Maydick said.
The bell was the signal the jockeys
relied upon in the past to call them to
their posts, with technology now, it’s
no longer necessary. But it still creates a
nice atmospheric touch that reminds everyone of Saratoga’s history. As the old-
36
est sporting venue in the country—it’s a
valid reminder that adds to the tracks
historic ambience.
Maydick said, “I ring it seven times
before each race for good luck.” So on
a day with ten races, that’s 70 times—a
lot of bell-ringing.
But after each ringing, she quickly
vacates her post in the winner’s circle
and exits with earplugs in hand.
“They don’t really like me staying around because they want to clear
the winner’s circle,” she said. “There’s
been complaints in the past about the
bell-ringer staying in the circle.”
Maydick said she has always liked
the track, and coming to see the “races
and stuff.” She said her family comes to
the track regularly.
When not on duty, she enjoys playing
sports—volleyball and ski-racing. Asked
if she had any hobbies, she replied, “Beyond my sports? Not really.” So Maydick spends her time doing sports, and,
“You know, going to school.”
Asked if she would return to the position next year, she replied, “You know,
who knows? I mean, I like doing it this
year, but see what happens.”
Dave Harmon
Maggie Maydick’s summer job? Ringing the 17-minute bell at Saratoga Race Course.
Entering her sophomore year, she’s
keeping her options for the future open.
“I’m not in a rush to decide,” she said
as she adjusted her floral-print shades.
“There’s a lot of possibilities—a lot of
things I’m interested in—you know? See
what the future holds.”
The ringing of the bell is a tradition—a reminder of the past—while the
hand holding it is rooted in the present,
and its owner is willing to let her future
come when and how it will.
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37
SATURDAY’S RACING RECAP
Due
Credit
Ageless Gimme Credit
gets fourth Spa score,
15th lifetime victory
Gimme Credit broke his maiden in his seventh time
out way back in late June 2006 at Belmont Park. Seven years later, the New York-bred son of Artax is still
finding his way to the winner’s circle and horsemen
are still trying to claim the 10-year-old.
Gimme Credit won for the 15th time in the sixth
race Saturday at Saratoga, an optional claiming race
on the turf for state-breds.
“He knows what he’s doing,” said winning owner
and trainer Danny Gargan, who claimed Gimme Credit for $20,000 out of a race run that immediately followed the June 8 Belmont Stakes. “He’s a hard-knocking old horse who knows where the winner’s circle is.”
In addition to winning for the 15th time in his
career, Gimme Credit won for the fourth time in 11
starts at Saratoga and padded his lifetime bankroll to
$743,543. Jose Lezcano was aboard the winner, who
was the 7-2 second choice and won by a neck over
38
The ageless Gimme Credit (left) wins again at Saratoga.
favored Sunlover.
“Jose knows how to ride and he [Gimme Credit]
knows how to run,” Gargan said. “We saved ground
and pinned the 2 [Sunlover] inside of us. He snuck
through the rail and we were forced wide but he always knew he was going to have enough coming for
home. That’s just the way he runs, confident.”
Tod Marks
Gimme Credit was claimed out of the race by Bruce
Brown for owner Anthony McCarthy, the fourth time
he’s been taken this year.
“Unfortunately he got claimed, but hey, that’s
the nature of the business,” Gargan said. “We loved
See SATURDAY page 38
Saturday –
having him around the barn. Everyone loves him. He’s like a pony.”
—Ryan Martin and Ryan Jones
• Whitney Day got off to a great
start in the eyes of Dale Romans, who
saddled the winner of the opener when
Slan Abhaile gunned down pace setter
Googleado.
“It’s a great day to be here,” Romans
said, referring to the official 150th anniversary of racing in Saratoga. “I’m glad
to win a race on a day like today.”
Slan Abhaile, a 3-year-old son of
Hard Spun, ran on turf in his last start
and switched back to the main track
to win the 6 1/2-furlong allowance.
Slan Abhaile won by three-quarters of
a length over Gombey Dancer with favored Googleado another 1 1/4 lengths
back.
Joel Rosario rode the winner.
“If you want to win against a field
like this at Saratoga, you got to earn
it,” Romans said. “They won’t give you
anything.
“It looked like he [Joel] was in control the whole way. I wanted to be close,
but we knew the horse from the one
hole [Googleado] had to go. When you
have speed and you break from the inside you almost got to get out there, so
we wanted to sit right off of him and it
worked out really well.”
—Ryan Martin
Slan Abhaile gets official 150th anniversary card off to quick start.
Dave Harmon
Jonathan thomas stable
at the new Bridlewood Farm in Ocala, Florida
• Breaking and Training •
• Bloodstock •
• Freshening older horses •
Selected and purchased graded stakeswinner Notacatbutallama
Program graduates: 50% winners, 75% in the money in 2013
516-732-8418 • [email protected]
Boston Strong
2-year-old colt. By Pioneerof the Nile. Half-brother to recent Grade II American Derby
winner Infinite Magic. Call Matt or Rich to see him at Saratoga. Shares still available.
Matt Gatsas (603-321-6852) or
Rich Cristiano (914-439-5636)
Office: 866-329-2Win
[email protected]
www.sovereignstable.com
39
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SATURDAY’S SARATOGA RESULTS
Saturday August 3.
FIRST $82,000, ALLOWANCE, 3 YO’S & UP, 6 1/2F
4 Slan Abhaile
J. Rosario
$8.10
$4.50
$2.50
6 Gombey Dancer
C. Velasquez
$6.30
$3.20
1 Googleado (ARG)
J. Velazquez $2.30
B Colt 2010, by Hard Spun - Safe Return by Mr. Prospector
Owner: Blue Devil Racing Stable (Holliday). Trainer: Dale Romans.
Breeder: Jayeff B Stables (KY).
Time: 1:15.94
Exacta (4-6), $41.60; Superfecta (4-6-1-7), $351.00; Trifecta (4-6-1),
$89.50
SECOND $80,000, MAIDEN SPECIAL WEIGHT, 3 YO’S & UP, 6F
1X Truth Is
L. Saez
$10.60
$3.70
$2.30
5 Tiz for Tat
J. Lezcano
$2.70
$2.30
2 Poison Apple
R. Maragh $3.90
Dk B/ Br Colt 2010, by Medaglia d’Oro - Honest Answer by Tale of the Cat
Owner: Darley Stable. Trainer: Kiaran McLaughlin.
Breeder: Stonewall Farm Stallions (KY).
Late Scratches: Mr. O’Leary
Time: 1:09.63
Daily Double (4-1), $46.20; Exacta (1-5), $27.00; Quinella (1-5), $10.60;
Trifecta (1-5-2), $166.50
THIRD $37,000, MAIDEN CLAIMING $20,000, 3 YO’S & UP, 7F
1A Diamond Maker
J. Velazquez
$3.50
$2.30
$2.10
5 Cebu
J. Rocco, Jr.
$3.50
$2.70
2 Glassy Aly
I. Ortiz, Jr. $3.20
B Filly 2010, by Mineshaft - Marquet Rent by Marquetry
Owner: Dubb, Michael and Bethlehem Stables LLC.
Trainer: Rudy Rodriguez. Breeder: New Life Stable Inc. (KY).
Late Scratches: Princes On Thelake
Time: 1:25.44
Daily Double (1-1), $24.60; Exacta (1-5), $12.00; Trifecta (1-5-2), $30.20;
Pic 3 (4-1-1), $73.00
FOURTH $40,000, CLAIMING $20,000, 3 YO’S & UP, 1 1/16M
8 Quantity
J. Castellano
$9.30
$5.50
$4.00
5 Wishingonadream S. Bridgmohan $29.20 $12.20
7 East of Danzig
L. Saez $6.10
Ch Gelding 2008, by El Corredor - Hydration by Unbridled
Owner: Pompa, Jr., Paul, P.. Trainer: Chad Brown.
Breeder: Glen Hill Farm (FL).
Late Scratches: Thunder Brew, Irish Lion, Minnie Punt, Terminus
Claimed: Quantity claimed by Team West Side Stables for $20,000, East
of Danzig claimed by Castle Village Farm for $20,000, Formulaforsuccess
claimed by Dubb, Michael for $20,000, Kanagaro claimed by Burroughs,
Malvern C and Burroughs, Janet for $20,000
Time: 1:42.65
Daily Double (1-8), $19.60; Exacta (8-5), $275.50; Quinella (5-8), $201.00;
Superfecta (8-5-7-11), $25,452.00; Trifecta (8-5-7), $2,142.00; Pic 3 (11-8), $105.00
FIFTH $75,000, NY-BRED MAIDEN SPECIAL WEIGHT, 3 & UP, 1 1/16M
10 Kate is a Ten L. Saez
$26.20 $10.60
$6.70
3 Eddy’s Time
E. Prado
$5.50
$3.90
7 Done Smoking
J. Lezcano $3.70
Ch Filly 2010, by Tenpins - Crypto Kate by Tabasco Cat
Owner: Brian and Kerry Novak, Inc.. Trainer: Philip Serpe.
Breeder: Rojan Farms Inc (NY).
Late Scratches: Brandini, Prize Taker
Time: 1:43.27
Daily Double (8-10), $206.00; Exacta (10-3), $181.00; Superfecta (10-37-6), $2,265.00; Trifecta (10-3-7), $965.00; Pic 3 (1-8-10), $278.50; Pic 4
(1-1/4-8-10), $2,632.00
Saratoga Leaders (through Saturday)
TRAINERS
Todd Pletcher.................................................. 13
Chad Brown...................................................... 7
Mike Maker....................................................... 7
David Jacobson................................................. 6
Bill Mott............................................................ 6
Steve Asmussen............................................... 5
Kiaran McLaughlin............................................ 5
George Weaver................................................. 5
Christophe Clement........................................... 5
Jack Fisher........................................................ 3
Mitch Friedman................................................. 3
Mike Hushion.................................................... 3
Shug McGaughey.............................................. 3
Four more with 3
40
JOCKEYS
Joel Rosario.................................................... 22
Javier Castellano............................................. 19
John Velazquez............................................... 13
Jose Lezcano.................................................... 9
Luis Saez........................................................... 8
Cornelio Velasquez............................................ 8
Junior Alvarado................................................. 7
Irad Ortiz Jr....................................................... 7
Rajiv Maragh..................................................... 6
Rosie Napravnik................................................ 5
Jose Ortiz.......................................................... 5
Joe Rocco Jr..................................................... 5
SIXTH $77,000, NY-BRED AOC $20,000, 3 YO’S & UP, 1 1/16M
6 Gimme Credit J. Lezcano
$9.20
$4.40
$3.60
2 Sunlover
J. Rosario
$4.40
$3.60
9 Hidden Vow
R. Maragh $12.80
Dk B/ Br Gelding 2003, by Artax - Shagadellic by Devil’s Bag
Owner: Gargan, Danny. Trainer: Danny Gargan.
Breeder: Berkshire Stud and Oak Cliff Stable (NY).
Late Scratches: Fiona’s Hero, With Exultation, Roaring Conquest, Sky Blue
Pink, Power Blast
Claimed: Gimme Credit claimed by McCarthy, Anthony P. for $20,000, Tycoon Cat claimed by Kazdan Racing Stables for $20,000
Time: 1:43.34
Daily Double (10-6), $183.00; Exacta (6-2), $40.40; Superfecta (6-2-9-10),
$5,479.00; Trifecta (6-2-9), $1,252.00; Pic 3 (8-10-6), $702.00
SEVENTH $80,000, MAIDEN SPECIAL WEIGHT, 2 YO, 6F
3 Dunkin Bend
J. Rosario
$4.30
$3.00
$2.40
5 Bold Visionary
R. Maragh
$8.70
$5.00
6 Souper Lucky
J. Lezcano $3.90
Gr/ro Colt 2011, by Dunkirk - Misty Run by Vindication
Owner: Langford, Michael. Trainer: Steven Asmussen.
Breeder: Thoroughbred Legends Racing Stable (KY).
Late Scratches: King Cyrus
Time: 1:10.38
$785.00; Trifecta (3-5-6), $198.50; Pic 3 (10-6-3), $374.50
EIGHTH $95,000, AOC $100,000, 3 YO’S & UP, 1 1/16M
4 Tetradrachm
J. Velazquez
$6.70
$3.80
$2.80
1 Set the Sail
S. Bridgmohan
$3.70 $2.80
7 Admiral Perry
J. Lezcano $3.30
Dk B/ Br Gelding 2009, by Badge of Silver - Igraine by Cherokee Run
Owner: Wachtel Stable. Trainer: William Mott.
Breeder: Mrs. Jerry Amerman (KY).
Late Scratches: Aussi Austin, Praetereo
Time: 1:39.95
$396.40; Trifecta (4-1-7), $78.50; Pic 3 (6-3-4), $81.00
NINTH $100,000, STAKES - DE LA ROSE S., 3 YO’S & UP, 1M
4 Assateague
L. Saez
$48.60 $17.00
$6.80
6 Ruthenia
J. Lezcano
$4.00
$2.60
3 Laugh Out Loud (GB) J. Castellano $3.00
Dk B/ Br Filly 2009, by Stormy Atlantic - Amelia by Dixieland Band
Owner: Alexander, Helen C., Matz, Dorothy and Groves, Helen K..
Trainer: Michael Matz. Breeder: Alexander Groves Matz, LLC (KY).
Time: 1:34.45
$4,478.00; Trifecta (4-6-3), $686.00; Pic 3 (3-4-4), $401.50
TENTH $750,000, STAKES - WHITNEY INVITATIONAL H., 3 & UP, 1 1/8M
4 Cross Traffic
J. Velazquez
$9.10
$5.40
$4.40
1 Successful Dan
J. Leparoux
$5.90
$4.90
2 Mucho Macho Man E. Prado $5.20
Gr/ro Colt 2009, by Unbridled’s Song - Stop Traffic by Cure the Blues
Owner: GoldMark Farm, LLC. Trainer: Todd Pletcher.
Breeder: Diamond A Racing Corp. (KY).
Time: 1:47.89
$1,317.00; Trifecta (4-1-2), $313.50; Pic 3 (4-4-4), $433.50
ELEVENTH $72,000, NY-BRED ALLOWANCE, 3 YO’S & UP, 5 1/2F
11 Wild Grace
J. Castellano
$7.80
$5.80
$3.80
9 White Crane
C. Velasquez $19.40 $12.00
4 Desert Bliss
J. Lezcano $6.00
Dk B/ Br Filly 2009, by Forest Wildcat - Gracious Living by Pleasant Colony
Owner: Hanley Stables. Trainer: Chad Brown.
Breeder: Hidden Lake Farm, LLC, Long GroveBloodstock & Richard K Ga
(NY). Late Scratches: L B’s Expression, Warrior Marie
Time: 1:02.32
Daily Double (4-11), $48.60; Exacta (11-9), $157.50; Trifecta (11-9-4),
$1,061.00; Pic 3 (4-4-11), $1,406.00; Place Pix Nine (1/4/7-3/4/6-1/2/411), $43.00
TWELFTH $41,000, MAIDEN CLAIMING $25,000, 3 YO’S & UP, 1M
6 Trainingforsuccess J. Lezcano
$10.20
$4.10
$2.70
2 St. Sincere
J. Rocco, Jr.
$3.70
$2.90
8 Fiddlers Chico
J. Castellano $3.30
B Gelding 2009, by Sharp Humor - Splashing Fancy by Bucksplasher
Owner: Sunny Meadow Farm. Trainer: Mitchell Friedman.
Breeder: Irish Hill Century Farm (NY).
Late Scratches: Won’tualwayswonder, Like a Boss, Boogie Too, Summer
Shiner, Streets of Fire, Prince Curlin, Shortcoming, El Dreamer
Claimed: St. Sincere claimed by Drawing Away Stable for $25,000
Time: 1:36.64
$691.00; Trifecta (6-2-8), $108.00; Pic 3 (4-11-6), $314.00; Pic 4 (4-4-116), $6,374.00; Pic 6 (3/4-4/8/9-4-4-11-6), $436.00
Attendance: 33,148 On Track Handle: 5,775,616
Intra-State Handle: 3,426,161 Inter-State Handle: 16,356,246
Copyright 2013 EQUIBASE Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.
SATURDAY’S SARATOGA WINNERS • PHOTOS BY TOD MARKS
3 Diamond Maker
Slan Abhaile
1 2 Truth Is
6 Gimme Credit
4 Quantity
7 Dunkin Bend
5 Kate Is a Ten
8 Tetradrachm
11 Wild Grace (right)
ASHADO
CROSS TRAFFIC
DROSSELMEYER
PAYNTER
TO HONOR AND SERVE
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More stakes winners, more Graded Stakes winners,
more G1 winners and more Breeders’ Cup champions have
What Will You Find?
been found at Taylor Made than any other sales consignment in history!
VISIT US AT SARATOGA | BARN 7
41
Saturday –
• The handicap division was in focus
Saturday, but a possible star for tomorrow turned in a strong performance as
Dunkin Bend won his second start for
trainer Steve Asmussen.
The 2-year-old Dunkirk colt won the
seventh race, a 6-furlong maiden, by 5
¾ lengths under Rosario.
“He’s a nice 2-year-old that showed
a lot of promise,” Asmussen said of Michael Langford’s colt. “He came back
in his second race and beat some nice
horses on a good day.”
Asmussen said Dunkin Bend got a lot
out of his debut, a second-place finish in
similar conditions at the same distance
June 30 at Churchill Downs.
“He met a talented group there as
well,” Asmussen said. “But he did ev-
erything right today and was lucky to
win.”
—Ryan Martin
• Phil Serpe wanted to find a softer
spot for Kate Is A Ten, couldn’t get one
to fill and found himself in the winner’s
circle anyway after the Tenpins filly
won the fifth race.
“To be quite honest with you, we
were going to run her in another maiden claiming race, but it didn’t fill,” Serpe said after Kate Is A Ten won the 1
1/16-mile maiden special weight on the
turf. “She’s a New York-bred, so we
took a shot. We stuck our necks out a
little bit, but, like I said, it’s Saratoga.”
Kate Is A Ten spent her first five
starts in maiden claiming races, including her last against open company June
21 when Serpe claimed her for Brian
and Kerry Novak Inc. for $20,000.
Steve Asmussen’s Dunkin Bend improves in second start and gets a maiden win.
Tod Marks
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42
®
Saturday –
“These kind of young horses like her
tend to develop,” Serpe said. “She’s not
a real big horse, so she’ll grow a little
more as a 3-year-old. Hopefully she’ll
be able to win some more races.”
Kate Is A Ten was Serpe’s second win
of the meet. His first came via disqualification when Force Multiplier was put
up Friday in a maiden claimer. Force
Multiplier was doing the opposite of
Kate Is A Ten by moving down in class
from the maiden special ranks.
—Rebecca Fedler
• In other action Saturday, Tetradrachm won a $95,000 optional
claimer on the turf for trainer Bill Mott
and Wachtel Stable. John Velazquez
rode the winner, who outran Set The
Sail and Admiral Perry through the
stretch. It was the 4-year-old’s first start
for Mott. Trainer Mitch Friedman won
his third race of the meet when Trainingforsuccess hit the line first in the
finale, a maiden claimer going a mile.
The New York-bred caught St. Sincere
in the final stages for jockey Jose Lezcano’s second win of the day.
Attendance Saturday topped 33,000
as the crowd helped celebrate the
track’s official 150th anniversary, complete with a cake in the winner’s circle
and other festivities.
Kate Is A Ten gives trainer Phil Serpe a second win of meet and jockey Luis Saez his second of three winners Saturday.
Dave Harmon
Bon
s
ble
enture Sta
V
a
For information contact:
[email protected] or visit us on the web at: www.bonaventurestables.com
© Bona Venture Stables 2013
43
Joe Clancy
Old and new at Fasig-Tipton this summer.
Bo
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44
KENTUCKY DOWNS
w w w. k e n t u c k y d o w n s . c o m
theoutsiderail
by Joe Clancy
The book is 50 years old. The front cover shows a
healthy-looking yearling standing by a white fence on
a dimly lit evening, waiting its turn. The back cover
pays tribute to 100 years of racing at Saratoga Race
Course with a familiar-looking oval logo.
There are no markings, but a few pages are dogeared. Heavy, sturdy, aromatic, they’ve been turned.
The book is spiral-bound, long before Kinko’s made
it easy. I like to think about who held this little book,
what they thought, who advised them.
The real magic is inside. Two-hundred-seventy
yearlings made the Fasig-Tipton sales catalogue in
1963. The sales ran five nights starting at 8:30. Laddie
Dance and Ralph Retler were the auctioneers, John
Finney the announcer.
Hip 1 was a filly by Dark Star consigned by Melville Church II, a Virginian who entered six in the sale.
Opposite her page was a warning, over an old painting of a man in wide-brimmed hat examining a horse’s
teeth: “Please examine horses prior to purchase and
Read the Conditions of Sale, particularly Condition
“Ninth”. The ninth condition, of course, informs
buyers that “there is no guarantee of any kind…”
A pedigree expert could probably pull out 10 stars
who went through the ring that week. I’m not so adept, not that far back anyway, but the names read like
roll call at a racing legends reunion. Especially on the
last night.
Book Report
The Sword Dancer filly out of Dark Sleeper started
things for Pine Brook Farm. The Virginia-bred wound
up a stakes winner named Musical Night. Hip 220 was
a Native Dancer colt out of Demoiselle Stakes winner
Ghost Run. Bertram Linder sold him. Another Native
Dancer colt, this one out of Hill Rose, was slightly
ahead of his time as four years later his dam produced
$300,000 earner True North. Someone named Hip
232, a bay filly by One Count out of Linger, Dwelt.
Hip 252, consigned by Hall of Fame horseman Rigan McKinney, surely drew looks. The gray colt was by
Native Dancer out of $100,000 earner and multiple
stakes winner Say Blue. She was by Blue Larkspur and
had already produced four winners. Durability ran in
the family, which include 31-race winner Boast and
20-race winner Aegean. The gray colt became George
Raft, who won five times according to Equibase.
Consigned by Rockburn Stud (Hubert Phipps), Hip
166 became a star after selling for $20,500. The catalogue page – Native Dancer on top of the Heliopolis
mare Greek Blond – surely drew looks. The gray colt’s
dam finished second in the Schuylerville and produced
five previous winners. Named Native Charger, the
gray colt raced at Saratoga the next summer for trainer Ray Metcalf and owner Albert Warner – finishing
second in the Hopeful. At 3, he won the Flamingo and
Florida Derby and was one of the major players in
the Kentucky Derby. Native Charger finished fourth
behind Lucky Debonair and was also fourth (to Tom
Rolfe) in the Preakness. At stud, Native Charger sired
champion Forward Gal, 1970 Belmont Stakes winner
High Echelon and top filly Summer Guest.
A Morven Stud entry, Hip 173, was already named
Royal Gunner and turned out OK too. The chestnut
colt by Royal Charger earned more than $330,000
with a win in the Cornhusker and two seconds in the
Woodward. Royal Gunner’s female family was one of
racing royalty as his dam later produced Shuvee.
Hip 207, sold by Keswick Stable, was a half-brother to Kentucky Derby winner Tomy Lee. Of course,
the bay colt named Finest Kind started just twice and
never won. Argentine mare Miss Grillo produced Hip
116, a filly by Jet Pilot. Miss Grillo won six times in
her home country and added 10 more victories in the
United States including the Diana (twice) and the San
Juan Capistrano. There’s a stakes for 2-year-old fillies
named after her at Belmont. Her yearling in the sale
was named Morristown and never won a race.
If you think history doesn’t repeat, Hip 50 will
make you wonder. The chestnut colt by Bolero out of
Graciously was a full-brother to Eblouissante.
I could go on, and I’m sure I’ve missed a star or
two. Beyond individual horses, the numbers and the
names made me think.
First, the numbers. The index of consignors took
up four pages, and it’s just a list. The 1963 sale featured progeny of 115 stallions. Even with far more
yearlings in the sale, that’s variety. Sword Dancer led
the way with nine yearlings. Clem, Parthia, Palestine,
Tom Fool, To Market, Imbros and plenty of others
had one each.
Second, 1963 wasn’t that long ago but the links to
true heroes appear close in the pedigrees. War Admiral shows up as the broodmare sire of several. Flares,
featured in C.W. Anderson’s great books, is there too.
Tim Tam, Citation, Ribot, Gallant Man, Round Table, Princequillo, Ribot, Bold Ruler, Swoon’s Son, Hill
Gail, Double Jay and so on are sires of sales yearlings
– not misty stories from long ago.
Close the book.
45
cupofcoffee
by Sean Clancy
It’s the moments that make the meet. All together,
when put together, they complete another endless summer. Good and bad, harrowing and fulfilling, depressing and elating, they come at you, hard and fast.
So far…
Walking up to the window to bet Miss Lamour because she’s pretty and hearing her number being called
out at the next window, looking over to see who’s lowering my price and seeing Helen Groves, the owner/
breeder. Guess she thought she was pretty too. She
wins at a big price.
Telling Miss Lanour’s trainer Michael Matz you
bet his filly and he admits his trepidation about jockey
Luis Saez putting Assateague on the lead the same way
he did with Miss Lamour. Then, a week later, watching
Saez melt Assateague into third in the De La Rose and
light up the toteboard.
George and Cindy Weaver working together every
morning and somehow laughing – most of the time.
Picking up a hitch-hiking hotwalker and delivering
him to Dale Romans’ barn and watching their faces,
amused and bewildered all at the same time.
Watching the works from the turn, after the break
on the main track and seeing the exercise riders earn
every penny they are paid. I don’t miss riding.
Offering the sign of the cross while passing Scott
Schwartz’s pink golf cart, broken from a fallen tree
earlier in the meet.
Momentous
Listening to Gary Sciacca compare his stable to
Christophe Clement’s stable, “All you have to do is
call up The Queen, ‘Queen, send me two horses.’ Me,
it’s different. You think you got problems, come over
to my shed row, I’ll show you problems.” And watching Clement laugh.
Finding a cell phone on the Oklahoma track and
trying to figure out the owner, realizing it’s all in Spanish, waiting until it rang, then delivering it to Gary
Contessa’s barn, then being offered a 5 dollar bill as a
reward. We didn’t take it.
Seeing Ryan Jones and Gabby Gaudet return, at
least as pinch hitters, for year number two.
Offering life advice to the youth I respect while at
the bar at Sperry’s for the first and only time this meet.
Watching the Honorable Miss with the Chief, silently on a TV with no volume, leaning out of a chair,
hoping for the wire as Classic Point tried to stave off
Dance To Bristol. Chief never uttering a sound until
they crossed the finish, “They got me on the wire,
didn’t they?”
Seeing the frustration in Irad Ortiz’s eyes after his
second disqualification.
Spotting the relief in the eyes of trainers when they
win their first of the meet, one by one, hoping that all
of them find that relief.
Ryan Martin bounding to the track every morning,
wide-eyed by his first summer in Saratoga.
Damien Rock’s eyes as he sees Charlie LoPresti for
the first time after Wise Dan’s lightning move on the
turf. Two horsemen, agog over God’s gift.
Jack Fisher sweeping the double, walking into the
winner’s circle and saying to Jonathan Sheppard, “I
feel like Jonathan Sheppard.” I’ve seen Fisher limp
home after many public failures at Saratoga (some I
caused), it was nice to see the hardest working trainer
I know win two big ones.
Laird George sprinting away from the big screen
when Labonte fell late in the allowance Thursday. It’s
the hardest on the caretakers.
Seeing old-school journalism from Tom Law, the
best addition to The Special since Time Warner hooked
up Roadrunner.
Reading an email from Quint Kessenich, long departed but never forgotten at The Special, complimenting our work and offering his memories of Nick Zito
watching Commentator win the Whitney, “He carried
that horse.”
Yelling to Charlie LoPresti that Successful Dan fell
over in the paddock chute on the way to the track
for the Whitney, seeing his face go ashen, then seeing
Reeve McGaughey and Rock tell LoPresti about it at
the big screen TV. LoPresti saying, “I was gung ho until that happened.” Then thinking to myself, “So was
I. So was I.”
Dave Harmon walking into my brother’s office and
saying, “Joe, Joe” for the 13th night of the 13th season.
Retreating to the office at 7:30, after covering the
Whitney and seeing Joe, still at his computer, still
laying out pages, 13 years since the beginning of The
Special. I think of Chuckie Sullivan when he tells Will
Hunting that every time he comes to his house to pick
him up, he wishes he wasn’t there, wishes he was doing
something with his life. I’m always relieved when I see
my older brother, the glue of The Special, gluing.
Those are the moments thus far, there have been
many others and will be many others. Summer’s quilt,
one patch at a time.
LERMAN LAW FIRM, PLLC
• Over 30 years experience
in the equine industry
• Expertise in handling all types of
criminal matters: felony,
misdemeanor & traffic matters
• 8 years experience as state
public defender
• Former Municipal Court Judge
• Licensed in multiple states,
Federal & Tribal courts
CRIMINAL DEFENSE • STABLE LEASES• STEWARDS HEARINGS • LIENS AND DEBT COLLECTION
GAMING COMMISION REPRESENTATION • EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENTS • MISCELLANEOUS EQUINE LAW ISSUES
Ethan C. Lerman, Esq.
Downtown Saratoga • 64 wooDlawn avenue • 518 581-7830
[email protected] • www.lermanlawfirm.com
46
oNe SALe
Shapes the Sport.
If you wANt to Succeed At the GrAde 1 LeveL,
why buy ANywhere but KeeNeLANd September?
Keeneland September has produced 19 Graded/Group 1 winners in 2013,
with graduates starting in 42 of 47 North American Grade 1 races.
moNdAy, September 9th - SAturdAy, September 21St
47
close hatches, from the first crop of first defence,
romped by 7 1/4 in the grade 1 mother goose.
First Defence is also the sire of Group Winner and Course Record Setter
DunDonnell from his first crop.
First Defence’s dam is a half-sister
to Leading Sire ChEStEr houSE
LGB, LLC 2013 / Photos: Adam Coglianese / Tony Leonard / Barbara Livingston
First Defence’s dam is a half-sister
to Leading Sire EmpirE makEr
Contact Garrett O’Rourke or Erin Frey • 3082 Walnut Hill Rd. • Lexington, KY 40515 • (859) 272-7629 • fax (859) 272-5361 • www.juddmonte.com

aratoga - This is Horse Racing

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