August 2, 2008
Sky Mom takes the Grade III Arlington Oaks
Sky Mom broke at the start of the final turn, coming around the outside, to take the 29th running of the Arlington Oaks. Ramsey Zimmerman took home the Heather Stark’s filly in the Grade III stakes, holding off a comeback charge from Frank Calabrese’s Dreaming of Liz.
“She [Dreaming of Liz] came back at her a little bit,” Zimmerman said. “She relaxed and had a big kick.”
Dreaming of Liz led the field around the mile and an eighth poly course, but couldn’t shake the pack for most of the trip.
Sky Mom, who went off at 2 to 1, stalked the leaders, never more than a few lengths behind.
“I had the chance to stay back and watch on the inside,” Zimmerman said. “It was an easy ride.”
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Posted by Benjamin Miraski at 10:23 PM | Comments (0)
July 10, 2008
Curlin, now steroid-free
There were rumblings that Curlin might have been making a trip to Arlington Park to run, but that excitement was quelled with the announcement that the super-horse will now run Saturday at Belmont in the Man O'War Stakes, a Grade I race.
Curlin is apparently running the race drug-free after a tirade by his owner, Jess Jackson, put all trainers on notice that Curlin and other horses in the Jackson stable should not be given any enhancement.
The 4-year-old should be the favorite in any race in which Jackson enters him for the rest of the year, including the long-term goal of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, in October, in France.
Unfortunately, an entry in the Arc will lessen the chance that Curlin will enter the Breeder's Cup Classic, which runs only 20 days later. Big Brown would have been a likely opponent in that race.
Posted by Benjamin Miraski at 9:42 AM | Comments (0)
July 7, 2008
Silverfoot to run Arlington Million?
It appears that the Arlington Million might be the next stop on Silverfoot's schedule.
The 8-year old, who won Friday's Stars and Stripes Handicap at Arlington Park, may run in the Arlington Million on August 9, according to trainer Dallas Stewart.
“The Arlington Million is one of several possibilities we are now taking under consideration,” trainer Dallas Stewart said Saturday afternoon while speaking over the phone from his Kentucky base of operations.
Should Silverfoot win the Million, he would become the third horse eight years or older to take home the prize in the 26 year history of the race.
The winner of the Arlington Million also qualifies for an automatic entry in the Breeders' Cup Turf race, held on October 25th.
Posted by Benjamin Miraski at 4:41 PM | Comments (0)
July 4, 2008
Silverfoot shines in Stars and Stripes victory
It is tough being the old man in the race. But sometimes, experience pays off, especially when you have a jockey with the winning touch on your back.
Such was the case Friday afternoon as the 8-year-old Silverfoot came from last place to win the 77th running of the Stars and Stripes Handicap, a Grade III stakes race at Arlington Park. The gelding was ridden to the victory by Rene Douglas who won his sixth stakes race of the season.
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Posted by Benjamin Miraski at 5:00 PM | Comments (0)
Racing Notebook - July 4
- The French filly Instrumentale was a late scratch from the sixth race when she bucked her rider and took off on her own around the back stretch of the track. The horse was ultimately corralled in a corner of the front stretch where she attempted to jump the rail, but only made it half way over before pulling back onto the track. She was run down by a handler horse without further incident and was reported in good condition.
- Jockey Rene Douglas, who took home the win in the Stars and Stripes Handicap, won three of the ten races on the afternoon.
- Owner Frank Calabrese scored one win in two starts on Friday. The owner has won nearly 50 percent of his starts this season. Through June 28, he had 35 wins in 72 starts and had finished in the money nearly 80 percent of the time.
- In Thursday’s action, Irish jockey James Graham rode winners in both halves of the Daily Double at Arlington. He was joined in a two-win afternoon by Rene Douglas and E. T. Baird.
Posted by Benjamin Miraski at 4:59 PM | Comments (0)
June 6, 2008
Big Brown Attempts to Deliver HIstory
So it’s Belmont time, and there’s Triple Crown talk around Big Brown. But in the past decade there have been several trips to Belmont with a chance at such esteemed history on the line, only for it to result in a day that puts history on the shelf. So why will this Saturday be different?
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Posted by Chris Hahn at 12:08 AM | Comments (0)
May 16, 2008
Big Brown's 2nd Step: Preakness 2008
This Saturday, the Preakness Stakes will run in attempt for horse racing to focus on positives and success, rather than the tragedy at the Derby. And those that get my normal Derby updates (posted below in hindsight for that didn’t see it 2 weeks ago), you know I post this for entertainment purposes without any specific wagering recommendations. But with Friday’s scratch of Behindatthebar I’ve adjusted my thoughts and it looks very likely that New York and Belmont Park will soon see a run at Triple Crown history.
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Posted by Chris Hahn at 1:04 PM | Comments (0)
May 13, 2008
Tragedy at the Derby - sorting the hype from the truth
As if the happenings of another Presidential Election year couldn’t remind us enough, this past week the sporting world help demonstrate just how much many people in this country can use a loud voice to divide and blame rather than work together to work on real change.
Last Saturday, the 2008 Kentucky Derby saw both an amazing and tragic performance – unfortunately from the same horse. While winner Big Brown saw an exceptional performance, his victory was overshadowed by the strong place (2nd) finish of Eight Belles and her subsequent death after breaking both her front ankles on the cooldown.
What followed in the national press the following couple days was a barrage of misinformation and hype that misused the opportunity to move the horse racing industry on a continued train of horse safety improvement. The ‘accuse now, find out the reality later’ mentality left innocent people in the crossfire for no legitimate reason.
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Posted by Chris Hahn at 8:00 AM | Comments (0)