Arlington Park’s Two Year-Olds
Presque Isle Steps Up Its Game
Harness Stakes Action
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Arlington Park’s Two Year-Olds
Arlington-Washington Futurity and Lassie on Tap
Two-year-olds of both sexes take the spotlight Saturday at Arlington Park with the 76th edition of the Grade III $100,000 Arlington-Washington Futurity and the 76th edition of the Drade III $100,000 Arlington-Washington Lassie sharing top billing on the nine-race card. Each of these prominent fixtures on the racing calendar will be contested at one mile on Polytrack.
An overflow field of thirteen 2-year-old fillies were entered for the Lassie, a race captured last year by eventual Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies heroine and Eclipse Award-winning 2-year-old filly She Be Wild.
Wayne Catalano, who saddled She Be Wild to take last year’s Lassie, has two fillies entered for this year’s renewal – Darrell & Evelyn Yates’ Jordy Y and Peachtree Stable’s Honey Chile. The former, a daughter of Congrats, is two for two here while the latter, by Invisible Ink, won her only start on August 19th. Junior Alvarado has the mount aboard Jordy Y and Michael Baze is listed on Honey Chile.
Wonderlandbynight comes into the Lassie off an impressive victory in the $150,000 Ontario Debutante at Woodbine Race Course. The Mike Reavis-trained Illinois-bred daughter of Sky Mesa rallied from mid-pack to win that 6 ½-furlong test over Polytrack by 1 ¾ lengths. Prior to that, she officially broke her maiden over the Arlington strip and has since been credited with a victory in her career debut when racing against male rivals. E. T. Baird has the call Saturday.
Third Chance is another Illinois-bred filly coming off a visually impressive victory, a six-length tally in her lone start on August 6th. Shane Sellers has been named to ride the daughter of Kafwain who is one of three horses trained by Jim DiVito to be entered in the Lassie.
DiVito will also send out Curtis Green’s One Star, with Julio Felix slated to ride and B Jock LLC’s Tellme All About it, with Diego Sanchez named.
Trainer Donnie K. Von Hemel also has two entered for the Lassie – Robert Zoellner’ Larue Lovelake, second in her last start to Sherriff Cogburn when racing against male rivals in the $60,000 Prairie Meadows Juvenile Mile, and Mueller Thoroughbred Stable’s Miss Inclined, a maiden winner on turf last out. Quincy Hamilton has the mount aboard Larue Lovelake while Eusebio Razo Jr. is slated to ride Miss Inclined.
The remainder of the field in the Lassie (with riders listed) are: Crepe Myrtle (James Graham); Edie (Inez Karlsson); Image of Grace (Inocencio Diego); Songofthecity (Alex Birzer); and Summer Savory (Tanner Riggs).
Caleb’s Posse and Impersonator should vie for favoritism in the Futurity, which drew a field of eight colts and geldings.
A son of Posse, Caleb’s Posse broke his maiden in his second start on Aug. 14 after finishing second to the impressive Sherriff Cogburn in his debut the previous month. Trained by Donnie K. Von Hemel, he will be ridden by Quincy Hamilton who returns from his Oklahoma base to take the assignment Saturday.
Impersonator, a Tale of the Cat colt, also broke his maiden at second asking, winning a seven-furlong race here on August 22nd. Previously, the Wayne Catalano trainee bobbled at the break and finished third in his bow on July 15th. Chris Emigh has a return call in the Futurity.
Catalano also sends out Major Gain and Ghetto Cat for the Futurity. The former, by More Than Ready, ran second to Caleb’s Posse in his only start while the latter, a son of Forest Wildcat, scored a length victory in his lone start. Junior Alvarado is named aboard Major Gain and Ghetto Cat will be ridden by James Graham.
Weekend Wildcat invades from Kentucky for the Futurity. The Larry Demeritte-trained son of Lion Heart broke his maiden at Churchill Downs on May 20th and most recently finished sixth after veering in at the break in an allowance race over Polytrack at Woodbine. Victor Lebron is slated for the tack.
Completing the field for the Futurity (with riders listed) are: Big Blue Caboose (Eusebio Razo Jr.); Rough Sailing (Michael Baze); and Wheemaway (Shane Sellers).
Presque Isle Steps Up Its Game
$ 400,000 Master Stakes This Saturday
Consider it as close as there is to a certainty – Informed Decision, the champion of North America’s filly and mare sprint division last year, will seek her second consecutive victory in the Grade 3, $400,000 Presque Isle Masters Stakes this Saturday, September 11, at Presque Isle Downs & Casino.
“I’ve got Informed Decision here at Presque Isle, and we’re planning to run her in the Masters Stakes,” said Barry Wiseman, the assistant to trainer Jonathan E. Sheppard. “I really don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t.”
In 2009, Informed Decision was a driving, 2 ½‐length winner of the Masters, completing the 6 ½‐furlong distance in a time of 1:15.10. Four weeks later, she won the Grade 2 Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes at Keeneland. And 27 days following that effort, she was victorious in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at Santa Anita.
Informed Decision subsequently was honored with an Eclipse Award as North America’s leading female sprinter. Sheppard and owner George Strawbridge, Jr. (whose nom de course is Augustin Stable) decided to keep her in training, and Informed Decision’s career record now includes 19 starts, 13 wins, four third‐place finishes and purse earnings of $1,954,426.
A victory or second‐place finish in Saturday’s Masters would elevate Informed Decision’s career earnings above the $2‐million plateau. Granted, the five‐year‐old mare has yet to be as dominant this year as she was in ’09, when she won six of her seven starts.
But Informed Decision has gained a pair of victories and a pair of third‐place finishes from five starts during her 2010 campaign. On July 4, she won the Grade 3 Chicago Handicap at Arlington Park. And on July 27, she was a wire‐to‐wire, 1 ½‐length winner of the $100,000 Windward Stakes at Presque Isle.
In her most recent outing, in the Grade 1 Ballerina Stakes at Saratoga on August 28, Informed Decision finished unplaced, beaten 5 ½ lengths. “They had sealed the track at Saratoga and then opened it up with harrows,” Wiseman said. “When watching the race, you could see that Informed Decision didn’t like the footing.”
The Masters will be run only two weeks after the Ballerina. But that was also the case last year, when Informed Decision was beaten by 6 ¼ lengths in the Ballerina, then was sent off as the 9‐10 favorite in the Masters and performed accordingly.
From her ten career starts on synthetic tracks, Informed Decision has gained nine victories – she’s registered four wins at Keeneland, two at Arlington, one at Santa Anita and two at Presque Isle. But she also has been victorious at Gulfstream Park, Belmont Park and Churchill Downs – all of which have conventional dirt ovals.
In retrospect, it’s hard to believe that the first time Informed Decision ever went to the post, in maiden special weight company at Gulfstream on January 3, 2008, her odds were 26‐1. Informed Decision won that race by 6 ½ lengths. Since then, Informed Decision has three times been a Grade 1 winner and has won eight graded stakes all told. Beginning in May of last year, Julien Leparoux has been her rider. Leparoux, age 27, won the Eclipse Award as North America’s leading apprentice jockey in 2006, and received another Eclipse as outstanding journeyman in ’09.
Presque Isle has, in essence, served as a home base for Informed Decision this summer. That’s actually been the case for about 15 horses conditioned by Sheppard, who currently ranks eighth in the Presque Isle trainer standings – from 57 starts he has gained 16 wins (which works out to a remarkably high strike ratio of 28.1%) and 16 placings.
Racing Down Kentucky Way
Kentucky Downs Starts 18th Season
This Saturday, Franklin, Kentucky becomes the epicenter of turf racing as this small track hosts its Kentucky Cup Turf Festival. Three stakes events comprise the Turf Festival: the $150,000 – Grade 3 Kentucky Cup Turf, the $50,000 Kentucky Cup Ladies Turf and the $50,000 Kentucky Cup Turf Dash.
The Kentucky Cup Turf has drawn a field of 10 to go 1 1/2 miles on the undulating, European-style turf, and topping the group is Cloudy’s Knight. The Jonathan Sheppard trainee hasn’t been seen in competition since taking the W.L. McKnight Handicap at Calder in late December.
Honored in 2007 as Canada’s champion turf horse, Cloudy’s Knight had started tailing off a bit in 2009. In addition to the McKnight, he also scored in this race, the Sycamore Stakes at Keeneland and Woodbine’s Valedictory Stakes. His only loss on the year came as a nose second in the Breeders’ Cup Marathon.
If Cloudy’s Knight lines up for a title defense run, he will face the likes of Free Fighter and Coolcullen Times. The former captured the Louisville Handicap in late May and was last seen running third as the defending champion of the Stars and Stripes Turf Stakes at Arlington Park.
Coolcullen Times, a three-time winner in Ireland, shipped stateside in the spring and just missed by a length last out in the John’s Call Stakes. at Saratoga.
Starting the stakes action Saturday at Kentucky Downs will be the Ladies Turf, which drew a huge overflow field of 18. Fourteen of those will be allowed to line up across the wide turf course, including Never Retreat. The Chris Block-trained five-year-old most recently added the Lady Canterbury Stakes to her resume and will be giving her rivals between six and 10 pounds as the 122-pound highweight.
Also entered in the one-mile grass affair is Bourbonette Oaks victress Orchestrator, who will be taking on her elders for the first time here, and last-out Gardenia Handicap winner Direct Line.
A much smaller field of nine will go in the six-furlong Turf Dash, and Yankee Injunity will try to take advantage of Fort Prado’s absence to score this time around. The James McMullen charge was held to second by Fort Prado’s head last year, and hasn’t finished off the board in three starts since. The only other one in this race with experience at Kentucky Downs is Grade 3-placed St. Joe, who ran second in last season’s Franklin-Simpson Stakes.
Racing at Kentucky Downs will take place on Saturdays and Mondays, September 11, 13, 18 and 20. First post on Saturdays is scheduled for 2 p.m. (EDT), while the first race is set to go at 2:30 p.m. on Mondays.
Thoroughbred Racing Action
Weekend Stakes Action
Watch these and more all on BetAmerica.com.
Friday – September 10
• Fairplex Park: Jim Kostoff Stakes, $50,000, 3yo, 7f.
• Fairplex Park: Prairieland Park Handicap, $7,500, 3&up, 8.5f.
• Presque Isle Downs: Presque Isle Breeders’ Cup Mile, $225,000, 3&up, 8f.
Saturday – September 11
• Albuquerque: E.T. Springer, $40,000, 3&up, New Mexico-bred, 7f.
• Arlington Park: Arlington-Washington Futurity – G3, $100,000, 2yo, 8f.
• Arlington Park: Arlington-Washington Lassie – G3, $100,000, 2yo f, 8f.
• Delaware Park: Endine Stakes – G3, $150,000, 3&up, f/m, 6f.
• Delaware Park: DTHA Governor’s Day Stakes, $75,000, 3&up, 9f.
• Delaware Park: George Rosenberger Memorial Stakes, $75,000, 3&up, f/m, 8.5f (turf).
• Fairplex Park: E.B. Johnston Stakes, $50,000, 3&up, f/m, 8.5f.
• Golden Gate Fields: Angel Island Stakes, $50,000, 2yo, 8.5f.
• Hoosier Park: City of Anderson Stakes, $70,000, 2yo f, Indiana-bred, 5.5f.
• Kentucky Downs: Kentucky Cup Turf – G3, $150,000, 3&up, 12f (turf).
• Kentucky Downs: Kentucky Cup Ladies Turf, $50,000, 3&up, f/m, 8f (turf).
• Kentucky Downs: Kentucky Cup Turf Dash, $50,000, 3&up, 6f (turf).
• Laurel Park: Geisha Stakes, $50,000, 3&up, f/m, Maryland-bred, 8f.
• Monmouth Park: Revidere Stakes, $60,000, 3&up, f/m, 8.5f (turf).
• Monmouth Park: Parx Racing: PHBA Distaff, $150,000, 3&up, f/m, 8.5f.
• Monmouth Park: Mr. Jenney Handicap, $100,000, 3&up, Pennsylvania-bred, 5f (turf).
• Monmouth Park: Mrs. Penny Stakes, $100,000, 3&up, f/m, Pennsylvania-bred, 5f (turf).
• Monmouth Park: PHBA Classic, $100,000, 3&up, Pennsylvania-bred, 8.5f.
• Pinnacle Race Course: Michigan Oaks, $50,000, 3yo f, Michigan-bred, 8.5f.
• Presque Isle Downs: Masters Stakes – G3, $400,000, 3&up, f/m, 6.5f.
• Turfway Park: Turfway Park Fall Championship – G3, 100,000, 3&up, 12f.
Sunday – September 12
• Albuquerque: Harvest Stakes, $30,000, 3yo, 5.5f.
• Emerald Downs: Muckleshoot Tribal Classic, $50,000, 3&up, 8f.
• Emerald Downs: Belle Roberts Handicap, $40,000g 3&up, f/m, 8.5f.
• Emerald Downs: Chinook Pass Stakes, $40,000, 3yo, c/g, 6f.
• Emerald Downs: Dennis Dodge Stakes, $40,000, 2yo, c/g, 6.5f.
• Emerald Downs: Diane Kem Stakes, $40,000, 2yo f, 6.5f.
• Emerald Downs: John & Kitty Fletcher Stakes, $40,000g, 3yo f, 8f.
• Fairplex Park: Bangles and Beads Stakes, $50,000, 3&up, f/m, 6.5f.
• Hastings Racecourse: C.T.H.S. Sales Stakes, $50,000, 2yo, c/g, 6.5f.
• Hastings Racecourse: C.T.H.S. Sales Stakes, $50,000, 2yo f, 6.5f.
• Hoosier Park: Hillsdale Stakes, $70,000, 2yo, Indiana-bred, 5.5f.
• Monmouth Park: Formal Gold Stakes, $60,000, 3&up, 8.5f.
• Zia Park: Premiere Cup Handicap, $100,000, 3&up, 6f.
Harness Stakes Action
This Weekend’s Stakes Action
Watch and Wager on these fantastic Harness stakes races this week:
Friday – September 10
• Freehold: Charles Smith, $100,000, 3yo, C&G Trot
• Freehold: NJSS GA, $100,000, 3yo, Filly Trot
• Hazel Park: MICH SS, $10,000, 2yo, C&G Trot
• Hazel Park: MICH SS, $10,000, 2yo, Filly Pace
• Hazel Park: MICH SS, $10,000, 3yo, C&G Pace
• Hazel Park: MICH SS, $10,000, 3yo, Filly Pace
• Meadows: Keystone Classic, $100,000, 3yo, C&G Pace
• Northfield Park: Ohio SS, $15,000, 2yo, Filly Pace
• Vernon Downs: Conway Hall, $200,000, F&M Trot
• Vernon Downs: Kindergarten, $10,000, 2yo, C&G Trot
• Vernon Downs: Kindergarten, $10,000, 2yo, Filly Trot
• Yonkers: NYSS, $200,000, 2yo Filly Trot
Saturday – September 11
• Balmoral: Orange & Blue, $12,500, 2yo, C&G Pace
• Balmoral: Orange & Blue, $12,500, 2yo, Filly Pace
• Balmoral: Lorna Propes, $12,500, 3yo & up, F&M Pace
• Balmoral: Tony Maurello, $12,500, 3yo & up, Pace
• Balmoral: Pete Langley Memorial, $12,500, 3yo, C&G Pace
• Balmoral: Grandma Ann, $12,500, 3yo, Filly Pace
• Freehold: NJSS, $12,500, 2yo, C&G Pace
• Freehold: NJSS, $12,500, 2yo, Filly Pace
• Freehold: NJSS GA, $10,000, 2yo,C&G Pace
• Hazel Park: MICH SS, $10,000, 2yo, C&G Pace
• Hazel Park: MICH SS, $10,000, 2yo, Filly Trot
• Hazel Park: MICH SS, $10,000, 3yo, C&G Trot
• Hazel Park: MICH SS, $10,000, 3yo, Filly Trot
• Indiana Downs: Indiana SS, $200,000, 2yo, C&G Trot
• Indiana Downs: Indiana SS, $200,000, 2yo, Filly Trot
• Indiana Downs: Indiana SS, $200,000, 2yo, C&G Pace
• Indiana Downs: Indiana SS, $200,000, 2yo, Filly Pace
• Indiana Downs: Indiana SS, $200,000, 3yo, C&G Trot
• Indiana Downs: Indiana SS, $200,000, 3yo, Filly Trot
• Indiana Downs: Indiana SS, $200,000, 3yo, C&G Pace
• Indiana Downs: Indiana SS, $200,000, 3yo, Filly Pace
• Indiana Downs: Indiana SS, $100,000, Aged H&G Pace
• Indiana Downs: Indiana SS, $100,000, Aged Mare Trot
• Tioga Downs: NYSS LC, $12,500, 3yo, C&G Pace
• Tioga Downs: NYSS, $200,000, 3yo, C&G Trot
• Vernon Downs: NYSS, $200,000, 2yo, C&G Pace
Sunday – September 12
• Balmoral: Lady Ann Reed, $12,500, 3yo, Filly Trot
• Balmoral: Sumac Lad, $12,500, 3yo, C&G Trot
• Red Mile: KYSS, $300,000, 2yo, C&G Pace
• Red Mile: KYSS, $300,000, 2yo, C&G Trot
• Red Mile: KYSS, $300,000, 2yo, Filly Pace
• Red Mile: KYSS, $300,000, 2yo Filly Trot
• Red Mile: KYSS, $300,000, 3yo, C&G Pace
• Red Mile: KYSS, $300,000, 3yo, C&G Trot
• Red Mile: KYSS, $300,000, 3yo, Filly Pace
• Red Mile: KYSS, $300,000, 3yo Filly Trot
• Scarborough Downs: Maine Sire Stakes, $80,000, 2yo, C&G Pace
• Scarborough Downs: Maine Sire Stakes, $80,000, 2yo, Filly Pace
• Scarborough Downs: Maine Sire Stakes, $80,000, 2yo, Open Trot
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