139th meeting of Saratoga concluded; records fall

[Blacklabs]

Blacklabs, now Little Falls is really mountainous if you’re looking up at the Burrell Overlook Mansion -

I look at that beatiful mansion everyday from my home and was it recently sold and hopefully will be getting renovations as she needs some work.

Has any one saw Rags to Riches since coming to Saratoga? If you come early in the morning can you catch in her workouts?

Interesting about coming East, all the farms around here are getting purchased very quickly by horse owners or the Amish. Great value from where they are coming from.

[Glimmerglass]

[QUOTE=Blacklabs;2598760]
I look at that beatiful mansion everyday from my home and was it recently sold and hopefully will getting renovation as she needs some work[/QUOTE]

A mighty nice view indeed. Short of razing the property, it couldn’t it get any worse for Overlook considering its suffering in recent years. Overlook was purportedly purchased for a very generous $750k by Pedro Benevides with unknown plans for it. Considering it was effectively looted by the prior owner via the selling off everything of value right down the door knobs it will take an equal amount to get it back into the shape it was when it operated as an Inn.

As for Rags to Riches and getting to see the workouts on the Oklahoma track, lets just say it isn’t easy like it used to be.

[Blacklabs]

R2R

She looked good yesterday.

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=610947

[Glimmerglass]

Shakespeare

“Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look,
He thinks too much; such men are dangerous.”

• from Julius Caesar (I, ii, 194)

Is this the next Da Hoss or something out of the Biblical character of Lazarus?

Shakespeare winner of Belmont’s Grade 1 Turf Classic in October of 2005, had not raced since the 2005 Breeders’ Cup Turf when he finished off the boards soiling his record at 6 starts 5-0-0.

So almost 2 years later your man comes back … taking the 8th race at Saratoga a $79k 1-mile allowance race on turf

His trainer - Kiaran McLaughlin

The time? 1:34.14 which is three-fifths of a second off the track record in his first start in almost 2-years. Rust? What rust?

With that much go-baby-go it makes you wonder if Kiaran shouldn’t have followed through with the entry [he did nominate him] of Shakespeare for Saratoga’s 23rd edition of the Grade 2, $150,000 Fourstardave at a mile and a sixteenth on the turf August 5th.

[witherbee]

Well said Glimmer!

I should have posted on this thread, but started as new one. You said it better than I ever could. Fun race to watch and welcome back Shakespeare!

[Alibhai_s_Alibar]

Some photos of opening weekend at The Spa (ahhhhhhhhhh):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rockandracehorses

I’ll be periodically adding more. If anybody knows the names of horses, riders, or trainers in the photos, please let me know.

[Glimmerglass]

BloodHorse 8-2-07 “Shakespeare Gets Second Act, Headed to Grade I Company”

“He’s a pure class act, it was just a matter of what kind of trip I was going to have,” said Gomez. “He was so kind and so professional, I was able to do what I needed to do and put him in a spot I needed to be in and take my time with him.”

“He’s ready to jump back into the grade I races,” said trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. “He’s a grade one horse. Where we go from this we’ll have to see, but the Bernard Baruch (gr. IIT) is the first thing that jumps out August 25.”

[Slewdledo]

Who on here owns a piece of El Prado Rob? He’s an also-eligible for tomorrow. Best o’luck.

[Glimmerglass]

Hey, look who has come to Saratoga: Teuflesberg!

He’ll make an odd first start (IMHO) on the grass but in a sprint race. Plans to run in the Kings Bishop look dashed as he’s too wound up now to wait.

DRF 8-2-07 “Teuflesberg to make turf debut in Glow”

So instead of fighting the colt, Sanders has entered Teuflesberg in Saturday’s $80,000 Glow, an overnight stakes for 3-year-olds scheduled for one mile over Saratoga’s inner turf course.

“He needs to run,” said Sanders, who is the trainer and part-owner of Teuflesberg. “He’s just too sharp; he’s starting to peak right now. Otherwise, we’d have to breeze him four times between here and the race, and a lot of horses get hurt working in the morning. He’s never had this much time between races, and he’s very hard to maintain that long.”

[Glimmerglass]

Another Triple Crown contenda but somewhat a pretenda with his up and down efforts as of late will surface at Saratoga: Nobiz Like Shobiz. Like Teuflesberg he will make his grass debut no less

Monday August 6th: $150,000 Grade 2 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame at 1 1/8 miles on the turf. So named in honor of the Induction ceremonies held at 10:30 am across the street that day.

“He’s doing great,” assistant trainer Robin Smullen said. “He has the right pedigree there. Automatically, when you see Albert the Great, you don’t think turf, but the only reason you think that is because he never ran on it.”

Smullen said Nobiz Like Shobiz has trained well over the turf; he had a bullet work of :58 4/5 seconds July 23 here.

“We’ll see what happens Monday,” Smullen said. “It would be nice if he get a Grade I win on the grass during his career; that would give him Grade I wins on each surface.”

Nobiz will be up against Ambassador (GER), Buddy’s Humor, Distorted Reality, Jazz Quest and Marcavelly

[event1]

Hey Glimmerglass-
I just clicked on the “Oklahoma Track” video in your post and saw the video of my friends Jane and Rodrigo (almost fell off my chair)-are they friends of yours or are you a relative? PM me if you would-I don’t want to hijack the thread with some BS…thanks:D

[Glimmerglass]

[QUOTE=event1;2603901]
Hey Glimmerglass- I just clicked on the “Oklahoma Track” video in your post and saw the video of my friends Jane and Rodrigo (almost fell off my chair)-are they friends of yours or are you a relative? [/QUOTE]

No relations or connections. I simply ran acros the video on youtube.com some time ago, but its nice to know it is a small world

[Glimmerglass]

[QUOTE=Glimmerglass;2602148]
Hey, look who has come to Saratoga: Teuflesberg!

He’ll make an odd first start (IMHO) on the grass but in a sprint race. Plans to run in the Kings Bishop look dashed as he’s too wound up now to wait.

DRF 8-2-07 “Teuflesberg to make turf debut in Glow”[/QUOTE]

Result - Teuflesberg takes 2nd behind Pays to Dream who paid $20.20 to win in the upset victory.

[Linny]

@Slewdledo;2601725

Who on here owns a piece of El Prado Rob? He’s an also-eligible for tomorrow. Best o’luck.

That’s me. He was scratched because even if he got in, he’d have been so far outside that he’d have been caught very wide. He’s doing very well and we are looking for another spot for him.

[Glimmerglass]

Marylou Whitney’s Annual Gala was held Friday (8-3) evening

Walking is fine, she said, but standing for any length of time hurts because of a back injury that preceded the stroke. She talked about the year she lost part of her emerald necklace during her entrance to the gala.

"The guy that found it was going to give it to his girlfriend, I said, ‘Here’s $5,000, take care of your girlfriend,’ " she said.

Whitney also talked about her horses, and playing with puppies in Alaska with Buser and his wife, Kathy Chapoton.

Video link: Capital News 9

[Blacklabs]

R2R

Two pictures taken this morning from Albany Times Union.

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u291/labsblackdogs/R2R.jpg

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u291/labsblackdogs/R2R1.jpg

[Glimmerglass]

Hard Spun, runner up in the Kentucky Derby and yesterday’s Grade-1 Haskell, will not run in the Travers Stakes but will run in the undercard sprint race - The King’s Bishop (G1).

Kentucky Derby runner-up Hard Spun will enter the $250,000, Grade I King’s Bishop on Travers Day Aug. 25, trainer Larry Jones said Monday

Also to be found in that race Teufelsberg

[Glimmerglass]

[QUOTE=Glimmerglass;2603041]
Nobiz Like Shobiz. Monday August 6th: $150,000 Grade 2 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame at 1 1/8 miles on the turf. So named in honor of the Induction ceremonies held at 10:30 am across the street that day.[/QUOTE]

A brilliant effort by Nobiz to take the victory and his first Turf start.

A big tip of the cap to his jockey, Cornelio Velasquez, to keep him steady and relaxed. It was hard to pull him back but the effort paid off by keeping him in it until the stretch and letting that horse just go!

[Drvmb1ggl3]

Nice win by Nobiz on the lawn. He has matured some, but still seems a little ungenuine when sent to the front, took a lot of riding by Vasquez to keep him up till the line.

Man, I’d forgotten how tight that inner turf at Saratoga is!

Anyone know why the Darley horse was eased in the stretch?

[Glimmerglass]

[QUOTE=Drvmb1ggl3;2608509]
Anyone know why the Darley horse was eased in the stretch?[/QUOTE]

When that horse [Sahara Heat] was pulling up or at least backing up along the rail I really though we were going to see a mess with clipping. It was very lucky that room was found for the late runners to slide through. Agreed that Nobiz is still very much maturing.