2012 Saratoga Summer thread!

[Glimmerglass]

Bits & pieces …

Augustin Stables runner "Ever So Lucky" a possible the King’s Bishop after putting in a blazing work. Tuesday (8/14) he put in the fastest of 51 works at the distance over the main track.

Unseen and unaccounted for Bodemeister who is not going to the Travers is off to Lexington, KY and will undergo diagnostic tests at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital.

What’s up with the healthy issues of Zayat owned horses?

Today’s SPA feature race will be the $100,000 Troy Stakes.

The 5 1/2-furlong Troy brings together a lot of familiar faces in the turf-sprint division, including Tony Dutrow trained Perfect Officer and Bridgetown. The latter is owned by Barbados resident (and named for the the Capital) Eugene Melnyk and trained by Todd Pletcher, Bridgetown is a Saratoga specialist, with three wins in four starts on the Saratoga turf.

[CVPeg]

Yes - also great hearing Dave Johnson - I swear Easy Goer was almost looking at the crowd in the stretch, rather than straight ahead!
And can you imagine a Travers with only 6 entrants? LOL

And no! Now Believe You Can & Rosie are out? :no: And, what is going on with Pletcher’s/Zayat’s horses?

But at least Jones is playing it safe with the filly…

[Beverley]

Well, I had a rare afternoon with the ability to tune in to HRTV and enjoy the various races- Point of Entry was certainly impressive in the Sword Dancer. Actually I’m dizy, saw lots of good races at several tracks (including Arlington, lots of )- need to do that more often!

[skydy]

Point of Entry was stunning. What a run!
Best to lay off the whip though, he doesn’t like it and doesn’t seem to need it either!

[harvestmoon]

[QUOTE=skydy;6505355]
Point of Entry was stunning. What a run!
Best to lay off the whip though, he doesn’t like it and doesn’t seem to need it either![/QUOTE]

Hmm? Johnny V. barely used the whip on Point of Entry. Maybe you’re thinking of Questing, who won the Alabama impressively, but was all over the track in the stretch.

[skydy]

[QUOTE=harvestmoon;6505439]
Hmm? Johnny V. barely used the whip on Point of Entry. Maybe you’re thinking of Questing, who won the Alabama impressively, but was all over the track in the stretch.[/QUOTE]

I believe you are right. I was watching Questing, it certainly wasn’t Johnny V. aboard!

I watched the races in replay, on Bloodhorse, in succession, and confused the two. Both very impressive horses!

[Glimmerglass]

A training mishap luckily resulted in almost no injuries Saturday morning on the Oklahoma Training track between a Grade 1 winner and a not-so-Grade 1 runner:

Jackson Bend, age 5 and winner of over $1.2 million, had been pointing to a title defense of the Grade 1, $500,000 Forego on Saturday, September 1, but those plans may have to be altered.

The horse that collided with Jackson Bend was Little Nick, a 7-year-old gelding trained by Anthony Quartarolo.

“He walked onto the track, was spooked by something, and bolted,” Quartarolo said. “He grazed Jackson Bend, and fortunately the rider was able to stay on board and Little Nick is fine. He did not sustain any injuries.”

Jackson [Bend] and [exercise rider] Carlos [Correa] were going on their normal morning gallop, and another horse came on at the gap and ran right into him,” said Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito, who added that Correa was uninjured in the collision. “I didn’t see it. Thank God I didn’t see it.

“[Jackson Bend] was laying on the track for close to five minutes – he was just in shock. He went back to the barn in the ambulance, and we started giving him fluids right away. All the vital signs were fine. It’s a miracle.”

By published accounts the wind was knocked out of Jackson Bend who never saw that “bus” plow into him.

No idea why, but less transparency is never a good thing - NYRA will no longer release weekly handle, attendance figures at meet.

NYRA plans to release figures after the Aug. 25 Travers Stakes card and at the conclusion of the meet.

[skydy]

I found the differences of perspective in the story quite amazing!
Little Nick’s trainer said his horse “grazed” Jackson Bend.

Apparently Jackson Bend was “laying on the ground” for almost 5 minutes.
Not my understanding of what happens when one horse “grazes” another. Crashes into, yes, “grazes”, no :eek:

[Glimmerglass]

skydy, I agree those are two very different accounts. Since the comments/remarks were provided by NYRA it’s unclear if the trainers had further conversations - and best regards - as to the condition of each others horse.

On the heels of Bode’s retirement (which wasn’t a surprise) it appears to be following him will be Hansen He shipped to Saratoga for this weekend’s Travers Stakes but arrived Monday and “there was swelling in left tendon” discovered at some point.

Hansen, last year’s 2-year-old champion, has a 20 to 30 percent tear of the tendon in his left foreleg and will likely be retired, according to his owner, Kendall Hansen. Hansen will not run as scheduled in Saturday’s $1 million Travers Stakes at Saratoga.

Hansen said he was going to get some other opinions, but he said most likely the horse would be retired.

“If I can’t be assured he could come back 100 percent I probably won’t race him again,” Hansen said.

A field of 12 was expected to be drawn, including late addition Golden Ticket, the runner-up in the Tampa Bay Derby

[Glimmerglass]

It’s almost like the old days with a horse being run - with success - on very little rest. Willy Beamin cruised easily to victory in today’s feature the $150,000 Albany Stakes. He’ll be back to the races in three days as he’s entered back in G1 King’s Bishop.

The Rick Dutrow trained horse has run with success on short breaks before although never has run in a graded race. His prior quick turnaround:

Belmont Park 6/24/2012 __ Mike Lee Stakes (won)
Belmont Park 6/20/2012 __ Allowance Optional Claiming (won)

[Glimmerglass]

I wish they had made available on youtube last week’s (8/16/2012) $75,000 Michael G. Walsh Novice Stakes with steeplechasing. Yes History Boy won by 9+ lengths yet that doesn’t tell the whole story. The real eye opening, jaw dropping effort was Armata Stable’s Cornhusker who drew to a tie if not the lead at the final fence. He then stumbled a stride past the final fence, slid to his knees with jockey Kieren Norris grasping his neck, regained his footing, and resumed running to the finish line - taking 4th.

Maybe they’ll post it someday …

As for racing not cited on the thread over the weekend while I was at the Spa watching the races, doing rather well at the window and enjoying a burger from the Shake Shack

Replay: Sword Dancer Grade 1 of SAT (8-18-12) named for Mrs. Isabel Dodge Sloan’s HOF horse from Upperville, VA)

Replay: Alabama Stakes - Grade 1 of SAT (8-18-12)

Replay: Lake Placid Stakes - Sunday 8-19-12 with the return of the Ramsey Farm mare, Stephanie’s Kitten.

[CVPeg]

I was there on Saturday also. Sadly couldn’t coordinate my bets properly. Lots of halves of exactas and doubles. Frankly, based on who is, or isn’t appearing now this Saturday, I think perhaps last Saturday was the best for racing!

Did someone say Questing had the best time since Love Sign? (Saw her, too…)

Have to say, though, was a little worried when Irad Ortiz got so enthusiastic early on, but then amazed at how solid she finished!

And very impressed with Point of Entry - no one in his shadow.

If I don’t go this Saturday, however, will miss seeing Currency Swap in the Kings Bishop - hoping he’ll hold off Dutrow’s fresh charge. What is in his juice anyway?!?

Then again, now they’re also including The Test Stakes…

[Glimmerglass]

[QUOTE=CVPeg;6513630]
If I don’t go this Saturday, however, will miss seeing Currency Swap in the Kings Bishop - hoping he’ll hold off Dutrow’s fresh charge. [/QUOTE]

Don’t forget Trinniberg will be in the Grade 1 $500k Foxwoods Kings Bishop (at seven furlongs) and this sprint is far more in his wheelhouse than any silly Derby dreams of May by his connections

The odd lot in that race is the Augustin/Sheppard entry of Ever So Lucky. Yea, I cited that he put in a blazing work before but up against even a loss-of-form Laurie’s Rocket, for example, this doesn’t seem like a fit. However Johnny V. wouldn’t have signed on unless he expected to cash a big check.

NBC Sports will have 2-hours worth of coverage CVPeg in case you don’t get to the track again. And I agree last Saturday was pretty much divine with the weather, quality of racing, and frankly the vibe of the place. Crowded yet relaxed is always a good thing by me. Despite the wins I still couldn’t get a gin & tonic at Siro’s

Aside: old favorite Cribnote will run in the 5th, an allowance, on Traver’s Saturday.

[Glimmerglass]

When mentioning Willy Beamin running on three days rest I’m reminded of another runner well before my time at the track who was used more than a John Deere mower in the summer! Jim French (the horse) from back in 1971

As for Jim French, he was not allowed to run in the Travers. Because of the complexity of the case, and the danger of his knee eventually splitting due to the spur that had broken off, he was retired and sold (it was never officially reported by whom) to art dealer Daniel Wildenstein for $1 million and retired to Haras de la Verrerie in France, where he proved unsuccessful, siring only five stakes winners.

Some articles from the day: St. Petersburg Times - Aug 21, 1971 - "Frisky Jim French Gets Cooling Period

The Spokesman-Review - Aug 21, 1971 - “Jim French Can’t Race; He’s Attached”

[Glimmerglass]

Man that was an exceedingly ugly dual-horse fall at the last fence in the G1-NSA $150K New York Turf Writers steeplechase

[Hunter_s_Rest]

Who???
Equibase doesn’t have results up yet.

[Glimmerglass]

Race 1 (8-23-12): 2 3/8-mile New York Turf Writers Cup steeplechase, favored Divine Fortune fell while making a winning move over the final fence. Left Unsiad then also fell over him, as 5-1 Demonstrative avoided the trouble and won his second hurdle stakes at the meet.

Unofficial feedback - tweet from DRF’s David Grening:

Both steeplechase riders involved in NY Turf Writers Cup spill are okay. Waiting for updates on horses, but they appeared well too.

I dunno to me Divine Fortune looked like Left Unsaid stepped right on him.

[Hunter_s_Rest]

Wow. Scary.
Demonstrative trains at and had his final workout at Hickory Tree Farm in Middleburg, now managed by my brother in law! Three Virginia-based jump stakes winners (so far!) for the meet. (Demonstrative x2, and Spy in the Sky).
Wish I could see it but I no longer get TVG. Is it up on youtube or somewhere one can see for free??

[Glimmerglass]

Video of the G1 Turf Writers (note the spill isn’t omitted) - including a Barbara Livingston capture of it.

After saving ground virtually the entire way under Robert Walsh, Demonstrative was taken off the inside for the final of 10 fences. Divine Fortune, the 2-1 second choice, came to mid-stretch about a head in front, but he stumbled over that jump, unseating jockey Brian Crowley. Left Unsaid, the 3-2 favorite, cleared the fence but stumbled over Divine Fortune, hurling Paddy Young to the turf.

Both horses and jockeys were reported to be uninjured.

After clearing the final fence, Demonstrative may have clipped one of the riders or horses and needed a stride or two to recover. Once he did, he kicked hard and overtook Charminster, who inherited the lead over the final fence.

[Glimmerglass]

And how is another collision impacted horse - Jackson Bend:

[JB] galloped Thursday (8/23) morning and could breeze Monday, Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito said.

“Jackson went to the track this morning and galloped,” Zito said. “Ultrasound, blood, X-rays, he passed all of it. I’m going to try [and work him] Monday. We’ll just go around 7:30 right here [at Oklahoma]. If not, then you know, we just gotta wait.”

The 5-year-old son of Hear No Evil was training toward a title defense in the Grade 1, $500,000 Forego on September 1, but those plans have been up in the air since the incident, though neither Jackson Bend nor Little Nick sustained any injury.

As for Little Nick - he ran back Wednesday, finishing fourth in a turf claiming event.