HORSE RACING NEWS weekend of July 30

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From NTRA.com:
Jim Dandy a new ball game

Trainer Nick Zito will send two of his 2005 Triple Crown contenders into action in Saturday's $500,000 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. Belmont Stakes runner-up Andromeda's Hero and barnmate Noble Causeway lead the field of six entered. Zito--who will be inducted to the Hall of Fame across Union Street from the famed track Aug. 8--has named Rafael Bejarano to ride Andromeda's Hero who will break from post three. The chestnut son of Fusaichi Pegasus finished seven lengths behind Afleet Alex in the Belmont, coming with a solid finish on the outside to easily best the rest of the field.

http://www.ntra.com/Races.aspx?id=14402


Pico Central ripe for upset

DEL MAR, Calif. - The favorite is vulnerable in the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Handicap on Sunday at Del Mar. This revelation is hardly news to anyone familiar with the impressive career of Pico Central.
Among the elite sprinters last year, Pico Central is racing Sunday for the first time since a fourth-place finish in March in Dubai. And guess what? The 6-year-old is rusty.
"I know that he needs a race," trainer Paulo Lobo said. "He can win on Sunday, but if he runs well, I'm going to be very, very happy."
Pico Central, winner of three Grade 1's last year, also is burdened by a heavy 123-pound impost in the $300,000 handicap.

http://www.ntra.com/content.aspx?type=news&id=14429


NTRA.com Homepage:

http://www.ntra.com/default.aspx

[jakefrep]

1. Hambletonian & Hambo Oaks elims to be contested today...

...Entries here:

http://racing.ustrotting.com/card_entries.cfm?track_code=M&race_date=2005-07-30&race_type=6

Ken Warkentin and Classic Photo are likely to be the favorites in their respective elimination heats. The final will be contested Aug. 6 at the Meadowlands.

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2. PERFECT DRIFT BREAKS THROUGH

WITH WASHINGTON PARK 'CAP WIN
From Chicago Barn to Wire:

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (July 30, 2005) -- Trapped behind a wall of horses at the top of the stretch, Stonecrest Farm's Perfect Drift barreled through an opening in the stretch en route to a 4 ½-length victory in the Grade II $300,000 Washington Park Handicap Saturday at Arlington Park.

Partnered for the first time with two-time Arlington riding champion Mark Guidry, the Murray Johnson-trained son of Dynaformer covered the mile and three-sixteenths in stakes and track record time of 1:54.27, 4/5 of a second faster than the previous standard of 1:55.07 set by Tenpins three years ago.

Longshot Mambo Train set the pace in the race through three-quarters of a mile in 1:11.82 while French import Billy Allen and Cryptograph chased. Meanwhile, Perfect Drift, the 1-2 post time favorite, was caught behind horses along the rail on the second turn.

"Shaun (jockey Bridgmohan) was on Billy Allen to the outside of us and he was riding a smart race," said Guidry, who also won this race in 1996 aboard Polar Expedition. "He knew where I was all the time and he did a good job of keeping me down in there. They kind of came back to me a little quicker than I anticipated in the middle of the turn and I had to check pretty sharply. Once we turned into the lane, I went inside of him. His acceleration today was brilliant."

http://www.barntowire.com/2005/APresults050730.html


MISS TERRIBLE IN SATURDAY BREEZE TWO WEEKS BEFORE BEVERLY D.

http://www.barntowire.com/2005/APnotes050730.html

[u4ic]

3. I see you did scratch, Old Broad

Sand Springs wins Diana http://racing.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=29281

Flower Alley wins Jim Dandy http://racing.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=29283

One for Rose beats the boys in the Seagram at Woodbine http://racing.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=29285

Saratoga County euthanized http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/todaysnews/newsview.asp?recno=56365&subsec=1

Prominent West Virginia breeder Casey dies after track mishap http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/todaysnews/newsview.asp?recno=56340&subsec=1

[Justpat]

4. It was tough but I think she would have finished

second or thirid. Sand Springs was loose on the lead and ran
the race of her life I thought. Last time she ran at Saratoga
she bolted on the turn.

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5. Ashado Leaves No Doubt in Go for Wand

From The Bloodhorse:
Jockey John Velazquez turned Ashado loose in the upper stretch and the champion filly demolished the field in Sunday's $245,000 Go for Wand Handicap (gr. I) at Saratoga Race Course.

Ashado, who took the Eclipse Award last year as the nation's top 3-year-old filly for trainer Todd Pletcher, ascended to the top of the older filly and mare division with her second consecutive grade I win. Facing four opponents, this one was easy as they come.

The 4-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Saint Ballado defeated outsider Bending Strings by 9 1/2 lengths with the pacesetter Andujar settling for third. Ashado stopped the clock in 1:50 1/5.

The disappointment in the race was Society Selection, who launched a bid on the far turn but was never a factor in the stretch, finishing fourth, more than 12 lengths behind Ashado. The 2-1 second choice, Society Selection lost for the first time in four starts at Saratoga, where she won the Test and Alabama (both gr. I) last year.

http://racing.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=29298

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6. Standardbred News

Peaceful Way in a dramatic Classic Oaks victory

From NTRA.com:
Goin My Way Stable, Dave Tingley, and Angie Stillier’s Peaceful Way and driver Trevor Ritchie ($3.20, $2.20, $2.10) came from out of the clouds and won the $250,000 Classic Oaks Final, in 2:012 for the 1 1-16 mile distance, at the Meadowlands on Saturday.

http://www.ustrotting.com/absolutenm/anmviewer.asp?a=10723&z=1


Vivid Photo Wins First Hambletonian Elimination Race

http://www.ustrotting.com/absolutenm/anmviewer.asp?a=10718&z=1


Classic Photo Wins Second Hambletonian Elimination

http://www.ustrotting.com/absolutenm/anmviewer.asp?a=10720&z=1


Jeff wins at Hazel Park

http://www.ustrotting.com/absolutenm/anmviewer.asp?a=10727&z=1

[jakefrep]

11. And Katie Katie Katie won at Bowling Green tonight...

...Every other horse in the race but one made a break. Bowling Green is not a good track. The Wood County Fairgrounds is home to the National Tractor Pulling Championships, and they leave some pretty bad ruts and bumps in the track. The track crew, all things considered, does a decent job getting the track into a reasonably raceable state, but a lot of trotters got tripped uo tonight.

[u4ic]

12. Congrats, Jake!

Woo Hoo!! :bounce:

[Justpat]

13. That's great, Jake. Congratulations!

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17. Great!

Trotters are beautiful when they trot but, so many of them make breaks.

How do you guys feel about trotting hopples? My trainer refuses to use them. I sure see them used a lot lately.

[jakefrep]

21. We've only had one trotter use them

And she didn't use them for very long - we gave her to a new trainer who managed to fix whatever problem she had. Dad looks at trotting hopples as an absolute last-resort kind of thing.

There's a really good trotter on our circuit (Stable Creek Barb) who appears to use every piece of equipment imaginable, including trotting hopples.

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7. Ashado to sell at Keeneland November

From DRF:
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Ashado, the only filly to win the Kentucky Oaks and Breeders' Cup Distaff in the same year, will be sold at this year's Keeneland November mixed sale, her owners announced Wednesday.

Jack and Laurie Wolf of Starlight Stables and their partners Paul Saylor and Johns Martin will offer Ashado, a 4-year-old Saint Ballado filly, through the Taylor Made agency. The owners' decision to sell Ashado puts a rare jewel on the public marketplace. Ashado is likely to be offered as a broodmare prospect, and, although a buyer could opt to race Ashado next season, that is not probable. Bloodstock experts point out that her worth as a broodmare would make the cost of continuing to insure her prohibitive if she stays in training.

"She is a once-in-a-lifetime filly, and we have been honored to own her as she has fulfilled every racehorse owner's dream," Jack Wolf said in making the announcement. "We are in the business to race horses, and the timing is right for us to sell her to someone who can see her fulfill her immense potential as a broodmare."

Ashado was voted 2004's champion 3-year-old filly after winning the Distaff, Kentucky Oaks, and Coaching Club American Oaks. This year, she already has won the Grade 1 Go For Wand and Ogden Phipps Handicaps and finished second in the Pimlico Breeders' Cup Distaff Handicap. Ashado is one of only 12 mares to win Grade 1 competitions at ages 2, 3, and 4, and her earnings currently stand at $3,245,440.

http://www.drf.com/news/article/67320.html

[Justpat]

8. I hope she stays in this country.

I'm sick of watching the Arabs and Japanese buy all our best
stock.

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10. I hate to see good stock leave the country too.

I have a question OB. It seems to me that the great racemares very seldom make great broodmares. Genuine Risk and Lady's Secret come to mind. What is your opinion?

[Justpat]

14. Some people think that the great exertion they have to

expend during racing often leaves them sapped as far as
reproductive energy goes. I'm not sure that is the case.

Breeding is a whole different ball game than racing. Many
top broodmare come from these incredible female families.
When it comes to the breeding shed, a fantastic female
family will come through and produce good horses. A lot of
these top mares never did a thing on the track either because
they were too slow or too opinionated to put out.

A mare that might have been a great racehorse might not
necessarily have a great pedigree. Personal Ensign is
an exception. But she only raced 13 times. She is the one
that beat Winning Colors in the Breeders Cup by a head
when she seems hopelessly beat at the eighth pole. She comes
from a terrific family - one of the Phipps great old families.

I have a friend that I consider the best pedigree person in the
business. I'll see what he says.

[Justpat]

15. My friend says that drugs affect their reproductive system.

I think he is referring to winstrol and steroids like that. I
agree with this thought. I detest the use of steroids in horses
and wish it would be banned altogether. It ruins their minds,
bodies and doesn't make them run any faster.

And he said that many of them are simply not bred to be producers.
He is a man of few words. I think he was saying the same thing I
said earlier.

I respect his opinion more than anyone I know. He is responsible
for planning the mating of horses that have won over 150,000,000
in purses. That's a lot of zeros there. He is very good at what he
does.

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16. That makes sense.

One of our broodmares was a great racemare. She has not produced anything close to herself. Every year I have to keep her on regumate for the first 90 days of pregnancy. My vet told me that her reproductive tract is 'thick'.

We didn't race her so I don't know what drugs were used on her. I know that she has some soreness issues still. They raced the hell out of her at the end of her career.

Thanks for the input.

Are you going to any sales at The Spa? Have you been over to the Harness track yet?

[Justpat]

20. We don't have any owners who are buying right now

but we always go to check out the yearlings.

I have only been to the kitchen at the trotting track. They
make better breakfast.

I'm going to go one of these days to see the new casino. I'll
let you know what it's like.

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9. Pat Day retires

From DRF:
Pat Day, the all-time leading money earner among jockeys, has retired from riding, his agent, Doc Danner, confirmed Wednesday. It is expected that Day will make his retirement official at a press conference at Churchill Downs on Thursday.

"He is retiring," Danner said by phone Wednesday morning. "The Lord has advised him to move on and to help advance his chaplaincy backside program and promote Christianity."

http://www.drf.com/news/article/67319.html


I had the pleasure of meeting Pat Day once. He is really a class act and great to the fans. He was also one of the greatest jockeys I have ever seen. He will be missed.

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18. 80th edition of the Hambletonian

From USTA.com:
http://www.ustrotting.com/misc/Hambletonian/main.cfm

Entries for The Hambletonian

Saturday, August, 6 - Purse $1.5 million
PP HORSE DRIVER TRAINER M-L
1 Muscle Memory C. Manzi J. Takter 10-1
2 Racino G. Brennan D. Swick 20-1
3 Strong Yankee B. Sears T. Smedshammer 8-1
4 Northern Ensign J. Campbell M. Harder 8-1
5 Classic Photo R. Pierce E. Miller 6-5
6 Vivid Photo R. Hammer R. Hammer 7-2
7 Self Professed E. Ledford D. Swick 10-1
8 Muscle Bound M. Lachance R. Gurfein 5-1
9 Gettindownanddirty P. MacDonell P. Wellwood 30-1
10 Mr Dream OM D. Miller Ji. Campbell 20-1

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19. Daughter of 1977 Triple Crown winner earns victory

From Thoroughbred Times:
One of four fillies that make up the final crop of 1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew, Maggie Slew rated behind her rivals and made a four wide move to draw off to a 6 1/4-length win in her second career start.

http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/todaysnews/newsview.asp?recno=56501&subsec=2


Medical tests to determine future of Pico Central

http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/todaysnews/newsview.asp?recno=56491&subsec=2


Saint Liam headlines field for Whitney Handicap

http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/todaysnews/newsview.asp?recno=56498&subsec=2


Roman Ruler highlights talented Haskell field

http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/todaysnews/newsview.asp?recno=56496&subsec=2