Friday, July 2, 2010
Contact: NYRA Press Office
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- Domino hoping for big things from Midnite Silver
- Interpatation gearing up for Man o'War run
- Seven expected for Man o'War
- Schosberg looks for Fried to sizzle at Spa
ELMONT, N.Y. – Trainer Carl Domino knows next Saturday's Grade 1, $600,000 Man o'War is a big step up for Midnite Silver, but the way the 4-year-old Silver Deputy colt won his last race and has been training since has him feeling optimistic.
"The distance suits him, he closed fast in his last race to win, and he had a really good work the other day [June 28], going in 59.42," said Domino of Midnite Silver, who will be making his stakes debut in the 1 3/8th mile Man o'War after going 2-1-0 from four starts this year. "He's coming into it in great shape."
Owned by Robert Hoyer, Midnite Silver started once in the fall of his 2-year-old season, then returned to break his maiden in May 2009 at Belmont Park, going on to finish the year 3-1-0 from six starts. After finishing fourth in his first start this year, Midnite Silver won a one-mile allowance at Aqueduct, finished second to Lime Rickey going 1 1/16th miles on May 15 at Belmont, then turned in a powerful late run to close from last to win by two lengths in a 1¼ mile optional claimer on June 2.
"We've always babied him because we thought he was a good one," said Domino. "He's stepping up, but I think he deserves it. If he runs his race, I think he's going to be something to reckon with."
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Interpatation, winner of the 2009 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational, is also gearing up for a run in the Man o'War, and trainer Bobby Barbara likes the 8-year-old's chances.
"He's doing very well. I feel he's going to get a piece of this pie, and before the end of the year, he's going to win one of the big ones," Barbara said.
Interpatation upset champion Gio Ponti, who was going for his fifth consecutive Grade 1 victory, in last year's Turf Classic. From there, he shipped to
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Dual Eclipse award winner Gio Ponti is expected to defend his title in the Man o'War, one of four Grade 1 races he won en route to 2009 honors as the nation's Top Turf Male and Top Older Male. The 5-year-old horse worked five furlongs in 1:02.05 Thursday morning for trainer Christophe Clement in preparation for the race.
According to Andrew Byrnes, stakes coordinator for The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA), Bearpath, most recently second in the Grade 3 Louisville Handicap; Expansion, third to Winchester and Gio Ponti in the Grade 1 Manhattan; Grand Couturier, seventh in the Manhattan, and Mission Approved, most recently second in an optional claimer, are being pointed to the Man o'War along with Gio Ponti, Interpatation, and Midnite Silver.
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One of the more interesting maidens expected to surface at Saratoga Race Course this summer is a son of Freud out of the mare Struckbylightning, named, appropriately enough, Fried (as in fried egg).
"His owner [Robert Jacoff] originally wanted to name him Nutz, but that was rejected, and he came up with Fried," said trainer Richard Schosberg. "It's a pretty clever name."
Ironically, one of Schosberg's main owners is Albert Fried, who campaigns, among others, Giant Moon.
"Some people thought he was named after Mr. Fried, but that's not the case," said the trainer.
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