Thursday, August 26, 2010
Contact: NYRA Press Office
(518) 584-6200 x4237
EL REAL
By John Scheinman
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. has a penchant for wheeling horses back on short rest, but rare is it to hear of any runner capturing two races in the same week at Saratoga.
Three days after an easy 8 ¾-length score in a $20,000 claiming race on Monday, the Dutrow-trained El Real Madrid was sent back to the track approximately 68 hours later for a $35,000 claimer, winning again, this time by 3 ¾ lengths.
The winner, owned by Rafael Celis and his son, Eduardo, ran the 1 1/8th-mile dirt race in 1:50.52 as the 2-1 second choice in the field of six.
The 5-year-old chestnut son of Boundary not only won August 23, but he also finished second by a neck five days before that in a turf race at the Spa. The horse now has six wins in 19 starts.
Trainer William Cesare claimed El Real Madrid for $25,000.
"We would rather have kept him than lost him," said Dutrow, whose record on display in the Daily Racing Form was a 28-percent strike rate for horses run on seven days rest or less. "This is a lot like Reptilian Smarts, who I ran back on five days rest on the raise [at Aqueduct] and won, then three days rest and won again. I wouldn't do it off a bad race; I only do it off what I like."
In the winner's circle, Eduardo Celis was elated.
"[Three days ago] was the first time we've visited the winner's circle, and [now] we've done it twice," he said. "He [Dutrow] said if he won the other race on Monday, he told me he was going to run a big race today, and he was right. He's special, like Grand Madrid, the best [soccer] team in
-30-
