Saturday, September 4, 2010
Contact: NYRA Press office
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- Rail Trip breezes in preparation for Jockey Club Gold Cup
- Grand Couturier aiming for
- Dry Martini pointed toward
- Soldat doing well morning after With Anticipation
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Rail Trip continued his preparations for the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park on October 2 with a brisk six-furlong breeze on the Saratoga main track Saturday morning.
Working in company with Eagle Strike, Rail Trip covered the distance in 1:11.25, 1.88 seconds faster than his stablemate.
"I wanted to get what we got, and that's a good work," said Rick Dutrow, who trains Rail Trip for Jay Em Ess Stable.
The Jockey Club Gold Cup will be Rail Trip's first start outside California, where he won eight of 12 starts, including the 2009 Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup, for trainer Ron Ellis.
Also on the worktab for Dutrow was Acting Happy, who worked four furlongs in 48.90 in company with European import Cloneylass.
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The Grade 2, $150,000
"This time of year, once the turf courses get a little soft, they stay soft," Ribaudo said. "The weather down there has been just as dry as up here, but once any of these turf courses now in the fall get a little moisture, they retain it – shorter days, not as hot. He's doing great, that's why we're trying to come up with something that will suit him, rather than taking another shot on a rock hard turf course and shaking our heads when it's over."
Grand Couturier, owned by Marc Keller, has not won a race since the 2009
Ribaudo added that Keller's Qualia, who galloped home last in the Grade 1 Ballerina on August 28 after being reshod in the paddock and having her saddle slip during the running of the race, is no worse for her eventful trip.
"She came out of it well," Ribaudo said. "She's going to point to the Gallant Bloom [Grade 2, $150,000, 6 ½ furlongs on September 25]."
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Veteran Dry Martini will try the turf again next weekend at
The 7-year-old gelding, winner of more than $1.3 million, most recently finished seventh, beaten less than five lengths, in the John's Call at
"It looked like he liked it all right," said trainer Barclay Tagg of Dry Martini, whose career has included four starts on the turf, with his best result a second-place finish in the 2008 Strawberry Burrah at the Spa. "He'll run back in the
Owned by Carol Nyren, Dry Martini is 9-7-4 from 32 lifetime starts, including victories in the 2009 Grade 2 Suburban Handicap, the 2008 Grade 3 Stuyvesant and the 2007 Grade 2 Cornhusker.
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Soldat was reported to be doing well the morning after breaking his maiden in the Grade 3, $100,000 With Anticipation, which was also the colt's first start on turf.
"He's great; he came out of the race in good shape," said trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. "Nice win, nice horse."
McLaughlin is considering the Grade 3, $150,000 Pilgrim at
Soldat is owned by Harvey Clarke and W. Craig Robertson, III. Another of Clarke's horses, the turf runner Krypton who finished third in the Grade 2 National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame Stakes at the Spa on August 13 and won the Grade 3 Hill Prince at Belmont on June 4, worked a half mile over the main track in 48.72 Friday morning.
"He's doing well," McLaughlin said. "I just don't know where we're going to run him yet."
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