Monday, July 23, 2012
Contact: NYRA Press Office
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- Liaison joins field for G2 Jim Dandy, Baffert colt arrives Tuesday
- Neck ‘n Neck breezes for G2 Jim Dandy;
- Zito hoping for good start to second half with trio of sophomores in weekend stakes
- Winter Memories ready for G1 Diana following Monday turf breeze
- Lukas to send new acquisition Laurie’s Rocket in G2
- Street Game on target for West Point
- Sharp claim Manly seeks hat trick in Thursday’s $100,000 Quick Call
The Indian Charlie colt, owned by Arnold Zetcher, has run twice since a sixth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby, finishing second, beaten a half-length, in the Grade 3 Affirmed at Betfair Hollywood Park on June 3 and third, three-quarters of a length short, in the Grade 2 Swaps on July 4.
In the Swaps, Liaison earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 102.
“Liaison worked really well today, and we thought he earned his trip today to the Jim Dandy,” Baffert said from Del Mar after Liaison worked 1:12 4/5 for six furlongs with likely Haskell Invitational favorite Paynter, second in the Belmont Stakes. “Martin Garcia worked him and said he really felt great.”
Garcia will ride on Saturday.
Baffert said Liaison will fly out Tuesday along with Gun Boat, a recent allowance winner at
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Neck ‘n Neck had an eventful prep for Saturday’s Grade 2 Jim Dandy this morning on the main track, with two horses breaking from the gate and coming up behind him as he left the pole and another horse serving as an unintentional target as he came down the stretch.
With jockey Julien Leparoux aboard, Neck ‘n Neck completed the five furlongs in 59.76 seconds, fourth-fastest of 39 works at the distance.
“He did it nice and easy,” said Ian Wilkes, who trains Neck ‘n Neck for A. Stevens Miles, Jr. “It was a good education.”
The Flower Alley colt, who will be ridden in Saturday’s 1 1/8-mile race by Leandro Goncalves, comes into the Jim Dandy off an impressive 7 ¼-length victory in the Grade 3 Matt Winn, his first stakes score and second straight victory.
“He’s growing up, that’s the biggest thing,” said Wilkes of Neck ‘n Neck, 3-1-0 from 10 lifetime starts. “He’s doing things more professionally. He’s more of a racehorse now, not the big kid that wanted to play around.”
Wilkes also sent out
“He worked fast the other day [a bullet 47.88], very fast,” said Wilkes. “I wanted an easy work because he’ll have another work before he runs. This was a maintenance work. He did it very, very easy and galloped out good. He’s right on schedule. I can adjust to whatever I need for his next work and watch how he does for the week.”
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Absent from the Triple Crown this year, Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito is hoping to make some noise in the 3-year-old division beginning this weekend.
On Friday, he will send out the lightly raced Easter Gift, second by a neck to Le Bernardin in the Grade 3 Pegasus last time out, in the $100,000 Curlin. Saturday, he saddles Grade 2 Dwyer runner-up Fast Falcon in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy, and Sunday he will have recent acquisition
“By the one horse running Friday, and Fast Falcon Saturday, it still gives us hope, and it’s very nice,” said Zito, who won the Kentucky Derby with Strike the Gold (1991) and Go for Gin (1994), the Preakness with Louis Quatorze (1996) and the Belmont with Birdstone (2004) and Da’ Tara (2008).
“You know, for the first time not being in the Triple Crown in a long time, and I always say this, I’m lucky and blessed,” he said. “When you miss a year or two, you’re supposed to. That’s just the business. I’ve been blessed, so I’m happy. I’m certainly happy to get back into this deal. Like I always say, God’s been good to me, and getting me back into the second half of the season would be great.”
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Winter Memories and jockey Javier Castellano hit the Oklahoma turf course Monday morning to turn in a 59.83 five-furlong breeze in the lead up to Saturday’s Grade 1, $600,000 Diana for turf fillies and mares.
“Nice and comfortable, so we’re very happy with her,” said trainer Jimmy Toner. “We’re good to go. Every time she runs, you get excited. And the way she runs is exciting.”
Last year at
After finishing fourth in her 3-year-old finale, the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup, Winter Memories made a winning 2012 debut in the Grade 3 Beaugay in May at
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Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas has picked up a rising sprinter, Laurie’s Rocket, and is getting him set for Sunday’s Grade 2 Amsterdam.
The race has regularly been won by some of the fastest runners in the country, including Caleb’s Posse (2011), Discreetly Mine (2010),
Owned by Willis Horton, who campaigned 2006 Kentucky Oaks winner Lemons Forever, Laurie’s Rocket was transferred to Lukas from the barn of Dallas Stewart after a ninth-place finish behind Trinniberg in the Grade 2 Woody Stephens on June 9 at
Stewart had designs on the Triple Crown trail for the Bluegrass Cat colt, but a poor run in the Grade 3 Southwest in February changed his mind. Since then, Laurie’s Rocket has won the Bachelor Stakes at Oaklawn and finished second to Il Villano in the Chick Lang on Preakness Day at Pimlico before the Woody Stephens.
“I had a long relationship with the Horton family,” Lukas said. “I had the Horton family [horses] when Dallas Stewart went out on his own … and the Hortons went with
Asked what’s learned in the short time he’s had Laurie’s Rocket, Lukas said, “Not much. The one thing I’m concerned about is doing as good as
Lukas said he will send Laurie’s Rocket out for a three-furlong work Tuesday or Wednesday morning.
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Trainer Kelly Breen confirmed that George and Lori Hall’s Bern Identity came out of his win in yesterday’s Grade 2 Sanford in good shape.
“He’s doing quite well,” reported Breen, a New Jersey-based trainer who added that he will be remaining in
On Friday, Ruler On Ice posted his first workout at the Spa when he breezed five furlongs from the gate in 1:01.30.
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Street Game, the 4-year-old winner of the Grade 3 Hill Prince last year at
The son of Street Cry was caught galloping out six furlongs in 1:12 by trainer Philip Serpe, who liked what he saw in the work.
“He went very good, and we’re cautiously optimistic,” said Serpe, who is trying to get a second stakes win for Street Game in the 1 1/16-mile
Street Game was third to Compliance Officer in the
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Thursday’s featured race is the $100,000 Quick Call, a 5 ½-furlong turf sprint for 3-year-olds.
The 3-1 morning-line favorite is Manly, who has won two straight since being claimed for $50,000 by trainer Michael Maker for owners Ken and Sarah Ramsey. His new connections switched the son of Seeking the Gold to turf and shortened him up in distance in his first start off the claim, and the colt responded by breaking his maiden by 1 ¼ lengths in a June 16 maiden special weight at Churchill Downs. He enters the Quick Call off a three-quarter-length triumph in an entry-level allowance on June 30 at Churchill.
Javier Castellano will ride Manly from post position 2.
Like Manly, 7-2 second choice Full also enters the Quick Call off a pair of turf sprints at Churchill Downs. After clearing the first allowance condition by one length on June 9, the Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider homebred was second by a half-length in a June 29 optional claimer.
Trained by Al Stall, Jr., Full will leave from post 9 with Joel Rosario aboard.
Gentlemans Code has won four straight, beginning with a $40,000 conditioned claiming race on Keeneland’s artificial main track on April 6. He has been protected by trainer Wesley Ward, who owns the gelding in partnership with Ice Win Stable, since that win, taking a starter allowance over Arlington Park’s synthetic surface on May 6 and a first-level allowance on Arlington’s turf course on June 6.
Elvis Trujillo has the assignment aboard Gentlemans Code, 4-1, from post 7.
From the rail out, the field also includes
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