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Barn Notes: Thursday, January 15, 2015
· Money’soncharlotte Using Silvebulletday as Stepping Stone
· Stidham Tackles Krantz with Trio
· Impressive Indiana-bred Paddy’s Notes Goes after Louisiana
· Cinco Charlie to Try Two Turns
MONEY’SONCHARLOTTE USING SILVERBULLETDAY AS STEPPING STONE
Owners George and Lori Hall and their trainer Kelly Breen know how to be successful at Fair Grounds Race Course and when shipping around the country, for that matter. The connections of 2011 Louisiana Derby winner Pants on Fire and Belmont Stakes winner Ruler on Ice that same year have made a good living from sending their talented stock around the nation over the last few years while winning races at an admirable rate – 21%, to be exact, in 2014.
On Saturday, the multiple graded stakes-winning owners and their adept conditioner will start Money’soncharlotte in the Listed $125,000 Silverbulletday Stakes. Any other year, the daughter of Mizzen Mast with two consecutive wins – including one in a two-turn stakes – would be considered one of the favorites for the one-mile and 70-yard stakes, but in 2015 the first of the three major Fair Grounds features for fillies has drawn an exceptionally deep and promising field.
“It looks like it’s going to be a pretty salty spot,” Breen said. “My filly is doing okay, though. She’s training well and came out of her last work great.”
Breen, who can often be seen on race day in his well-tailored suit and signature hat with iPad in-hand, has been integral to the success of the Halls in their ascension – including training their charges to a pair of Breeders’ Cup thirds. Money’soncharlotte is typical of his program. A modestly bred but well built athlete, she has shown excellent speed that carries over a distance of ground and her two wins have been one-sided affairs.
On Oct. 23, in Money’soncharlotte’s second start after a disastrous Oct. 4 Keeneland debut, she won by nearly four lengths over two next-out winners in a one-turn mile maiden at Belmont Park. Next out, five weeks later, she took the $75,000 Hut Hut Stakes at a two-turn mile with ease by nearly three lengths at Gulfstream Park West.
“She doesn’t need the lead,” Breen said. “We are bringing her because it was the perfect spot to set her up for a stakes at Gulfstream in February and Gulfstream didn’t have anything for her.” On Feb. 21, the Hallandale Beach establishment has the Grade II $200,000 Davona Dale Stakes at a one-turn mile.
STIDHAM TACKLES KRANTZ WITH TRIO
Veteran conditioner Mike Stidham is a trainer who has proven able to develop basically any kind of runner and has done such in the last calendar year with stakes winners such as synthetic sprinter Pirate’s Trove, handicap dirt horse Ground Transport and Grade I-placed multi-surface juvenile filly Her Emmynency. Still, one division that seems to be flush with talent above all others in his barn in 2015 is that of routing turf fillies and mares. Whether by chance or sheer fortune, such fillies/mares as Grade I-placed Stellaris, multiple graded stakes winner Istanford and graded stakes-placed Every Way headline his adept operation.
The last mentioned leads a trio of grass-loving distaffers the 57-year-old native of Neptune, New Jersey has entered in the $60,000 Marie G. Krantz Memorial Stakes on Saturday’s Road to the Derby Kickoff Day Presented by Hotel Monteleone. A 5-year-old daughter of City Zip owned by Haynes Stable et al, Every Way has been a picture of consistency in turf stakes company, but unfortunately has yet to claim one of her own.
In her last six grass stakes tries – including four graded events – Every Way has finished second three times, while also managing a game fourth in the Grade III $200,000 Modesty Handicap at Arlington International Racecourse in July, beaten only a half-length. Saturday’s return to the races for the Pin Oak Stud-bred mare will be the first since a lackluster fifth on Aug. 31 over Del Mar’s then-synthetic Polytrack surface that she reportedly detested.
Speaking of Pin Oak Stud, Josephine Abercrombie’s well-respected establishment bred and owns another of Stidham’s Krantz Memorial entrants – Hung the Moon. Making her first start for Stidham on Saturday, the 5-year-old daughter of Malibu Moon won the $50,000 Wild Rose Stakes last May on dirt for previous trainer Donnie K. Von Hemel and has never started on the grass. Fourth last out in the $100,000 She’s All In Handicap over a muddy and sealed surface at Remington Park, she has worked three times at Fair Grounds for Stidham, including a smart half-mile move on Jan 5 in :48.20. As far the four-time (in 16 starts) winner’s turf prospective, it is worth noting that the one Malibu Moon filly to win over the Fair Grounds grass this season (Flor de la Luna) was also out of a Storm Cat-line mare.
Unlike Every Way who poses the layoff question and Hung the Moon’s surface quandary, Twin Creeks Racing Stable’s Notte d’Oro has neither issue. A lightly raced daughter of Medaglia d’Oro, she exits a strong Fair Grounds turf allowance victory on Dec. 18 in which she defeated snappy next-out winner Compelling Case by three-quarters of a length and closed into a lugubrious pace from four lengths astern. A winner of half of her six races, she scuttled her last sixteenth of a mile in less than six seconds after being forced four-wide at the quarter-pole. The Krantz Memorial will be the 4-year-old homebred’s first chance to display her class against stakes company.
IMPROVING INDIANA-BRED PADDY’S NOTES GOES AFTER LOUISIANA
Ronald Grothaus’ Paddy’s Notes was a surprise entrant into Saturday’s Listed $75,000 Louisiana Stakes when the race drew on Monday, Jan. 12, but being a surprise is nothing new as of recently for the Tim Glyshaw-trained charge. A winner of two consecutive one-mile and 70-yard optional claimers in wire-to-wire style at odds of 9-1 and 3-1, respectively, the former sprinter has become a different horse with the addition of a turn.
“He was transferred to me and we had never tried him long,” Glyshaw said. “He had such an affinity for running short, but he was built like a route horse. I think he’ll get even better the more we run him long because he can rate. The last couple races he went (the half-mile) in :47 and was doing it easily. Those 91 and 90 Beyers were pretty good, too.
“He’s a really cool horse who does whatever you ask of him,” Glyshaw continued. “He’s been a pleasant surprise and we’ve had a lot of success with Indiana-breds like Unreachable Star. We brought (Paddy’s Notes) to (Fair Grounds) to run in some conditioned races that hopefully set us up for Indiana-bred stakes in the summer. In the case that he doesn’t run (in the Louisiana Stakes), he will probably turn up in a two-other-than. It’s nice to see a lot of Indiana-breds running well in open stakes.” Loosen Up Stables’ Unreachable Star is the all-time leading Indiana-bred in purses earned and was the Indiana-sired Older Horse of the Year four years in a row (2009-2012).
A six-time winner in 21 lifetime starts, Paddy’s Notes was assigned post four in the 69th running of the six-horse Louisiana and is scheduled to be piloted by Marcelino Pedroza, for whom he has won his last two. When last in stakes company, the son of Aragorn was fourth beaten by two lengths in the $89,000 Brickyard Stakes going six panels at Indiana Grand on Sept. 10.
CINCO CHARLIE TO TRY TWO TURNS
Brisk $50,000 Sugar Bowl Stakes winner Cinco Charlie will join the Triple Crown trail next out, according to trainer Steve Asmussen, and head to Sunland Park for the $100,000 Riley Allison Derby on Jan. 24. The son of Indian Charlie and winner of the Grade III $100,000 Bashford Manor Stakes early in his juvenile season has been training steadily locally, including a five-furlong move in 1:02.40 on Monday.
Speeding the six furlongs of Fair Grounds’ Sugar Bowl on Dec. 20 in 1:10.06 and earning a 97 Beyer Speed Figure accordingly, the William and Corinne Heiligbrodt homebred will be separated from his stablemate Tiznow R J, who is slated for Saturday’s Grade III $200,000 Lecomte Stakes. The Riley Allison Derby is a two-turn mile event and serves as the first major Kentucky Derby prep of Sunland Park’s season. Cinco Charlie has four stakes wins to his credit, but has never ventured beyond 6½ furlongs.
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