NEW YORK SHOWCASE DAY STAKES ADVANCES; for Saturday, October 23, 2010

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

 

Contact: NYRA Press office

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$200,000 EMPIRE CLASSIC HIGHLIGHTS NEW YORK SHOWCASE DAY

 

ELMONT, N.Y. – Eleven accomplished thoroughbreds will vie for the title of "Best of New York" Saturday afternoon when they assemble for the 35^th running of the $200,000 Empire Classic, the centerpiece of New York Showcase Day at Belmont Park.

 

In addition to the Empire Classic and six other stakes races for New York-breds worth nearly $1 million, The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will celebrate the Empire State's food, wine and crafts with vendors located on the first floor of both the Clubhouse and Grandstand, and family activities in the backyard throughout the day.

 

With victories in two of the last four runnings, trainer Dominic Galluscio and Majesty Stud have enjoyed considerable success in the Classic, and they're hoping that tradition will continue with Stormy's Majesty, as one of four 3-year-olds in the 1 1/8-mile Empire Classic, the ninth of 10 races on the day.

 

The homebred son of Stormy Atlantic is undefeated in four starts against fellow state-breds, including his neck victory over Classic rival and fellow sophomore Ibboyee in the 1 1/8-mile Albany at Saratoga Race Course in August, his first stakes win.

 

"One of the breeders passed away in April, so it's very emotional when we run him," said Galluscio of Stormy's Majesty, who in open company finished eighth in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy and second in the Star of Cozzene. "He's very sharp right now, and we are looking forward to the race."

 

The consistent Ibboyee, a multiple stakes winner who has been no worse than third in his last eight starts, enjoyed a brief freshening after the Albany, his first start at the Classic distance.

 

"He's done well at a mile and an eighth, and we're happy with the way he's training right now," said trainer Todd Pletcher of Ibboyee, who will run as part of an Anstu Stable entry with the 5-year-old gelding Manteca, beaten favorite in the Salute Me Sir in September. "Manteca's last race was very disappointing. He found himself on the lead when another horse stumbled, and that probably isn't his best running style. We're hoping he'll settle off the pace a little."

 

Also running as an entry will be two of owner Chester and Mary Broman's top sophomores – Mine Over Matter, who beat older horses in the Salute Me Sir, and Friend Or Foe, most recently sixth after an eventful trip in the Grade 1 Travers.

 

Winner of his first three starts, including a victory over his elders in an allowance and the Mike Lee, Friend Or Foe stepped up into open company at Saratoga, finishing a credible fourth in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy. In the Travers, the son of Friends Lake was carried five-wide on the first turn and emerged from the race with a cut on his left foreleg that later became infected, forcing him to miss some training.

 

"It definitely knocked him off schedule," said Friend Or Foe's trainer, John Kimmel. "He came back, and he's worked really well. I think he's back to where he was at the beginning of the summer."

 

The Empire Classic also drew a number of familiar faces, including Classic veterans Ruffino, second last year to Haynesfield, and Naughty New Yorker, winless in four editions, as well as multiple stakes winners Giant Moon, Icabad Crane, and Wishful Tomcat, who will be making their Classic debuts.

 

Giant Moon and Icabad Crane, who met briefly during the 2008 Triple Crown, finishing eighth and third, respectively, in the Preakness, have since established themselves in the upper echelon of statebreds. Trained by Rick Schosberg, Giant Moon has recovered from nagging hoof problems to post a 2-2-0 from five starts this year, including a victory in the Evan Shipman, with the H. Graham Motion-trained Icabad Crane taking the King's Point in March at Aqueduct.

 

Wishful Tomcat, also 5, returned from a nearly eight-month layoff to win an optional claimer at Belmont on September 29. Last year, the son of Tactical Cat won his first four starts for new trainer Rick Dutrow Jr., including the King's Point and the Alex M. Robb. In his only other start of 2010, he finished second in an optional claimer in February.

 

On the undercard, New York-bred grass runners will take their turn going 1 1/8 miles in the $125,000 Mohawk and the $125,000 Ticonderoga for fillies and mares. 

 

In the Mohawk, which will be run as race 6 on the day's 10-race card, Uncle T Seven will attempt to parlay last month's Ashley T. Cole victory into his first New York Showcase Day win, having finished 11^th in last year's rainy edition of the race over soft turf. 

 

"He's doing great," said John Kimmel, who trains the 4-year-old Freud colt for Thomas Mina. "He came out of the Ashley T. Cole in great shape, he's been training forwardly ever since and he's ready to go. I think the biggest factor in his performance last year was the condition of the turf course that day, and hopefully that won't be a problem this year. Anywhere between yielding and good should be fine for him."

 

Ramon Dominguez, New York's leading rider, will climb back aboard for the first time since piloting Uncle T Seven to a win in the Thunder Rumble division of the New York Stallion Stakes on the main track at Aqueduct last November. 

 

The talented Mohawk field also includes Straight Story, winner of the West Point Stakes at Saratoga this summer; Pocket Cowboys, runner-up in both the Ashley T. Cole and the West Point, and Pretty Boy Freud, who tried turf for the first time earlier this summer and enters the race off three narrow defeats in turf allowances.  

 

In the Ticonderoga, carded as the 10^th and final race of the day, trainer Bill Badgett has the opportunity to showcase two talented turf females, Chestoria and Exclusive Scheme, who come to the race at different stages in their careers.

 

E L R Stable's 6-year-old Chestoria, who has finished in the top three in 17 of her 28 starts and earned more than $520,000, is likely to be retired at the end of the year, while Paris Hill Thoroughbreds' 4-year-old Exclusive Scheme is finding her best stride. 

 

Upset winner of the William B. Fasig Stakes at Saratoga on July 31 in which she beat Chestoria by a nose, Exclusive Scheme finished sixth in the August 20 Yaddo, then captured the John Hettinger at Belmont on September 26. 

 

"In the Yaddo, she got stopped twice, but I think she would have been third or fourth in there if she hadn't gotten into trouble," Badgett said of Exclusive Scheme. "She's gotten very consistent. She started off being a little bit on the cheap side, but she's certainly gotten better and better as she's gotten older. Chestoria has always been the picture of class and professionalism and she's a pleasure to have around the barn."

 

Third behind Exclusive Scheme in the John Hettinger was Akilina, who is looking for her first win since December 2009. Trainer Christophe Clement believes the daughter of Langfuhr, owned and bred by Oak Bluff Stables, could be poised for a good effort.

 

"I thought she ran very well last time," Clement said.  "She was disappointing in the first part of the year because she was not finishing her races. [In the John Hettinger] Rajiv [Maragh] took her back a little bit, covered her up and she finished her race very well.  I'm very happy with her."

 

You Go West Girl, winner of the 2009 Ticonderoga, will attempt to defend her title while Meriwether Jessica, winner of three straight before her streak was snapped by an eighth-place finish in the Noble Damsel, is back with New York-breds.

 

A field of eight is set to roll in the $125,000, six-furlong Hudson, headlined by the return of Repole Stable's Driven by Success to state-bred company after a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Vosburgh.

 

"He's been a top-level New York-bred sprinter and should fit well in this spot," said trainer Todd Pletcher of Driven by Success, who is 7-4-5 from 23 career starts.

 

Challenging the 5-year-old gelding will be Endless Circle, who has been relentless in winning four of his last five starts, including the Easy N Dirty Stakes at Belmont on October 5 and the John Morrissey Stakes at Saratoga, after being claimed for $14,000 by trainer Rudy Rodriguez for owner Vincent Scuderi.

 

"We were drawn to this horse because he just loves to win," said Rodriguez of the 6-year-old son of Precise End. "He's been very good to us and we've been very lucky with him."

 

Also returning from the Easy N Dirty will be runner-up Be Bullish, a 5-year-old son of Pure Prize who will be making his 42^nd career start in the Hudson.

 

Eleven fillies and mares will be going seven furlongs in the $125,000 Iroquois, in which the hard-knocking Meese Rocks seeks her first victory at the distance. The 5-year-old daughter of Rock and Roll, 7-3-2 from 16 starts, will be looking for her third state-bred stakes win for trainer Edward Barker and owner Henry Terranova in the Iroquois, for which she gains the services of  leading rider Ramon Dominguez.

 

Sapphire Sky, third in last year's Iroquois, comes into this year's edition off a fourth-place effort as the beaten favorite in the Anniron Stakes, while Lovely Lil is back with state-breds after finishing seventh in the Grade 2 Gallant Bloom and dead-heating for fourth in the Grade 1 Test. One of two 3-year-olds in the race, the Tiznow filly won her first two career starts against New York-breds by a combined margin of 15 lengths.

 

The $100,000 Maid of the Mist for 2-year-old fillies could serve as a steppingstone to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf for Upper East Sider, who will face nine opponents in Saturday's fourth race when she travels seven furlongs on the main track. The Fox Ridge Farm homebred has made two starts so far, finishing last of nine in the slop at Saratoga on August 5 and romping by eight lengths in a turf sprint at Belmont on September 12.

 

While Upper East Sider was well beaten in her previous race on the dirt, Kelly believes she deserves another shot on the main track. Should she run well in the Maid of the Mist, she will compete in the Juvenile Fillies Turf, and if not, she could return six days later in the Good Mood overnight stakes on the grass at Belmont, with the Breeders' Cup out of consideration.

 

"We're rolling the dice at this point," said Kelly. "There's actually an overnight stakes on Halloween she could run in if she doesn't do well on Saturday. The turnaround wouldn't be a problem because if she doesn't handle the dirt, she'll only run for a half-mile."

 

Sentimental Lass, in comparison, is a proven commodity on the dirt, having scored by 10 ½ lengths under a hand ride at Belmont on September 26, and trainer David Duggan is eager to try the daughter of Freud against stakes competition.

 

"The seven-eighths is a question, but she's doing well and there's no reason to think it will be a problem," said Duggan. "This is a good spot for us to find out how good we are."

 

Saltamontes is one of two stakes winners entered in the Maid of the Mist, having captured the Friendly Beauty at Belmont by 2 ¾ lengths on September 23. Previously, the Gabrielle Farm color bearer was a four-length maiden winner at Saratoga on August 18.

 

"She's very good right now, and I'm very lucky to have her," said Saltamontes' trainer, Rudy Rodriguez.

 

The $100,000 Sleepy Hollow for 2-year-olds, carded as Saturday's seventh race, attracted 11 entrants, including undefeated Bandbox. The seven-furlong race will be the third career start for the Hillwood Stable representative, a half-length debut winner on the turf at Laurel on August 8 and a 9 ½-length runaway victor of the Charles Town Juvenile on September 18.

 

"His first race was very good, and although he didn't get a large Beyer, I thought he ran a better race than what the number suggested," said Rodney Jenkins, who trains Bandbox for Hillwood Stable. "We tried him on the dirt in his second start, and he had been working well over the surface, so we knew he might run a big race. He was very green during the first part, but he settled down and ran a good race."

 

Todd Pletcher will send out three capable colts in the Sleepy Hollow, led by Repole Stable's Never Right Joey, who like, Bandbox, is a son of Tapit unbeaten in two starts and enters Saturday's race off a stakes triumph. A 4 ¾-length maiden winner at Saratoga on July 24, the chestnut returned to capture the High Rock Springs by three-parts of a length at the Spa on August 26.

 

"He's done everything we've asked him to do," said Pletcher, who will also send out by Hysterical Cat, third in the Aspirant and second in the New York Breeders' Futurity at Finger Lakes, and maiden winner Crea's Law. "We made the decision to bypass the Finger Lakes options with Never Right Joey, and he seems to be coming into this race well."

 

John Confort and Albert Weis' Our Brave Warrior edged clear to a 4 ¾-length decision at Belmont on September 19 in his first race wearing blinkers, and his trainer, Tom Bush, is hopeful the gelding will take another step forward in the Sleepy Hollow.

 

"He'll need a top effort, but he's trained plenty well and we think he has some talent," said Bush. "I was surprised with how green he was in his debut as he hadn't shown that during his morning lessons. We put blinkers on him, and they seemed to help him focus."

 

 

 The field for the $200,000 Empire Classic:

Prog. No  PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer
1                   2	Manteca	D Cohen	124	T A Pletcher
1a                 6	Ibboyee	J R Velazquez	121	T A Pletcher
2                   4	Friend or Foe	A O Solis	115	J C Kimmel
2b                 8	Mine Over Matter	J Castellano	119	R M Hernandez
3                   1	Wishful Tomcat	R Dominguez	120	R E Dutrow Jr.
4                   3	Ruffino	M Luzzi	118	H J Bond
5                   5	Icabad Crane	R Maragh	112	H Motion
6                   7	Naughty New Yorker	C Velasquez	120	P Kelly
7                   9	Stormy's Majesty	J Lezcano	121	D G Galluscio
8                  10	Giant Moon	E S Prado	122	R E Schosberg
9                  11	Star of New York	J L Espinoza	118	N Chatterpaul

 The field for the $125,000 Mohawk:

Prog. No. PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer 1 7 Pretty Boy Freud J R Velazquez 117 L O'Brien 1a 10 Uncle T Seven R A Dominguez 123 J C Kimmel 2 1 Good Prospect C H Velasquez 117 L Rice 3 2 Straight Story J Castellano 123 A E Goldberg 4 3 Pocket Cowboys E S Prado 117 S M Schwartz 5 4 Johannesburg Smile E Coa 114 D G Galluscio 6 5 Midnight Billy   J Lezcano 117 J Ortiz 7 6 Kutais E Castro 117 S Torelli 8 8 Spa City Fever J F Chavez 117 P J Kelly 9 9 Piazza Di Spagna R Maragh 117 G Sciacca AE 10   Mr. Vegas R Maragh 114 M E Hushion

A - Coupled Entries - Pretty Boy Freud, Uncle T Seven

The field for the $125,000 Ticonderoga

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer
1	You Go West Girl	J Lezcano	119	T F Proctor
2	Chestoria	E Coa	123	W Badgett, Jr.
3	Exclusive Scheme	R A Dominguez	123	W Badgett, Jr.
4	My Magic Moment	C H Marquez, Jr.	117	T Albertrani
5	Stormy Relations	C H Velasquez	119	M R Matz
6	Meriwether Jessica	D Cohen	123	R A Violette, Jr.
7	Crazy Catlady	E S Prado	117	T A Hills
8	Paraiba	J R Velazquez	119	D G Donk
9	Ms Stilleto	E Castro	119	D A Schettino
10	Akilina	R Maragh	119	C Clement
AE 11	Chorus Music	J Castellano	117	J P Terranova, II
AE 12	Frivolous Buck	A O Solis	117	G Weaver
AE 13	Rogue's Jewel (MTO)	J Castellano	120	C F Martin

The field for the $125,000 Hudson:

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer
1	Heavenly Blaze	J Samyn	117	J W Ferraro
2	Rollers	M J Luzzi	119	B Tagg
3	Driven by Success	J R Velazquez	124	T A Pletcher
4	Raynick's Jet	R A Dominguez	117	S M Asmussen
5	General Maximus	J Castellano	119	J P Terranova, II
6	Good Card	J L Espinoza	119	P J Kelly
7	Endless Circle	E S Prado	124	R R Rodriguez
8	Be Bullish	D Cohen	121	C J Englehart

 

The field for $125,000 Iroquois:

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer
1	Shine Upon	D Cohen	119	J A Jerkens
2	My Dinah	J L Espinoza	124	K M Feron
3	Fivefifteen	S P Husbands	117	A Ronen
4	Karakorum Fugitive	E Coa	119	J A Jerkens
5	Mother Russia	C H Velasquez	119	L Rice
6	Sapphire Sky	J R Velazquez	121	D G Donk
7	Cody Samora	M J Luzzi	117	J Morrison
8	R Betty Graybull	C H Marquez, Jr.	124	L A White
9	City Broad	J Castellano	119	B N Levine
10	Meese Rocks	R A Dominguez	124	E R Barker
11	Lovely Lil	R Maragh	115	M E Hushion

 

The field for the $100,000 Maid of the Mist:

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer
1	Sentimental Lass	R Maragh	116	D P Duggan
2	Floating Alone	C H Velasquez	116	T M Bush
3	Readygetsgold	C Hill	116	T M Bush
4	Queen's Harbor	J Castellano	116	R A Violette, Jr.
5	Ausable Chasm	E Castro	116	G Sciacca
6	Upper East Sider	J Samyn	116	P J Kelly
7	Saltamontes	R A Dominguez	120	R R Rodriguez
8	Lady Vi	J Lezcano	122	P M Serpe
9	Hessonite	J R Velazquez	116	D G Donk
10	Social Statement	D Cohen	116	T Albertrani

 

The field for the $100,000 Sleepy Hollow:

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer
1	Crea's Law	J Castellano	115	T A Pletcher
2	Private Rules	R Maragh	115	D S Ryan
3	Stopthefever	E Coa	115	O L Figgins, III
4	Luxury Appeal	E S Prado	115	J A Jerkens
5	Never Right Joey	J R Velazquez	119	T A Pletcher
6	Bandbox	R A Dominguez	122	R Jenkins
7	Our Brave Warrior	E Castro	115	T M Bush
8	Pin Number	M J Luzzi	115	D G Galluscio
9	Hysterical Cat	D Cohen	115	T A Pletcher
10	Bambi Bound	J Lezcano	115	B N Levine
11	Bound by Humor	A O Solis	113	R A Ubillo

 

 

 

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