 | ||||
|
Story by MC_Excelsior "The Stick" The big guns are being brought to bear this weekend. We told you it was going to be a great Summer of racing ! Roman Ruler looks to shine 'down the shore'. Saint Liam challenged by Zito tag team. Dont forget Limehouse ! .....
*Note - If you turn on your sound and speakers, you should hear pleasant Stick News Music in this article !* 8/11/05 - Haskell/Whitney Recap. We had a fantastic weekend of racing Stick Horse Racing Fans. Both the Haskell and Whitney Stakes lived up to their billing. Large crowds turned out in person and both races were showcased on TV. The Haskell Stakes(MONMOUTH PARK-NJ) - Recap.
The crowd swelled to almost 44,000 people at Monmouth Park on Saturday 8/07/05 for what many in New Jersey consider to be the "Shore Classic". In years past, Monmouth Park's feature race for 3 year olds would normally run within a close time proximity to Saratoga's Travers Stakes. This would mean that trainers and owners would have to choose, which one race they were going to compete in for the Summer racing. Well, someone at NYRA had the good sense to move the Travers Stakes forward a few weeks, and this has allowed horses who run in the Haskell the ability to rest for 2 weeks and compete at Saratoga as well in the same season. Good Move ! Big name outfits and trainers were at Monmouth Park for the Haskell Stakes. The NJ Racetrack made a grand showing for the fans, with a giant 14 race card, highlighted by the Haskell. When the horses came out of the gate, front running specialist, Sun King assumed a strong forward position and took the field into the backstretch. This Nick Zito trained star had just come off a huge victory at Delaware Park, and was firing his afterburners as the horses rounded the far turn and into the stretch. It looked as though this one was going to go wire to wire in a strong time. Javiar Castellano had done everything right on this horse to offer him the opportunity to win the race. He even slowed the pace down after assuming the lead, and still held off local front runners, Park Avenue Ball and Joey P for the entire race. However, Bob Baffert trained, Roman Ruler had something to say about the stretch run of this race. This very successful and popular son of Fusaichi Pegasus, was not about to just roll over and give this race up. Jerry Bailey, who actually rode in an early race at Saratoga on the same day, flew down by jet to ride this horse. Well, JD got his frequent flyer miles, and he also got the win. Coming through the stretch, Roman Ruler gave a determined and gritty run at the leaders throat. After coming through the length of the stretch uncovered(as ken warkenten would say), Roman Ruler sustained a prolonged rally to catch the very brave Sun King, and draw off through the stretch. A BIG Wave of The Stick to JD/Baff and Roman Ruler for a job well done. If Roman Ruler can pull off a victory in the Travers, and Breeders Cup Classic, I think we have to say he is a legitimate contender for the 3 Year Old Title over Afleet Alex this year. There will be many good arguments to be made for both of them, but remember Stick Racing Fans, the Eclipse voters always favor horses who win in the Breeders Cup over horses who don't run in it. Because Afleet Alex is injured, they should protect the horse and give him time to recover. Its not a knock against Afleet Alex to say Roman Ruler can win the 3 yr old title. In Addition, winning the Travers and Breeders Cup Classic is no small feat, and far from being win at this point. Final Time of : 1 49 and 4/5 was a very fast and respectable time for the Monmouth Park surface. This race should be looked at as a "Key Race", and was very competitive for all. Roman Ruler paid $4.20 as the favorite in the race. The Exacta with Sun King paid $16, and The Trifecta with third place finisher, Park Avenue Ball returned $31.20 The Whitney Handicap(SARATOGA RACECOURSE-NY) - Recap.
With a full field of talented, and established older handicap stars, The Whitney proved to be a vindication and coronation for a Top Trainer, Nick Zito. Zito fielded a Tracy Farmer entry of Commentator and Sir Shackleton. While both horses on their own would have been different odds, the combined pair gave you a very decent price to play and the flexibility of having the perfect entry. The Perfect Entry is one in which you have a front runner and a closer. This allows for your team to benefit from either a speed or closers bias, and it allows your team to control the pace. Thats EXACTLY what happened in this race. Commentator went to the lead, and Sir Shackleton took to the back of the pack and came running late. Post Time favorite, Saint Liam came into this race off a strong victory and looked ready to take on the world. As the horses came into the stretch, after Commentator had lead the entire way, Saint Liam made his move to challenge the leader. Remember, we told you about how Gary Stevens put on a clinic at Churchill Downs with near flawless race rides ? Well, they should have called the Saratoga police and had them waiting in the Winners Circle for Gary ... HE STOLE THE RACE ! I mean grand theft ! After setting decent fractions, Gary knew exactly how much horse he had coming into the stretch run. He just waited for Saint Liam to come after him...I mean he just toyed with this field ! No one pressed Commentator early, figuring he would come back to them, but guess what ? He never came back to the field. Commentator simply drew off under Gary's urging for a powerful, blow out performance that looks to springboard Commentator to the top of the Handicap ranks. Final Time of : 1 48 and 1/5 was a outstanding time on a fast surface. Commentator ran a top performance, and should be closely watched next time he runs in case he 'bounces' next time out. Commentator paid $8.40 as the Entry with Sir Shakleton, and note - $3.40 SHOW price because they were 1st and 3rd. The Exacta paid $16.80 with Saint Liam second. The Triple with fourth place finisher, Swing for the Fences, paid a healthy $128. 8/06/05 - Haskell/Whitney - Huge day of racing, The Stick Studio, New York The Haskell Stakes(Monmouth Park) is a $1,000,000 race for 3 yr olds going 1 1/4 mile, the classic American distance, on the dirt. The Whitney(Saratoga), is a $750,000 race for 3 yr old and up traveling the distance of 1 1/8 mile on dirt. *of note, the NJ state racing authority will also be hosting the Hambletonian for Harness horses at the Meadowlands for $1.5 million. A big day for Horse Racing fans everywhere ! The Haskell Stakes-Grade 1
To those in the know, when you use the expression, 'Down the Shore', you are talking to a person from Southern New Jersey/Philadelphia about going to the beach or to the shore. Well, at Monmouth Park, your almost at the shore, and you can see and hear the Sea Gulls flying around the racetrack. Unlike Del Mar, where you can actually see the waves of the Ocean, you can only smell and feel the cool shore breeze rolling in at Monmouth Park. A pleasant day to be sure for people who enjoy the racing in NJ. It looks to be a classic battle between the horses trained by Bob Baffert and Nick Zito, but don't let that stop you from looking very closely at the entire field in this race. Roman Ruler is the Bob Baffert trained, morning line favorite. When we watched Roman Ruler's first few races at Del Mar, he literally flew from the back of the pack to run off and score impressively. Now, his racing style has been converted into a middle mover who stalks the pace horses up front. This has resulted in a big turn around for Roman Ruler. After some very high profile losses in big races including the Breeders Cup Juvenile, team Baffert decided to give him some time off and go back to basics. Well it has paid off with a smashing victory in the Dwyer Stakes. The horse that ran second in that race, Flower Alley, came back to win the prestigious Jim Dandy. Roman Ruler is 9/5 on the morning line, and looks to deserve a lot of attention by the fans and media as he sets his sights on regaining past glory and establishing a solid late year run for the 3 year old title. Victories in the Haskell and Travers, combined with a decent finish in the Breeders Cup Classic, could give many sports writers an opportunity to consider if this one would deserve the 3 yr old title over Afleet Alex. We will have to see if Afleet Alex makes it back to the races this year, and if these two run against one another. Jerry Bailey get the swan song mount on what may be his final Haskell Stakes before he retires at the end of this year. *Of note, The Blaze, was perhaps the biggest fan ever of Fusaichi Pegasus. She wishes to express her strong support for this horse to our many fans. The public should also take a good look at the Nick Zito trained, Sun King. After thrilling us with a monster victory in the Tampa Bay Derby, Sun King found himself in a big traffic jam in the Kentucky Derby and finished a distant 15th(way back as did a lot of other top horses !). After running a respectable 4th place in the Preakness Stakes, Sun King showed signs of rebirth by winning strongly in the Delaware Stakes. Knowing how Monmouth Park plays to favor Speed, or Front Running horses, Sun King may indeed be a big threat turning for home, especially if he has had an easy lead turning for home. Rafeal Bejarano gets the mount and he will probably be nursing as slow a pace as he can get away with down the backstretch run. he local hope, Park Avenue Ball, has taken the traditional Monmouth route of winning the Long Branch Stakes and looking to springboard into the Haskell. A win over the track and familiar surroundings can only help this one feel more comfortable in this race. Former NY jockey, turned NJ star, Chris DeCarlo, has the mount and would love to show the World he can win the big race at his home track ! The 2nd and 3rd place runner up's from the Long Branch, Checkov(2nd) and Golden Man(3rd) also look to use the experience they gained in the Long Branch to run a big race for this giant purse. These two look to be stalker's also, and will need to captialize on any mistakes made by the top 3. Rounding out the field will be Joey P, Palliado, and Papi Chullo. We wish all the competitor's luck in this years Haskell. With a good trip and a little racing luck, they all have a good chance to bring home the gold. We should also see the top 1-2 or 1-2-3 finisher's possibly make a run for the Travers Stakes at Saratoga also. In past years, these two races were run too close together in time and we normally would not see horses run in both races. With 2 weeks rest in between, we should see some of the horses here again up at The Spa. We will be offering selections on all of the races at Monmouth as part of our normal *Instant View* selections and at higher levels of information in email delivery format. Please remember to order early, the night before for higher level's of information. The Whitney Handicap-Grade 1
Rememer what we said about the Grade 1's at Saratoga being the top of the food chain ? Well, just take a look at the entries for the Whitney, and ask yourself when you would ever see a crack field like that assembled ? The Triple Crown races ? The Breeders Cup ? You have the best horses in the handicap division right here in one race at Saratoga for the famed Whitney Handicap. We loved Saint Liam when he was racing against Ghost Zapper. He was unable to defeat that superstar last year, but now he can be the strong horse in the older ranks. Edgar Prado gets the mount on this very powerful horse. Both the jockey and horse compliment each other. Saint Liam has what is called, 'tactical speed'. In other words, he can run on or near the lead and when Edgar drops the hammer(or stick), Saint Liam can powerfully accelerate away from this field. The only question for Saint Liam will be WHEN to make his move. Should he push to the top too soon, the closers in this field will have a chance to catch him. Should he wait and bide his time loping near the lead, other horses on the lead may become very brave and determined to hold him off. Nick Zito has two very powerful runners in the Tracy Farmer entry of Commentator and Sir Shackleton. One is a speed horse, and the other is a stone cold closer. This is just what you want from a well balanced entry. It gives your runners a chance to push the pace, and either steal the race, or push the pace, and set up your power closer for the stretch run. Zito certainly looking for payback this year after the Kentucky Derby, and it looks like he has a very big chance of winning in here. For those of you who did not know, Gary Stevens is perhaps to be considered among the top 10 jockey's of All Time to this writer. Did you watch him ride at Churchill Downs this past season ? It was race riding 101. Do not ever think to ignore a Gary Stevens ridden horse in a race of this prestige. Gary has the heart of a Lion, and the will of a battle hardened General. Commentator will be a handful for the other's to hold off through the stretch run. Remember Limehouse ? He is the Todd Pletcher trained power sprinter who has successfully shown he can stretch out his speed to a distance. We do not know if this is his optimal distance, but one thing is very much in his favor.....he is trained by TODD PLETCHER ! You remember him ? He's the leading trainer at the meet, who has powerfully dominated ALL Stakes races run there so far. With Pletcher, you also have the veteran war horse, Pollards Vision. For many, this one has been a money burner, but let me tell you, Pollards Vision can run and he can win... BIG, and at long odds. Longshot's Eurosilver and Swing for the Fences will also be looking to capitalize on ay mistakes, and find a clear path to victory through the stretch run. Be certain Stick Fans, there is no 'LOCK' in this big race. Everyone entered has a chance to win. We will be offering selections on all of the races at Saratoga as part of our normal *Instant View* selections and at higher levels of information in email delivery format. Please remember to order early, the night before for higher level's of information. Best Regards and Racing, MC_Excelsior
TO READ OUR OTHER HEADLINES Press Here |
||||
 | ||||
| ||||
| home • about us • news • logo polo's • wager strategy • advertise • marketplace • contact us | ||||
| TheStickHorseRacing.Com © 1998-2005 | Terms Of Use | ||||
