Female superstars Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta lead an all-star cast of finalists for the 2009 Eclipse Awards, recognizing excellence in Thoroughbred racing. Winners in all categories will be announced at the 39th annual Eclipse Awards ceremony, to be held Monday evening, January 18, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif.
The announcement of the finalists was made today by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), National Turf Writers Association (NTWA) and Daily Racing Form (DRF), the three presenting organizations of the Eclipse Awards.
The three-year-old filly Rachel Alexandra, winner of all eight of her starts in 2009, including the Preakness Stakes; and the five-year old mare Zenyatta, who won all five of her races last year and culminated her undefeated career by becoming the first female to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic, are the two candidates for Horse of the Year. Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta were the only two horses to receive votes in the Horse of the Year category.
The Eclipse Awards finalists (in alphabetical order) are:
• Horse of the Year: Rachel Alexandra, Zenyatta
• Two-Year-Old Male: Lookin At Lucky, Noble’s Promise, Vale of York (IRE)
• Two-Year-Old Filly: Blind Luck, Hot Dixie Chick, She Be Wild
• Three-Year-Old Male: Mine That Bird, Quality Road, Summer Bird
• Three-Year-Old Filly: Careless Jewel, Flashing, Rachel Alexandra
• Older Male: Einstein (BRZ), Gio Ponti, Kodiak Kowboy
• Older Female: Life Is Sweet, Music Note, Zenyatta
• Male Sprinter: Dancing in Silks, Kodiak Kowboy, Zensational
• Female Sprinter: Informed Decision, Music Note, Ventura
• Male Turf Horse: Conduit (IRE), Gio Ponti, Presious Passion
• Female Turf Horse: Goldikova (IRE), Midday (GB), Ventura
• Steeplechase Horse: Mixed Up, Red Letter Day, Spy in the Sky
• Owner: Godolphin Racing, Juddmonte Farms, Mr. and Mrs. Jerome S. Moss
• Breeder: Adena Springs, Juddmonte Farms, Dolphus C. Morrison
• Trainer: Steve Asmussen, Bob Baffert, John Shirreffs
• Jockey: Ramon Dominguez, Garrett Gomez, Julien Leparoux
• Apprentice Jockey: Luis Batista, Christian Santiago Reyes, Luis Saez
The Eclipse Awards are named after the great 18th-century racehorse and foundation sire Eclipse, who began racing at age five and was undefeated in 18 starts, including eight walkovers. Eclipse sired the winners of 344 races, including three Epsom Derbies.
The 2009 Eclipse Awards ceremony will be held on January 18 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., and televised live on TVG. For hotel accommodations and Eclipse Awards ceremony reservations, contact Michele Ravencraft at the NTRA’s Lexington office, (800) 792-6872, or e-mail mravencraft@ntra.com.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Lava Man retired after comeback
Content provided by DRF.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Lava Man, who rose from a $50,000 claimer to the winner of seven Grade 1 stakes, has been retired after a comeback attempt last month ended with a last-place finish in the Grade 2 San Gabriel Handicap at Santa Anita, co-owner Steve Kenly said on Tuesday.
Kenly, who owns Lava Man with his father and sister, Dave and Tracy, and Jason Wood, made the decision earlier this week after consulting with trainer Doug O'Neill and veterinarian Doug Herthel.
The Grade 2 San Gabriel, run at 1 1/8 miles on turf, was Lava Man's first start since he resumed training in late summer after undergoing stem cell therapy to regenerate cartilage tissue in an ankle earlier this year. The San Gabriel was Lava Man's first start since a sixth-place finish in the Grade 1 Eddie Read Handicap at Del Mar in July 2008. His retirement was announced after that race, but he was put back in training last summer.
"I've thought a lot since that last race," Steve Kenly said of the San Gabriel. "We were expecting more out of him. His ankles were better, but the thing that probably caught up with him was time.
"We said that if he couldn't compete at the highest level, we wouldn't continue. That's what made this decision possible. Obviously, he lost a step. It was his first race back in a year and a half. When the running really started, he couldn't keep pace with the better horses."
O'Neill was not available for comment on Tuesday morning.
Kenly said plans for Lava Man are uncertain. Some of the options being considered are keeping him at the racetrack as a pony, or training him to be a hunter-jumper. Kenly emphasized that Lava Man's stem-cell procedure will make the gelding more comfortable.
"He's clinically sound, and so much sounder than he was when he started this process," Kenly said. "It's a win-win deal. The only downswing was he didn't perform better than expected. We don't regret what we've done.
"His second career, whatever it will be and we haven't decided, is unlimited. He could be a hunter-jumper, a pony, or retired in a field, and he'll get along better in those scenarios. He'll be a much sounder horse than two years ago. The chronic arthritis would have gotten worse and worse."
Claimed for $50,000 in the summer of 2004, Lava Man, 9, won three runnings of the Hollywood Gold Cup from 2005-07, the 2006 Santa Anita Handicap, and the 2006 Pacific Classic, among his major stakes wins. A fan favorite in Southern California, Lava Man won 17 of 47 starts and $5,268,706.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Lava Man, who rose from a $50,000 claimer to the winner of seven Grade 1 stakes, has been retired after a comeback attempt last month ended with a last-place finish in the Grade 2 San Gabriel Handicap at Santa Anita, co-owner Steve Kenly said on Tuesday.
Kenly, who owns Lava Man with his father and sister, Dave and Tracy, and Jason Wood, made the decision earlier this week after consulting with trainer Doug O'Neill and veterinarian Doug Herthel.
The Grade 2 San Gabriel, run at 1 1/8 miles on turf, was Lava Man's first start since he resumed training in late summer after undergoing stem cell therapy to regenerate cartilage tissue in an ankle earlier this year. The San Gabriel was Lava Man's first start since a sixth-place finish in the Grade 1 Eddie Read Handicap at Del Mar in July 2008. His retirement was announced after that race, but he was put back in training last summer.
"I've thought a lot since that last race," Steve Kenly said of the San Gabriel. "We were expecting more out of him. His ankles were better, but the thing that probably caught up with him was time.
"We said that if he couldn't compete at the highest level, we wouldn't continue. That's what made this decision possible. Obviously, he lost a step. It was his first race back in a year and a half. When the running really started, he couldn't keep pace with the better horses."
O'Neill was not available for comment on Tuesday morning.
Kenly said plans for Lava Man are uncertain. Some of the options being considered are keeping him at the racetrack as a pony, or training him to be a hunter-jumper. Kenly emphasized that Lava Man's stem-cell procedure will make the gelding more comfortable.
"He's clinically sound, and so much sounder than he was when he started this process," Kenly said. "It's a win-win deal. The only downswing was he didn't perform better than expected. We don't regret what we've done.
"His second career, whatever it will be and we haven't decided, is unlimited. He could be a hunter-jumper, a pony, or retired in a field, and he'll get along better in those scenarios. He'll be a much sounder horse than two years ago. The chronic arthritis would have gotten worse and worse."
Claimed for $50,000 in the summer of 2004, Lava Man, 9, won three runnings of the Hollywood Gold Cup from 2005-07, the 2006 Santa Anita Handicap, and the 2006 Pacific Classic, among his major stakes wins. A fan favorite in Southern California, Lava Man won 17 of 47 starts and $5,268,706.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Gio Ponti gets in breeze
Steve Andersen,
Daily Racing Form
ARCADIA, Calif. - Gio Ponti, the runner-up in the Breeders' Cup Classic in November, breezed three furlongs in 36.60 seconds at Santa Anita on Saturday, his first workout since the BC Classic.
Trainer Christophe Clement said he is considering the San Antonio Handicap or two races at Gulfstream Park - the $500,000 Donn Handicap over 1 1/8 miles on dirt on Feb. 6 or the $150,000 Canadian Turf Stakes over a mile on Feb. 20. The Dubai World Cup is a long-term goal.
"Everything is still up in the air," Clement said. "I will be in California in two weeks, and I will make a decision then.
"He came out of the work in good order," Clement said.
Owned by Castleton Lyons, Gio Ponti is a candidate for outstanding older male and outstanding turf male titles of 2009. A 5-year-old, he has won 9 of 16 starts and $3,153,800.
Life Is Sweet back on track
Life Is Sweet, scratched from Saturday's Grade 2 San Gorgonio Handicap on the morning of the race after a bout with stomach cramps, resumed training on Sunday at Hollywood Park and will be pointed for the $250,000 Santa Maria Handicap on Feb. 13, trainer John Shirreffs said.
"She was good [Sunday], went out and galloped out and did fine," Shirreffs said.
Shirreffs said that Life is Sweet did not need any medication after tying up following an early-morning gallop Saturday.
"It was pretty minor but it was significant enough that I didn't want to run her that afternoon," he said. "It's one of those bad timing things."
Owned by Marty and Pam Wygod, Life Is Sweet won the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic here in November in her most recent start. She has won four graded stakes on Santa Anita's synthetic main track in the last year.
Cat by the Tale, who won the first stakes of her career in the San Gorgonio, may not start again until the $150,000 Santa Ana Handicap on March 21, trainer Neil Drysdale said. The Grade 2 Santa Ana is run over the same 1 1/8 miles on turf as the San Gorgonio.
Cat by the Tale was third in the Las Palmas and Bayakoa handicaps in the fall.
"She ran a much-improved race," Drysdale said of Cat by the Tale's performance in the San Gorgonio.
Daily Racing Form
ARCADIA, Calif. - Gio Ponti, the runner-up in the Breeders' Cup Classic in November, breezed three furlongs in 36.60 seconds at Santa Anita on Saturday, his first workout since the BC Classic.
Trainer Christophe Clement said he is considering the San Antonio Handicap or two races at Gulfstream Park - the $500,000 Donn Handicap over 1 1/8 miles on dirt on Feb. 6 or the $150,000 Canadian Turf Stakes over a mile on Feb. 20. The Dubai World Cup is a long-term goal.
"Everything is still up in the air," Clement said. "I will be in California in two weeks, and I will make a decision then.
"He came out of the work in good order," Clement said.
Owned by Castleton Lyons, Gio Ponti is a candidate for outstanding older male and outstanding turf male titles of 2009. A 5-year-old, he has won 9 of 16 starts and $3,153,800.
Life Is Sweet back on track
Life Is Sweet, scratched from Saturday's Grade 2 San Gorgonio Handicap on the morning of the race after a bout with stomach cramps, resumed training on Sunday at Hollywood Park and will be pointed for the $250,000 Santa Maria Handicap on Feb. 13, trainer John Shirreffs said.
"She was good [Sunday], went out and galloped out and did fine," Shirreffs said.
Shirreffs said that Life is Sweet did not need any medication after tying up following an early-morning gallop Saturday.
"It was pretty minor but it was significant enough that I didn't want to run her that afternoon," he said. "It's one of those bad timing things."
Owned by Marty and Pam Wygod, Life Is Sweet won the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic here in November in her most recent start. She has won four graded stakes on Santa Anita's synthetic main track in the last year.
Cat by the Tale, who won the first stakes of her career in the San Gorgonio, may not start again until the $150,000 Santa Ana Handicap on March 21, trainer Neil Drysdale said. The Grade 2 Santa Ana is run over the same 1 1/8 miles on turf as the San Gorgonio.
Cat by the Tale was third in the Las Palmas and Bayakoa handicaps in the fall.
"She ran a much-improved race," Drysdale said of Cat by the Tale's performance in the San Gorgonio.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Free Selections today FAIRGROUNDS!!
Race 1- 6 Izzy Kate, 2 Pisces Poem,5 Day Trippi,4 Kookoorotcha
Race 2- 1 Desert Fox,8 Cape Doctor,10 Musicstreet Menace,3 Tramezzini
Race 3- 5 Hit Gold Directly,13 Sonny's Man,10 Regreta's Gold,2 Out Of Doeny
Race 4- 10 Parc Des Princes,8 Inti,5 Glittermans Cartel,2 Galloping Gulch
Race 5- 3 Marked For Amnesty,11 Golden Valley,5 Sizzle Me,12 Cotton Ide Kate
Race 6- 11 Moneigh,1 Vicomtesse,5 Forthelonghaul,2 Settling Seas
Race 7- 6 Really Did Bam,9 Classic Robbery,10 Bimini Twist,5 Chaska
Race 8- 4 Cape San Blas,8 Beta Capo,3 North Country,6 Logaritimo
Race 9- 7 J. B.'s Charisma,8 Win Back,5 Ipilee,3 Timely News
Race 2- 1 Desert Fox,8 Cape Doctor,10 Musicstreet Menace,3 Tramezzini
Race 3- 5 Hit Gold Directly,13 Sonny's Man,10 Regreta's Gold,2 Out Of Doeny
Race 4- 10 Parc Des Princes,8 Inti,5 Glittermans Cartel,2 Galloping Gulch
Race 5- 3 Marked For Amnesty,11 Golden Valley,5 Sizzle Me,12 Cotton Ide Kate
Race 6- 11 Moneigh,1 Vicomtesse,5 Forthelonghaul,2 Settling Seas
Race 7- 6 Really Did Bam,9 Classic Robbery,10 Bimini Twist,5 Chaska
Race 8- 4 Cape San Blas,8 Beta Capo,3 North Country,6 Logaritimo
Race 9- 7 J. B.'s Charisma,8 Win Back,5 Ipilee,3 Timely News
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Aqueduct Cancels Sunday Live Racing
Citing frigid temperatures and high winds, the New York Racing Association cancelled live racing at Aqueduct for Sunday, Jan. 3.
A NYRA press release said the day’s featured Ruthless Stakes would be rescheduled for Sunday, Jan. 10.
Although live racing is cancelled, the track will remain open for simulcasting, with free parking and admission.
A NYRA press release said the day’s featured Ruthless Stakes would be rescheduled for Sunday, Jan. 10.
Although live racing is cancelled, the track will remain open for simulcasting, with free parking and admission.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
South Florida is fertile land for Derby prospects
Marty McGee,
Daily Racing Form
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - South Florida has been a winter haven for Kentucky Derby hopefuls for decades. This is not some nostalgic bent. Three of the last four Derby winners, and four of the last seven, have made Florida their winter home, so it's little wonder that racing fans are already asking about which Florida 3-year-olds have a legitimate chance of making it to the 136th Derby on May 1.
The upset winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, Vale of York, will be pointed to the Derby by training in Dubai, while the likely 2-year-old champion Lookin at Lucky is based in California. Beyond them, however, there are prospects aplenty who will make appearances at Gulfstream Park, where the 80-day meet starts Sunday. Noble's Promise, Buddy's Saint, Aikenite, Discreetly Mine, and Jackson Bend are just a few of the horses sure to be heard from as the Derby trail unfolds.
The Gulfstream route to the Derby underwent a slight reconfiguration last fall when it was announced that the track's signature race, the Grade 1 Florida Derby, has been moved back a week from its date of the last five years. The $750,000 race will be run March 20, six weeks before the Kentucky Derby, rather than five weeks out. Traditionally, the Florida Derby had been run seven weeks before the Kentucky Derby, but in 2005 it was moved to five weeks out. The two main stepping-stones to the Florida Derby are the Holy Bull Stakes on Jan. 23 and the Fountain of Youth on Feb. 20.
The date change for the 1 1/8-mile Florida Derby was made by Ken Dunn, the new Gulfstream president, partly in reaction to the Louisiana Derby having been moved to March 27, the same day the Florida Derby would have been run. The decision has not been met with overwhelming approval from horsemen.
"I actually preferred the old date," said Todd Pletcher, who has at least a half-dozen Derby prospects in training at the Palm Meadows training center. "But every horse is an individual case, so it's hard to say what plans we might need to make at this point."
"It's probably more about your horse than the timing of the race," said Bruce Levine, who has the undefeated Buddy's Saint at Gulfstream. "I'll have to see how the horse comes out of the Fountain of Youth and go from there. Right now, I'd probably be more inclined to run back in the Wood Memorial [April 3 at Aqueduct]."
In contrast, Rick Dutrow, who swept the Florida and Kentucky Derbies two years ago with Big Brown, believes the new date could be ideal.
"I hope we're having to deal with this issue in March," said Dutrow, who has D' Funnybone, Homeboykris, and Launch N Relaunch as his top candidates. "But if I have a horse run a big race, six weeks is exactly what I prefer for bringing him back. I think the timing is perfect. I don't see how anybody can complain about it."
Meanwhile, Pletcher has easily the largest number of Derby hopefuls among Florida trainers this year. Some are more serious than others, such as Super Saver, Aikenite, Discreetly Mine, and Eskendereya. Others are less proven, such as Rule, Overcommunication, and Mission Impazible, while at least one more, Interactif, has done his best work on grass and would seem questionable on dirt.
Super Saver, perhaps his top prospect at this point, has yet to breeze since winning the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes by five lengths, but is doing well as he gears back up, said Pletcher.
Nick Zito, who assumed the training of Jackson Bend following a private sale last fall, has at least one other prospect in Latigo Shore, a romping maiden winner at Calder on Dec. 21. Zito, a perennial Derby consideration, has his top horses at Palm Meadows again this winter.
Other 3-year-olds on the south Florida radar include Winslow Homer and Westover Wildcat for Tony Dutrow; Overlap and Insightful for Barclay Tagg; Aspire and Callide Valley for Eddie Kenneally; and Guys Reward (Dale Romans), William's Kitten (Mike Maker), and Piscitelli (Greg Sacco).
One horse who could draw major interest, depending on how he progresses, is Lentenor, a full brother to Barbaro, winner of the 2006 Florida and Kentucky derbies. Lentenor has the same connections as his legendary brother: He was bred and is owned by Roy and Gretchen Jackson of the Lael Stables, and he is trained by Michael Matz.
Lentenor ran third in his career debut on the Keeneland Polytrack on Oct. 31, then second in an Aqueduct turf route four weeks later. He has been in steady training in recent weeks at Palm Meadows and is expected to race early in the meet versus maidens.
Of course, as the Gulfstream meet unfolds, there will be plenty of maiden and allowance races to reveal even more 3-year-olds with major promise.
"That's always the way it works here, as I understand it," said newly hired racing secretary Dan Bork.
Besides Barbaro and Big Brown, the other Florida-based 3-year-olds who went on to win the Kentucky Derby in recent years were Funny Cide (2003) and Street Sense (2007). Last year, no Florida horse was a factor in the Derby.
Besides the one-mile Holy Bull and 1 1/8-mile Fountain of Youth, other preps in the Florida Derby series include the Feb. 20 Hutcheson and March 20 Swale, both at seven furlongs. Two graded races at Tampa Bay Downs, the Sam F. Davis and Tampa Bay Derby, also have evolved into useful alternatives for south Florida trainers.
Major prospects for the 3-year-old filly classics also will train in south Florida this winter, including She Be Wild, Negligee, Sassy Image, Ailalea, and Awesome Maria. Same goes for some of the top 3-year-old turf horses, such as Tapitsfly, Lost Aptitude, and Interactif.
Daily Racing Form
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - South Florida has been a winter haven for Kentucky Derby hopefuls for decades. This is not some nostalgic bent. Three of the last four Derby winners, and four of the last seven, have made Florida their winter home, so it's little wonder that racing fans are already asking about which Florida 3-year-olds have a legitimate chance of making it to the 136th Derby on May 1.
The upset winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, Vale of York, will be pointed to the Derby by training in Dubai, while the likely 2-year-old champion Lookin at Lucky is based in California. Beyond them, however, there are prospects aplenty who will make appearances at Gulfstream Park, where the 80-day meet starts Sunday. Noble's Promise, Buddy's Saint, Aikenite, Discreetly Mine, and Jackson Bend are just a few of the horses sure to be heard from as the Derby trail unfolds.
The Gulfstream route to the Derby underwent a slight reconfiguration last fall when it was announced that the track's signature race, the Grade 1 Florida Derby, has been moved back a week from its date of the last five years. The $750,000 race will be run March 20, six weeks before the Kentucky Derby, rather than five weeks out. Traditionally, the Florida Derby had been run seven weeks before the Kentucky Derby, but in 2005 it was moved to five weeks out. The two main stepping-stones to the Florida Derby are the Holy Bull Stakes on Jan. 23 and the Fountain of Youth on Feb. 20.
The date change for the 1 1/8-mile Florida Derby was made by Ken Dunn, the new Gulfstream president, partly in reaction to the Louisiana Derby having been moved to March 27, the same day the Florida Derby would have been run. The decision has not been met with overwhelming approval from horsemen.
"I actually preferred the old date," said Todd Pletcher, who has at least a half-dozen Derby prospects in training at the Palm Meadows training center. "But every horse is an individual case, so it's hard to say what plans we might need to make at this point."
"It's probably more about your horse than the timing of the race," said Bruce Levine, who has the undefeated Buddy's Saint at Gulfstream. "I'll have to see how the horse comes out of the Fountain of Youth and go from there. Right now, I'd probably be more inclined to run back in the Wood Memorial [April 3 at Aqueduct]."
In contrast, Rick Dutrow, who swept the Florida and Kentucky Derbies two years ago with Big Brown, believes the new date could be ideal.
"I hope we're having to deal with this issue in March," said Dutrow, who has D' Funnybone, Homeboykris, and Launch N Relaunch as his top candidates. "But if I have a horse run a big race, six weeks is exactly what I prefer for bringing him back. I think the timing is perfect. I don't see how anybody can complain about it."
Meanwhile, Pletcher has easily the largest number of Derby hopefuls among Florida trainers this year. Some are more serious than others, such as Super Saver, Aikenite, Discreetly Mine, and Eskendereya. Others are less proven, such as Rule, Overcommunication, and Mission Impazible, while at least one more, Interactif, has done his best work on grass and would seem questionable on dirt.
Super Saver, perhaps his top prospect at this point, has yet to breeze since winning the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes by five lengths, but is doing well as he gears back up, said Pletcher.
Nick Zito, who assumed the training of Jackson Bend following a private sale last fall, has at least one other prospect in Latigo Shore, a romping maiden winner at Calder on Dec. 21. Zito, a perennial Derby consideration, has his top horses at Palm Meadows again this winter.
Other 3-year-olds on the south Florida radar include Winslow Homer and Westover Wildcat for Tony Dutrow; Overlap and Insightful for Barclay Tagg; Aspire and Callide Valley for Eddie Kenneally; and Guys Reward (Dale Romans), William's Kitten (Mike Maker), and Piscitelli (Greg Sacco).
One horse who could draw major interest, depending on how he progresses, is Lentenor, a full brother to Barbaro, winner of the 2006 Florida and Kentucky derbies. Lentenor has the same connections as his legendary brother: He was bred and is owned by Roy and Gretchen Jackson of the Lael Stables, and he is trained by Michael Matz.
Lentenor ran third in his career debut on the Keeneland Polytrack on Oct. 31, then second in an Aqueduct turf route four weeks later. He has been in steady training in recent weeks at Palm Meadows and is expected to race early in the meet versus maidens.
Of course, as the Gulfstream meet unfolds, there will be plenty of maiden and allowance races to reveal even more 3-year-olds with major promise.
"That's always the way it works here, as I understand it," said newly hired racing secretary Dan Bork.
Besides Barbaro and Big Brown, the other Florida-based 3-year-olds who went on to win the Kentucky Derby in recent years were Funny Cide (2003) and Street Sense (2007). Last year, no Florida horse was a factor in the Derby.
Besides the one-mile Holy Bull and 1 1/8-mile Fountain of Youth, other preps in the Florida Derby series include the Feb. 20 Hutcheson and March 20 Swale, both at seven furlongs. Two graded races at Tampa Bay Downs, the Sam F. Davis and Tampa Bay Derby, also have evolved into useful alternatives for south Florida trainers.
Major prospects for the 3-year-old filly classics also will train in south Florida this winter, including She Be Wild, Negligee, Sassy Image, Ailalea, and Awesome Maria. Same goes for some of the top 3-year-old turf horses, such as Tapitsfly, Lost Aptitude, and Interactif.
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