Two Maryland-bred claimers grab spotlight
Runners who are the backbone of the daily card at tracks around the country had their moment to shine at Pimlico over the Preakness weekend. Two starter handicaps, each named for a legendary Maryland-bred, were offered for Maryland-breds who had started for a claiming price of $15,000 or less in 2007 or 2008, and each attracted a full field.
On Black-Eyed Susan Day, May 16, fillies and mares had their opportunity in the Kattegat's Pride Starter Handicap, named for one of Maryland's top handicap mares of the 1980s. On Preakness Day, May 17, older runners raced in the Deputed Testamony Starter Handicap, run in honor of the last Maryland-bred to win the Preakness, 25 years earlier.
Martha Hopkins's homebred 4-year-old filly Four Karats surprised as the second-longest shot in the seven-horse field in the Kattegat's Pride.
Run over a sloppy track, which contributed to five program scratches, the Kattegat's Pride had an overwhelming choice in Vicar's Vixen, but Four Karats set every fraction under Eric Camacho and hit the finish two lengths clear of Pick Up the Tempo, with Vicar's Vixen third.
Hopkins and her late husband, C. Frank Hopkins, took up residence at Elberton Hill Farm, an ancestral Hopkins family property in Darlington, Md., in 1965. Four Karats, a daughter of former Maryland sire Diamond, was born at Elberton Hill, out of a homebred mare, Londonderry, by the Affirmed stallion Perfecting, who stood his entire career at the farm.
Londonderry, one of Perfecting's best runners, placed in the 2000 Maryland Million Distaff Starter Handicap and is a full sister to the Maryland Million Sprint Handicap winner Aberfoyle, who also placed in graded stakes. Four Karats is Londonderry's third foal.
It was the second win in 13 career starts for Four Karats, who won her maiden in her third outing for a $15,000 tag in July 2007, but had not raced at that level since.
The winner of the Deputed Testamony, 6-year-old Let Me Be Frank, was making his 84th career start. All but six of his starts came in the claiming ranks, and most while running for a claiming price of $4,000. But this gelded son of the durable multiple Grade 1 winner Awad was showing signs of an upswing, starting with his win on March 2 at Laurel Park, from which he was claimed by Mark Lapidus and trainer Damon Dilodovico for $5,000.
After finishing third in his subsequent start in allowance company, Let Me Be Frank went off as the fourth choice in the field of 10 for the Deputed Testamony, got the lead soon after the break, and was never headed, driving home to win by three lengths under Jeremy Rose.
Let Me Be Frank was bred by Plane Tree Farm, a Chesapeake City, Md., operation owned by Ron and Elizabeth Cullis until it was sold by the couple in 2006. Let Me Be Frank is the final foal out of the Ack Ack mare Hassenack.
Maryland sires at Midlantic sale
Not for Love, Lion Hearted, and first-year sire Domestic Dispute - all standing at Northview Stallion Station in Chesapeake City - were each represented by a six-figure sales horse at Fasig-Tipton Midlantic's preferred 2-year-olds in training sale held on May 19-20 at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium.
Not for Love had the sale's second-most expensive filly, a daughter out of the Polish Numbers mare Polish Nana consigned by Eisaman Equine, agent. She was purchased by Walnut Green LLC for $220,000. Foaled in New York, the filly is the first foal out of a half-sister to graded stakes winner Love of Money (also by Not for Love).
Patrice Miller, EQB Inc., agent, went to $210,000 for a colt by Lion Hearted, who was consigned by Vision Sales LLC, Stephens Thoroughbreds LLC, agent. A Vision Sales purchase for $70,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Eastern fall yearling sale, the colt is out of Christmas Strike (by Smart Strike) and was bred in Pennsylvania.
Domestic Dispute is the sire of a $110,000 filly purchased by California-based trainer Greg Gilchrist. The Kentucky-bred filly is the first foal out of Homoginize (by Known Fact) and was sold by agent Paul Sharp.
* Trainer Mike Trombetta will judge the 74th annual Maryland Horse Breeders Association yearling show, to be held at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium on June 29. Deadline to enter is Friday. Prize money, including purse awards presented to the top earners at 2 and 3 of those shown, exceeds $50,000. Call the MHBA at (410) 252-2100 for information.
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Haunting hoofbeats?
The sad breakdown of Eight Belles almost a half-mile after the filly had finished second in the Kentucky Derby makes us wonder:
Is the "Gray Ghost" haunting horse racing?
Think about it.
According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, all 20 horses in Saturday's Derby field were descendents of the great Native Dancer, the fabulous 1953 winner of the Preakness and Belmont Stakes whose only career loss came at the Kentucky Derby when he reportedly was fouled twice early in the race and still charged back to finish second.
What's more, the past 14 Derby winners, including Big Brown on Saturday, also are descendents of Native Dancer, the colt nicknamed "The Gray Ghost of Sagamore."
According to a 1967 Time magazine story published when Native Dancer died, the colt had won 21 of 22 races despite "a succession of physical ailments (such as) bucked shins, stone bruises, a bad ankle and a sore hoof."
Ironically, some point to Native Dancer's unusual physiology and the inbreeding in thoroughbred racing as a possible reason for breakdowns such as that suffered by Eight Belles and another Native Dancer descendent, Barbaro, a couple of years ago.
"There's a lack of durability right now," Ric Waldman, former head of operations for Windfields Farm, told the Wall Street Journal. "How much can we keep breeding into these same bloodlines? We're dealing with the law of diminishing returns."
Of course, the opportunistic folks at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals used the Derby to, first, condemn Hillary Clinton for supporting "the filly" and then, after the incident, call for the suspension of jockey Gabriel Saez.
What PETA should be doing is calling on the horse-racing industry to take a closer look at breeding practices to determine if future breakdowns can be avoided.
That might actually accomplish something besides a few self-serving headlines. And the PETA folks could even find the horse-racing industry receptive to the idea.
"Over the decades breeders, in using different family trees, have crossbred and produced a thoroughbred that is decidedly faster," said Vincent Francia, director of marketing at Turf Paradise.
"If breeding has done that by design, then they can also incorporate into that breeding strategy something that helps bone strength and durability.
"I'm not an expert on it, but when a tragedy like this happens the industry looks to see what it can do better."
Francia points out that after Barbaro's death, tracks in California installed synthetic racing surfaces, which have showed promise.
"The data isn't all in yet," he said. "It's not that dirt is necessarily unsafe, but this might be safer."
He said it is something Turf Paradise will consider, at a cost of $8 million-$10 million, if the results are positive.
"It's something we'd look at," he said. "As it is, every October at the start of a new meet we take the surface down and put in a new surface for that meet," he said. "That's something we've done for years to make sure it's as safe as it can possibly be."
Of course, there still will be those who believe horse racing is cruel and that those in the industry are endangering animals for their own entertainment.
"If we went to Kentucky and looked out at a pasture with a bunch of 2-year-olds right now, they'd be out there running," Francia points out.
"I've been in the sport for 25 years, and for the men and women who own these horses, they're pets. They're family members, and they're treated that way.
"It's heartbreaking and tragic, and why it occurred a half-mile after the end of the race, hopefully there will be an answer to that. But we may never know."
The answer might be found in the hoofbeat of a galloping Gray Ghost.
Copyright (c) 2008, azcentral.com. All rights reserved.
Distinguished equine vet realizes dream
UPPER FREEHOLD - Some days, Dr. Patty Hogan will still have a long commute to work, but most days she will merely hop on her golf cart and cross Red Valley Road.
The veterinary surgeon will split her time between the Ruffian Equine Medical Center at Belmont Park in Long Island, N.Y., and her new clinic, Hogan Equine LLC at Fair Winds Farm. Hogan hosted more than 200 people at an open house of her new facility April 21.
One of the foremost equine surgeons in the country, Hogan has treated many well-known racehorses. She is best known for saving the eye of Smarty Jones after he seriously injured himself at Philadelphia Park Racetrack in 2004. The racehorse went on to win the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes in 2004, and narrowly missed the Triple Crown with a secondplace finish in the Belmont Stakes
The New Jersey native received her veterinary degree from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, in 1992. After an internship at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Kentucky and a three-year surgical residency at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, she returned to the Garden State and spent 11 years at the New Jersey Equine Clinic in Millstone.
When Hogan started looking for a local site to open a clinic after leaving the New Jersey Equine Clinic last year, her husband ran into their neighbor, Fair Winds Farm manager Mark Mullen, at a Kentucky horse sale. Mullen, whose family owns Fair Winds Farm, took interest in Hogan's project because the farm no longer stood stallions and had space available.
Hogan's husband, Ed Lohmeyer, a standardbred trainer, said that his wife designed the new facility, which was formerly the stallion barn and breeding shed at the farm. The clinic features an observation deck in the former hayloft, which looks directly into the operating room.
Lohmeyer, who met Hogan when she performed surgery on one of his horses, said she created the observation room so people could watch surgeries and learn as much as possible. Her practice consists primarily of treating standardbreds and thoroughbreds with occasional work on hunters/jumpers and other sport horses.
Hogan Equine will provide orthopedic surgery, including advanced arthroscopy and fracture repair, soft tissue surgery, laser surgery, endoscopy, gastroscopy, ophthalmology and lameness evaluations.
According to Hogan, the facility has 25 stalls that will be full from now until October because this is her busy season. She averages five surgeries per day, she said.
While currently the only veterinarian at Hogan Equine, Hogan may hire an additional vet next year while she works part time at Ruffian Equine Medical Center, a $17 million, state-of-the-art clinic scheduled to open this summer.
Although Hogan will be able to drive a golf cart to work at Fair Winds, she may get a chance to fly to Belmont Park. Her husband just received his helicopter license and flying would cut the two-and-ahalf hour commute down to 40 minutes.
Lohmeyer said his wife's new facility fulfills one of her lifelong desires.
"I'm so happy she could get it done," he said.
When looking around the new clinic, Jen Cycak, of Cookstown, who is now one of five vet techs working for Hogan, said, "She's a great person to work for."
Cycak grew up just around the corner from Fair Winds in Millstone and graduated from Allentown High School.
During his visit, Bob "Hollywood" Heyden, who hosts a TV show at the Meadowlands racetrack in East Rutherford and is a legendary statistician, said he first met Hogan in the late 1980s, when she was in her late teens and working at the racetrack.
"They're good people," he said of Hogan and Lohmeyer.
In 2006, Hogan testified before a congressional subcommittee in support of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act. Earlier this year, the Equine Science Center at Rutgers University in New Brunswick honored her with the "Spirit of the Horse" award. The award recognizes individuals whose lives have been profoundly changed due to their involvement with horses and who have acknowledged the impact on their lives by giving back to horses or the horse industry.
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Indie film showcases path to the Derby
While 40,000 Thoroughbreds are born each year, only 23,000 run stakes races. Of those, just 20 reach the gates of the coveted Kentucky Derby, the most exciting two minutes in sports.
The odds are almost as long for a pair of Long Island brothers getting their independent film to hit the mainstream.
Huntington natives John Hennegan, 39, and Brad Hennegan, 36, shot 500 hours of film during the dramatic 2005-06 racing season for their documentary "The First Saturday in May," showing at Cinema Village Friday and Saturday. The Hennegans, whose father was a New York Racing Association placing judge, grew up on New York's trifecta of racetracks at Belmont, Aqueduct and Saratoga. "We were scooping ice cream and scooping poop," laughs Brad. "And cleaning seats and working as security guards," adds John.
With Thoroughbred racing losing steam and New York's OTB parlors on the verge of closing, the Hennegans wanted to share their behind-the-scenes access with folks unfamiliar with this slice of Americana.
"Everyone knows what the Kentucky Derby is, but nobody knows how the horses get there," says Brad. "We wanted to demystify the process."
Their documentary, named for the date when "the run for the roses" is held, follows six trainers and their horses, from New York to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, on the long, uncertain trail to Louisville's Churchill Downs.
And as luck would have it, one of the Hennegans' six picks is the beloved Barbaro, who stole the nation's heart after winning the 2006 Derby by 6-1/2 lengths - but then tragically stumbled in the Preakness Stakes just two weeks later. After several rounds of surgery, he was euthanized on Jan. 9, 2007.
"We could have done this film 130 times in a row," says Brad, "but we probably picked the best year to do it in terms of the dramatic outcome."
The brothers deftly highlight the human-interest stories alongside the horses, such as the wizened groom Chuck Chambers, who's ever on the lookout for "the horse of a lifetime," or the families who pitch in to get their horses to the track.
"It's really the people who drive horse racing," says John. "Everyone loves horses, but we wanted to show the people."
But although the film scored awards at the Tribeca, Savannah and Austin film festivals, the Hennegan brothers need a strong public showing next weekend for their labor of love to have legs with theaters and movie studios.
"This is not 'Juno independent,' where it has like, nine different stars that were superheroes," says Brad.
"This is independent film like Brad is putting stickers on postcards in between interviews, and we're handing them out at OTBs," cuts in John.
Besides keeping viewers on the edge of their seats, the Hennegans are donating 25% of all ticket sales to benefit the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation for equine research.
"We can't stress enough that this is a really fun story about people that just happens to be set at the racetrack," says Brad.
"And the biggest compliment we get after every film festival or screening is when people come up to us and say, 'You know what, I've never been to the races before, but now I want to go,'" says John. "And that's what we wanted to hear."
(c) Copyright 2008 NYDailyNews.com. All rights reserved
Bigger fields likely at new meet
Following a 10th anniversary meet in 2007 in which rain put a damper on business, Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas, reopens Thursday for its 11th season with officials hopeful for a brighter meet.There is reason for guarded optimism, knowing it seems unlikely the track could be hit with as much precipitation as it was during its 2007 meet, when over 27 inches of rain fell, resulting in 60 races being moved from turf to dirt and contributing to the 527 scratches during the meeting.
The multitude of scratches resulted in field size dropping to an all-time low of 8.5 starters per race, and in turn made the Lone Star product less appealing to offtrack bettors, contributing to offtrack handle on Lone Star races plunging from $1.5 million in 2006 to $1.2 million to last year.
Yet through it all, ontrack business remained strong, with attendance and handle rising slightly.
No matter what Mother Nature has in store this year, track officials are hoping for a boost in field size, particularly during the latter part of April and into May. That is when Lone Star will face little direct competition for horses, because Louisiana Downs in Shreveport, La., is opening two weeks later than last year, on Preakness Day, May 17, and will race only on weekends through June 1.
Racing secretary Larry Craft and his staff anticipate having to work to obtain entries over the first part of the meet, with some of the track's 1,500 stalls not yet filled because meets at Oaklawn Park and Sunland Park are still ongoing. Craft and his staff are now housed in a new backstretch building, part of a $1.7 million capital improvement backstretch project.
Lone Star's stakes program, anchored by five Grade 3 races, is similar to last year's, with the most notable change being a $100,000 purse hike to the May 10 Lone Star Derby.
"At $400,000, we wanted to make it one of the biggest Grade 3 races out there," said track president and general manager Drew Shubeck.
Memorial Day, as usual, with be loaded with stakes action, with six stakes on tap, led by the Grade 3 Lone Star Handicap - the other $400,000 stakes of the meet - the Grade 3 Dallas Turf Cup, and the Grade 3 Ouija Board Distaff.
The stakes kick off immediately Thursday, with the $50,000 Premiere Stakes. Goosey Moose, Rain on Monday, and Sandburr headline the race, run at a mile on the main track, a surface that received some off-season additions of pine bark and sand to its composition.
Jockeys Cliff Berry, Quincy Hamilton, Richard Eramia, and Eddie Martin Jr. have some of the best mounts on the opening-night card and should be prominent in the rider standings.
Opening week is geared around promotion. Thursday night offers a bobblehead giveaway of trainer Steve Asmussen, a resident of nearby Arlington and a nine-time leading trainer at Lone Star.
Concerts by country music stars Garry Allan and Miranda Lambert support the Friday and Saturday racing programs.
Bettors will also have something exciting for 2008 - a pick five wager on the final races on the card, which will have a takeout of only 12 percent and can be bolstered by carryovers.
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Horse of Year Curlin takes Dubai World Cup in a breeze
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)-All it took for Curlin to win over the world were a few powerful strides in the stretch of the $6 million Dubai World Cup.
The Horse of the Year rolled on from there to a record-setting 7 3/4 -length victory in the world's richest race at Nad al Sheba racetrack on Saturday, and now rules thoroughbred racing.
"What a horse," marveled winning rider Robby Albarado. "Curlin is like a limousine and I am just along for the ride."
Curlin's win comes five months after the sensational colt wrapped up a championship 3-year-old campaign with a victory in the Breeders' Cup Classic, the richest race in North America. After a prep race in Dubai last month, Curlin looked better than ever in dispatching 11 rivals without exerting himself.
The winning margin topped the six-length win by Dubai Millennium in the 2000 World Cup.
"He's thriving when he is running," Curlin trainer Steve Asmussen said. "He's a tremendous animal. He's spoiled us with who he is."
The World Cup was the showcase event on the world's richest day of racing, with seven races worth $21.2 million.
After stalking the leaders into the stretch, Curlin, under little urging from Albarado, blew past Well Armed and Asiactic Boy and cruised to the win. After Curlin crossed the finish line, Albarado raised an index finger to the sky.
The 4-year-old son of Smart Strike was the 2-5 favorite, and did not disappoint thousands of fans who wanted to get an an up-close view of America's top-rated horse.
"My horse has run a marvelous race and he fought and fought to get his second place," Asiatic Boy's jockey John Murtagh said. "The winner is a monster."
Curlin became the fourth horse to win the Breeders' Cup Classic and then take the World Cup the following year. The others were Cigar, Pleasantly Perfect and Invasor.
Curlin's final time for the 1 miles was 2:00:15, the third fastest in 13 runnings of the World Cup.
Curlin, who won the Preakness Stakes after finishing third in last year's Kentucky Derby, now has a four-race winning streak. After finishing a close second to the filly Rags to Riches in the Belmont Stakes, Curlin took the Jockey Club Gold Cup, the BC Classic and the Jaguar Trophy Handicap in Dubai.
A.P. Arrow was fourth, followed by Great Hunter, Lucky Find, local favorite Jalil, Gloria De Campeao, Premium Tap, Sway Yed, Kocab and Vermilion.
"For someone from a racing family to have the best horse in the world is really awesome," Asmussen said. "It's a dream come true."
Curlin earned $3.5 million for the victory and boosted his career earnings to $8,807,800 and into third place on the North American career list behind Cigar ($9.9 million) and Skip Away ($9.6 million), according to Equibase. Stonestreet Stables' Jess Jackson owns an 80 percent interest in Curlin.
Plans called for Curlin to be shipped to Keeneland in Lexington, Ky., April 2. His next start has not been determined.
In other major races before the World Cup, American trainer Rick Dutrow went 2-for-2 with Diamond Stripes taking the $1 million Godolphin Mile and Benny the Bull winning the $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen. Also, it was a big day for South African trainer Michael De Kock, who won the $2 million UAE Derby with Honour Devil and the $5 million Dubai Sheema Classic with Sun Classique.
South Africa-bred Jay Peg pulled off the upset of the day, winning the $5 million Dubai Duty Free at odds of 35-1.
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Circular Quay returns to New Orleans
Grade 1 victor CIRCULAR QUAY (Thunder Gulch), who has not visited the winner's circle since last year's Louisiana Derby (G2), returns to Fair Grounds for Saturday's $500,000 New Orleans H. (G2). One of five stakes events on the Louisiana Derby undercard, the 1 1/8-mile contest has also attracted budding handicap star GRASSHOPPER (Dixie Union).
Circular Quay will attempt to become just the fourth horse in history to capture the Louisiana Derby and New Orleans in successive years, following in the hoofsteps of Spanish Play (1931-32), Master Derby (1975-76) and Peace Rules (2003-04). The Todd Pletcher charge has had his travails since his convincing tally here one year ago. Sixth in the Kentucky Derby (G1) and fifth in the Preakness S. (G1), Circular Quay tried the turf unsuccessfully when sixth in the Virginia Derby (G2) last July. Freshened thereafter, the diminutive chestnut reappeared in the February 16 San Carlos H. (G2), but never threatened en route to a fifth-place finish in the seven-furlong event at Santa Anita. Circular Quay steps back up in trip, adds blinkers, and picks up Garrett Gomez in an attempt to get back on track.
Long highly regarded by Neil Howard, Grasshopper gave Kentucky Derby hero Street Sense a royal tussle in last year's Travers S. (G1) before grudgingly giving way by a half-length. The dark bay made his 2008 debut in the Mineshaft H. (G3), the final local prep for this affair, and posted a decisive, 2 1/2-length victory over SILVER LORD (Unbridled's Song), with MAGNA GRADUATE (Honor Grades) another head back in third. Regular rider Robby Albarado will be back aboard Grasshopper, who ranks as the 119-pound highweight.
Grade 1 hero BRASS HAT (Prized) won the 2006 edition of the New Orleans when it was staged in exile at Louisiana Downs. The Buff Bradley trainee is coming off a fourth in the Donn H. (G1) at Gulfstream Park. Also intriguing in the seven-horse field is REPORTING FOR DUTY (Deputy Commander), who takes a steep class hike for Steve Asmussen after posting clear-cut victories in a pair of listed stakes.
In the $500,000 Mervin H. Muniz Jr. Memorial H. (G2) on the turf course, California invader DAYTONA (Ire) (Indian Ridge) will try to extend his winning streak to five. His skein is composed entirely of graded stakes, including the Hollywood Derby (G1) and the Fair Grounds H. (G3) at this about 1 1/8-mile trip last time out. The Dan Hendricks charge will shoulder the top weight of 121 pounds, and the front runner will break from the far outside, post 10, with Alex Solis.
Among his nine rivals are Grade 2 winner BRILLIANT (War Chant), who is returning from a seven-month layoff for Howard; BUFFALO MAN (El Prado [Ire]) and ELUSIVE FORT (SAf) (Fort Wood), the top two finishers, respectively, from the Appleton H. (G3) at Gulfstream; the Bobby Frankel-trained PROUDINSKY (Ger) (Silvano [Ger]), who was last seen finishing second to Daytona in the San Gabriel H. (G2); and Pletcher's TWILIGHT METEOR (Smart Strike).
The undefeated EUROEARS (Langfuhr) will face his stiffest test to date in the $200,000 Duncan F. Kenner S., a six-furlong sprint on the main track. Five-for-five so far, including the F.W. Gaudin Memorial S. at this track and distance two back, the Bret Calhoun pupil has been assigned the co-top weight of 121 pounds. Also toting that burden is Asmussen's NOONMARK (Unbridled's Song), who most recently captured the Mr. Prospector H. (G3) at Gulfstream. The Kenner could mark the reappearance of multiple Grade 2 winner KING OF THE ROXY (Littleexpectations), who has not raced since his seventh in the King's Bishop S. (G1) at Saratoga for Pletcher. He's cross-entered to Saturday's Richter Scale S. (G2) at Gulfstream. The multiple Grade 3-placed LES GRANDS TROIS (Officer), who exits a respectable fifth in the Malibu S. (G1), will represent the Frankel barn, and SEMAPHORE MAN (Formal Gold) is coming off a successful title defense in the King Cotton S. at Oaklawn Park.
Rounding out the smorgasbord of stakes is the $100,000 Bienville S., which has drawn a field of 12 distaffers who will run about 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf. Defending champion SMITTY'S SUNSHINE (Seeking a Home), who gained a confidence-boosting win versus Louisiana-breds on the dirt last out, may have her hands full in this contentious affair. Gallant Bloom H. (G2) queen JAZZY (Arg) (Mutakddim) will make her first start since her uncharacteristic 10th in the sloppy Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at Monmouth. Likewise making their 2008 bows in this spot are STYLISH WILDCAT (Forest Wildcat) and TALETOBETOLD (Tale of the Cat), the respective winner and runner-up from the Franklin County S. at Keeneland last October. DANCEROFTHEREALM (GB) (King of Kings [Ire]) warrants respect as the winner of the Dr. A.B. Leggio Memorial S. at this course and distance in her latest venture.
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