Jockeys Leparoux and Ocampo get two wins each at Canterbury
CanterburyPark is in Shakopee, Minnesota. My wife and I stayed at the home of my brother’s son and his wife in a town called Eden Prairie. It was a 10-minute drive to Canterbury Park. Saturday was a sartorially perfect day for horse racing. The sun was out. It was warm but eminently manageable.
The attendance was in excess of 10,000 and you could get a T-shirt if you paid three dollars to buy a track program. Admission and parking were free. There were six claiming crown races in the 11-contest card.
The fourth race in the card was the ‘claiming crown Iron Horse.’ It was Roaring Home all the way in the 1700-metre race and the beaten favorite was Sea Gaze, a 2/5 chance, ridden by Julien Leparoux. Dan Centeno rode Roaring Home who paid $8.60. Sea Gaze rallied from the rear but Roarin Home had taken too long a lead. Sea Gaze carried $82,000 of the $97,000 wagered in the show pool. The place dividend on Sea Gaze was $2.10 and the show payoff was $2.10 as well. Minnesota law requires a five-cent return on a dollar on place-show bets and a 10-cent return on the dollar on a win wager.
Then came the 1200-metre ‘claiming crown Express.’ Moralist was the favorite at 9/10 and jockey Israel Ocampo, substituting for Shane Sellers, had his mount disputing the lead with Esperamos, edged ahead turning for home and ran clear down the stretch.
‘Claiming crown Glass Slipper’ followed. My Irish Girl was the 19-10 public choice. It was Israel Ocampo again. A daughter of Closing Argument, My Irish Girl was seeking her sixth consecutive win. The pace was fast and My Irish Girl and jockey Ocampo made up ground determinedly in the final furlong to get the verdict.
It was Humble Smarty who shone in the ‘claiming crown Rapid Transit,’ a 1200-metre contest. Jockey Alex Birzer had Humble Smarty, a 5-2 chance, third and second and in a four-horse dash to the line, proved the best in the waning yards. In six starts, that was the fourth win in 2010 for Humble Smarty. The remaining two outings had resulted in second place finishes.
Now it was Julien Leparoux’s turn to have his moment in the sun. Inca King, a Michael Maker trainee, was the half money favorite in the 1700-metre (turf) ‘claiming crown Emerald.’ Inca King justified the favoritism and gave trainer Mike Maker his seventh claiming crown victory. That was Inca King’s sixth win from seven starts this year.
It was another win for jockey Leparoux in the 1800-metre ‘claiming crown Jewel.’ It was the eighth claiming crown success for Michael Maker. A Tapit four year-old, Headache came off the pace. A $2.00 win ticket paid $5.60.
Jockey Shane Sellers missed out on My Irish Girl because he was in a plane from Chicago. The plane was late leaving O’Hare airport in Chicago and Sellers arrived at Canterbury Park in time to ride in the tenth race in the card, the $100,000 Lady Canterbury Breeders’ Cup Stakes. Never Retreat was the fastest when it mattered and made the wait and trip worthwhile for Shane Sellers. Never Retreat, a 37/10 chance, ran down Danzon, the 3-2 favorite. The 1600-metre Lady Canterbury was run in 1 35.53. Chicago-based Chris Block trains Never Retreat, a five year-old daughter of Smart Strike.
“We sat on a plane for a long time before the good Lord finally got us over here safely,” jockey Sellers said.
It was an enjoyable afternoon. On a personal note, there were not enough betting windows and wagering machines. Lines were 10 and 15 deep. The authorities did not provide for the unusually bigger number of fans. I missed out on two wagers, one at Canterbury and the other at Del Mar. I got to the line, at least, four minutes, each time, before the race and could not reach the clerk. That is unacceptable.
We drove to Running Aces, a harness track in Columbus, Minnesota. We watched five or six races. Peter Galassi let us stay with him in the announcer’s booth and listen to the call. Running Aces is a delightful plant. There is a card room. The problem again was a dearth of betting windows. Lines were so deep that it was impossible to get a bet in. There were machines in front of the seats but, to the uninitiated, it was a challenge. So much money that should go into the pools is not given a chance to go in.
Here is news from the US. Jockey Tyler Baze is hurt and will be off for, up to, two months. Baze suffered facial injuries. It happened before the start of the fifth race at Del Mar on Saturday. Night Justice, Tyler’s mount, threw its head back and Tyler was struck and unseated. He was hospitalized overnight Saturday. Vic Stauffer, race announcer at Hollywood Park, is Tyler Baze’s agent. “Tyler has a broken nose,” Stauffer confirmed. Tyler Baze has four wins from 24 rides at Del Mar.
The Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park will be run on Sunday, August 1. Rachel Alexandra won the Haskell last year. Ice Box is being prepared after a disappointing run in the Belmont Stakes. Super Saver is returning to the racing wars.
Trainer Nick Zito, despite rain and a wet track, sent Ice Box out to work. Zito said, “he who hesitates is lost, I had to do it.”
The Sanford Stakes, a 1200-metre sprint with a $150,000 purse, was run at Saratoga on Sunday. It was a race for freshmen. Maybesomaybenot made it all in the hands of Julien Leparoux to win by a length and a half. The time was 1 10.97 seconds and the win return was $21.20. Bail Out The Cat, the 18/10 favorite, had a tardy beginning. A gelded son of Sunday Break, Maybesomaybenot had post one and was at the head of affairs in a matter of moments. Michael Maker, fresh off a great Saturday at Canterbury, was delighted. “Having the rail kind of forced our hand. So, I was not surprised to see him in front. There are no plans for Maybesomaybenot. We will just enjoy this one for now and go from there.”
Let us go to Del Mar in California. It was Sunday and the race was the G I $150,000 San Clemente Handicap. It was a grass race for sophomore girls over 1600 metres. Evening Jewel, Victor Espinoza up, was fourth, then third and took the lead for good a furlong out. Evening Jewel, a Jim Cassidy pupil, paid $5.40. On a firm grass course, Evening Jewel ran the mile in 1 35.36 seconds. Ten ran. That was the second Grade I win for Jim Cassidy in as many days. We will see what horse gave trainer Cassidy his first Grade I victory at week’s end in a subsequent paragraph.
Evening Jewel is owned by Marilyn and Tom Braly. Tom is suffering from cancer. “Tom is battling cancer. This keeps him going,” Marilyn stated.
Saturday’s big race at Del Mar was the Eddie Read Handicap. The Usual Q T, the 7-5 favorite and a Jim Cassidy ward, reported home a two-length winner in the (turf) 1800-metre race. The Usual Q T was third and wide into the final turn and ran on to wrest the lead midstretch. The time was 1 47.28 seconds. Jockey Espinoza had a chance to take the inside route. He changed his mind and took the three path. A gelding by Unusual Heat, The Usual Q T has eight wins from 15 starts for earnings of $993,320.
Trainer Cassidy commented. “The Usual Q T beat older and it is tough. It is the toughest thing in racing. The Arlington Million is an option now.”
Jockey Espinoza spoke. “The horses in front were going in and out. I thought of going inside but I waited. It was a good thing that I did.”
This is what happened in the Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga on Saturday. It was the first time that the Grade I race was run at American racing’s Mecca. Devil May Care was prominent in the Kentucky Derby until the final turn and weakened in the lane to finish tenth. Back with her kind, Devil May Care won the G I Mother Goose at Belmont. On Saturday, ridden by John Velasquez, Devil May Care quickened in the stretch after being in striking range and won with a measure of comfort. Six ran and Devil May Care, a daughter of Malibu Moon, ran the 1800-metre race (dirt) in 1 49.42 seconds. The track was drying out from rain and was termed fast. It was Todd Pletcher’s fourth win in the Coaching Club American Oaks in ten years.
Pletcher expressed an opinion. “I have felt all along that this filly is the best of her generation. If she continues to run like today, I think she will prove it.”
Jockey John Velasquez explained the ride. “I was taking a little too much hold of her. I did not want to choke her down before the half mile pole. I gave her the go, not choking her. She got into a good rhythm and had nice cruising speed.”
Woodbine in Canada had the G Ii Nijinsky Stakes as its feature on Saturday. Windward Islands and Grand Adventure, stablemates, dominated the finish. A 6/5 favorite, Grand Adventure, hit the front with 250 metres to go but could not hold Windward Islands when the latter came calling. Chantal Sutherland rode Windward Islands who returned $16.30. The winning margin was three and one half lengths. It was over 1800 metres on grass and the time was 1 53.58 seconds. Mark Frostad trains Windward Islands and Grand Adventure.
Trainer Frostad paid tribute to his charge. “He (Windward Islands) has had problems all his life. He is fragile. We do not get too many races out of him but he is a real high quality horse.”
Now a note on a German Group I race. It was the Grosser Dallmayr-Preis Bayerisches at Munich racecourse on Sunday. Nine ran and when the dust settled, it was a girl who had taught the boys a stern galloping lesson. Mark Johnston trains in England. Lady Jane Digby, a five year-old mare from Johnston’s stable, clocked 2 9.7 seconds for the 2000-metre trip on soft grass. Greg Fairley rode. Lady Jane Digby was a 111/10 chance in the German tote. Oasis Dream is the sire of Lady Jane Digby. Alexandros, a Dettori mount and the Godolphin runner, was third as the 19/10 favorite.
Speaking at Ascot, trainer Johnston expressed delight. “It is really wonderful. It was a little bit of a shot in the dark but she has been running well and she’s tough. We will look at the Arlington Million and then the E P Taylor in Canada.”
The Galway Festival opened in Ireland on Monday with a twilight card. There are flat and jumps races. It is a seven-day meeting.
Glorious Goodwood begins its five-day campaign on Tuesday. It is high on my agenda and I have not been able to work that into my schedule yet. Hopefully, I will soon.
