ELEVEN THREE-YEAR-OLDS TO TAKE FLIGHT IN THE PETER PAN AT BELMONT The 1 1/8-mile Peter Pan has attracted a pair of recent graded stakes winners in Adios Charlie, who picked up his second straight victory in the Jerome at Aqueduct Racetrack on April 23, and Joe Vann, who stretched his winning streak to three in the Illinois Derby on April 9. Adios Charlie, who was second in his debut at Belmont last October, opened his sophomore campaign with a 6 3/4 length maiden score at Gulfstream Park on March 30, then impressed with a 2 1/2 length upset of the Jerome over a sloppy track. The Indian Charlie colt, co-owned by trainer Stanley Hough and Robert Sahn, has breezed twice since the Jerome, going three furlongs in 36.14 on May 1 and five furlongs in 1:02.04 on May 8. "He's been training super," said Lazaro Cruz, Hough's assistant. "He ran huge in the Jerome and it didn't seem as if it took much out of him. He's done beautifully since then. We're hoping he runs as well on Saturday." Rajiv Maragh rides Adios Charlie, the 3-1 morning-line favorite, from post position 8. Joe Vann, a Silver Deputy colt owned by Zayat Stables and trained by Todd Pletcher, was winless in four starts as a 2-year-old, but since finishing seventh in his 2011 debut at Gulfstream Park has reeled off three successive scores with a combined winning margin of 13 3/4lengths. "I think we're going to get a true check of how much confidence he's generated,"said Pletcher, who won the Peter Pan in 2006 with Sunriver and in 2004 with Purge. "We were a little confused about some of his form. He had a disappointing race at Gulfstream [January 8] and then ran three terrific races. This will give us an idea of where he fits in the big picture." At 5-1 on the morning line, Joe Vann will leave from post position 10 under Javier Castellano, aboard for the first time. Coming in from the Midwest is Donald K. Adam's Prime Cut, most recently a close-up second to Derby Kitten in the Lexington at Keeneland on April 23. Originally a candidate for the May 14 Preakness, the Bernstein colt's connections instead opted for the Peter Pan with an eye toward the 1 1/2 mile Belmont. "The Preakness has a big field with a lot of speed and the top horses from the Derby look tough coming right back, and I don't know if he's ready for that,"said trainer Neil Howard. "If he runs in one of the [Triple Crown] races, we feel the Belmont would be the best for him." Prime Cut, the 9-2 third choice on the morning line, drew post position 4 with Hall of Fame jockey Edgar Prado in the irons. Also shipping in will be the lightly raced Uncle Brent, a 1 3/4 length winner over Albergatti in the Northern Spur at Oaklawn Park on April 16. Trained by Lynn Whiting for Charles Cella, who purchased him following his successful debut at Oaklawn on February 2, Uncle Brent finished second as the 4-5 favorite in a one-mile allowance there on March 13 in his only other start. "He's done everything in fine fashion,"said Whiting, who saddled Lil E. Tee to win the 1992 Kentucky Derby. "This is a good time slot and a good opportunity for him. We think he's got a forward move in him." John Velazquez, who won his first Kentucky Derby last Saturday aboard Animal Kingdom, has the call on Uncle Brent, the morning-line second choice at 4-1, from post position 2. The complete field for the Grade II Peter Pan, from the rail out, is: Isn't He Perfect (jockey: Jaime Rodriguez, morning line odds, 30-1); Uncle Brent (John Velazquez, 4-1); Beer Meister (Alex Solis, 20-1); Prime Cut (Edgar Prado, 9-2); Tap Attack (Eddie Castro, 50-1); Alternation (Ramon Dominguez, 6-1); Bold Deed (Channing Hill, 20-1); Adios Charlie (Rajiv Maragh, 3-1); Newsdad (Alan Garcia, 8-1); Joe Vann (Javier Castellano, 5-1); and Monzon (Jose Lezcano, 15-1). ACCLAMATION SEEKS JIM MURRAY HANDICAP REPEAT SATURDAY top Trained by Don Warren, Acclamation won the Murray by a record 7 1/2 lengths in 2010, leading throughout as a 14-1 shot. If he is successful again, the 5-year-old Unusual Heat horse out of the Silveyville mare Winning in Style will join On the Acorn (2007-2008) as a two time winner of the Murray. After following his win in this event with another gate-to-wire victory in the Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap, last June 5, Acclamation has slumped. The latest defeat during his four race slide was a last-place finish over a sloppy track in the Charles Town Classic April 16. "There was mud and rain and trouble on the first turn,'' said Warren of the race in West Virginia. "Nothing went right. He just gets a hold of this turf course. He's doing as well as ever.'' A winner in three of six starts over the Hollywood Park grass, Acclamation has won four of 23 overall while earning $518,048. The California bred will have a new rider Saturday as Joel Rosario replaces Christian Santiago Reyes. Buenos Dias, whose lone victory in 15 starts in the United States came on the turf at Hollywood Park at the Murray distance last June 10, will be making his first appearance since finishing sixth in the San Luis Obispo February 19 at Santa Anita. Trained by Ron McAnally, Buenos Dias, a 6-year-old son of Peintre Celebre and the Rainbow Quest mare Buenos Aires, has won three of 25 and banked $295,412. The complete field for the Jim Murray Memorial Handicap, in post position order, is: Falcon Rock (jockey: Garrett Gomez, weight: 114 pounds); Buenos Dias (Brice Blanc, 116); Haimish Hy (Mike Smith, 117); Restless Soul (Joe Talamo, 110); Acclamation (Joel Rosario, 119); and All Saint (Patrick Valenzuela, 114). MONMOUTH PARK OPENS SATURDAY top The six-furlong Decathlon is the first of this year's Monmouth Park stakes events, which includes 15 graded races. The centerpiece of Monmouth's summer meet will, of course, be the 44th running of the Grade I, $1 million Haskell Invitational, on Sunday, July 31. Monmouth's Grade I turf race, the $750,000 United Nations Stakes, will highlight Fourth of July weekend when it is renewed for the 58th time on Saturday, July 2. Gates will open at 11:30 a.m., with post-time set for 12:50 p.m. every day except Haskell Day, July 31, when the gates open at 10 a.m., and the first race to start at 12:00 noon. REGISTRATION OPEN FOR SATURDAY'S FREE "TVG ONLINE CHALLENGE"; TOP THREE FINISHERS TO RECEIVE NHC BERTHS top The TVG Online Challenge requires contestants to place hypothetical $2 win and place wagers on 10 designated contest races on Saturday. The 10 contest races will be chosen by tournament officials later today, and are scheduled to be selected from the May 14 cards at Belmont Park, Monmouth Park and Hollywood Park (contest tracks subject to change). Free DRF past performances for the Challenge races will be available at the contest site. The three players amassing the highest number of points based on the players' earnings (i.e. the highest final bankroll) from all $2 win and place wagers at the end of the Challenge will be declared the "Grand Prize Winners" and receive berths in the NHC in January in Las Vegas. To register for this Saturday's TVG Online Challenge, or to learn more about it, visit http://games.ntra.com/. For more information about the Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship, visit www.ntra.com. For questions about this weekend's tournament, contact Michele Ravencraft at (859) 422-2657. PREAKNESS 5K SET FOR SATURDAY AT PIMLICO; PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT THE MARYLAND AFFILIATE OF SUSAN G.KOMEN FOR THE CURE top Seventy-five percent of the funds raised from this event will go to the Komen Maryland Affiliate to use for community outreach programs in Maryland and twenty-five percent will be used for life-saving breast cancer research. "Komen Maryland is thrilled to be the beneficiary of the "Down the Stretch for SGK"Preakness 5k again this year,"said Robin Prothro, executive director of Komen Maryland. "The course puts a fun and unique spin on the Preakness festivities and we are proud to partner with both the Maryland Jockey Club and Corrigan Sports to raise awareness for breast cancer." The registration fee for the race is $35. Each finisher will choose between a logoed lawn blanket or performance shirt as his or her race premium. Runners will also receive a 10% discount on any regular infield admission ticket to the 2011 Preakness InfieldFEST, featuring Grammy winners Bruno Mars and Train the following Saturday. The 136th running of the Preakness Stakes, the middle jewel of racing's Triple Crown, takes place at Pimlico Saturday, May 21. RACING ON THE AIR (all times Eastern) top RACING TO HISTORY top May 12, 1917: Omar Khayyam became the first foreign-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby. He was bred in England. May 12, 1990: D. Wayne Lukas became the first trainer to top $100 million in purses when he sent Calumet Farm's Criminal Type to win the Pimlico Special at Pimlico Racecourse. May 13, 1845: The Great Sectional Match, the North versus the South, was run at Union Course in New York. Fashion, representing the North, raced against the South's Peytona in a match race won by Peytona. Three years earlier, Fashion had defeated Boston, who represented the South, in another North-South rivalry. May 13, 1891: Kingman, the only African American-owned horse to win the Derby, did so with jockey Isaac Murphy in the irons. Kingman was owned and trained by African American Dudley Allen. The win gave jockey Isaac Murphy back-to-back Derby victories and made him the first jockey to win three Derbies. May 13, 1939: Louis Schaefer became the first person to have ridden and trained a Preakness Stakes winner after he saddled Challedon to victory. Schaefer won the 1929 Preakness as a jockey, riding Dr. Freeland. Schaefer's double was replicated by jockey-turned-trainer John Longden, who rode Count Fleet in the 1943 Preakness and trained Majestic Prince to win the race in 1969. May 13, 1973: Secretariat worked five furlongs in :57 2/5 at Pimlico Racecourse in preparation for the May 19 Preakness Stakes. He was eased after completing his workout distance, but still ran six furlongs in 1:10. May 14, 1989: E.P. Taylor, owner of Windfields Farms and breeder of Northern Dancer, died at age 88. May 14, 2000: Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Ill., re-opened its gates to racing after being closed for two years, welcoming a crowd of 35,273. May 14, 2010: Retired jockey Gwen Jocson guided home Honor in Peace to win the first-ever Lady Legends for the Cure race at Pimlico. May 15, 1918: Two horses - War Cloud and Jack Hare Jr. - were declared the winner of the Preakness Stakes, not because of a dead heat, but because the race was run in two divisions. May 15, 1952: John Longden gained his 4,000th victory, riding at Hollywood Park. May 15, 1954: Nashua won his first race, running 4 ½ furlongs over a straightaway at Belmont Park. May 15, 1993: Genuine Risk, the second of three fillies to have won the Kentucky Derby since it began in 1875, gave birth to her first foal after 13 years of failed attempts and miscarriages. The foal, a son of Rahy, was named Genuine Reward. May 15, 1999: Lee Chang Ferrell, a patron in the Pimlico infield, jumped onto the track in midstretch and interfered with the running of the Maryland Breeders' Cup Handicap. The race winner, Yes It's True, avoided the trouble, but wagers on fifth-place finisher Artax were refunded due to the incident. Later that day, Charismatic, winner of the Kentucky Derby, took the Preakness Stakes before a record crowd of 100,311. May 15, 2004: Smarty Jones won the Preakness Stakes by 11 ½ lengths, the largest winning margin in the 129-year history of the event. May 16, 1884: Buchanan became the first maiden to win the Kentucky Derby. Only two other maiden horses have gone on to win the Run for the Roses: Sir Barton in 1919, and Brokers Tip in 1933. May 16, 1925: The first network radio broadcast of the Kentucky Derby aired from WHAS in Louisville. May 16, 1979: Gary Stevens rode his first career winner, named Lil Star, trained by his father, Ron Stevens, at Les Bois Park. May 16, 1998: Bob Baffert became the first person to train Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winners in successive years. In 1997, Baffert won the Derby and Preakness with Silver Charm; the following year, he won with Real Quiet. May 16, 1998: During Preakness Stakes Day at Pimlico Racecourse, a transformer went down at 1:00 p.m., causing a power failure in the grandstand. With temperatures in the 90s, the facility had no operating air-conditioning, lights, closed-circuit television, public address system, elevators, escalators or betting windows. A record crowd of 91,122 was on hand and an estimated $1.5 million in on-track handle was lost. May 16, 2009: Rachel Alexandra became the fifth filly to win the Preakness Stakes, and the first since Nellie Morse in 1924. Rachel Alexandra held off the late rush of Kentucky Derby victor Mine That Bird to secure the win. Other fillies to win the Preakness were Flocarline (1903); Whimsical (1906); and Rhine Maiden (1915). May 17, 1875: America's oldest continuously held sporting event, the Kentucky Derby, was first run. The race was won by Aristides, who was ridden and trained by African Americans Oliver Lewis and Ansel Williamson, respectively. The day marked the opening of Churchill Downs; an estimated 10,000 spectators witnessed the first Derby.May 17, 1881: James Rowe Sr., then age 24, became the youngest trainer to saddle a Kentucky Derby winner after Hindoo took the 7th Derby for his owners, brothers Phil and Mike Dwyer, both notorious gamblers. May 17, 1915: Rhine Maiden, in winning the Preakness Stakes, produced the only Kentucky Derby-Preakness wins by fillies in the same year. The 1915 Derby was won by Regret, who did not compete in the Preakness. May 17, 1930: Two-year-old Equipoise gave owner C.V. Whitney his first stakes victory when he captured the Keene Memorial Stakes at Belmont Park at odds of 3-5. May 17, 1947: Seabiscuit, owned by Charles S. Howard, succumbed to a heart attack at Ridgewood Ranch in Willits, Calif. He was 14. May 17, 1976: Sixteen-year-old Steve Cauthen rode his first winner, Thomas Bischoff-trained Red Pipe, in the eighth race at River Downs. By the end of his first year of apprenticeship, Cauthen had won 240 races from 1,170 mounts and $1.2 million in purses. May 18, 1931: Fifteen-year-old Eddie Arcaro rode his first race, finishing sixth, at Bainbridge Park, Ohio. At year's end, he remained winless after 36 tries. May 18, 1935: The Seagram family won the Queen's Plate stakes (then called the King's Plate), a record 20th time. From 1891-1898, the Seagrams' horses won the Plate every year. May 18, 1957: Eddie Arcaro set the record for most number of Preakness Stakes wins by a jockey, six, when he rode Bold Ruler to victory for Wheatley Stable. May 18, 1968: Judy Johnson became the first female trainer to saddle a horse for the Preakness Stakes. Her horse, Sir Beau, finished seventh in a field of 10. May 18, 1968: Calumet Farm set the record for most number of wins in the Preakness Stakes by an owner, seven, when Forward Pass won the race by six lengths. May 18, 1985: Patricia Cooksey became the first female jockey to compete in the Preakness Stakes. Her mount, Tajawa, finished sixth in a field of 11. May 18, 1996: Jockey Pat Day won his third consecutive Preakness Stakes and his fifth Preakness overall, after riding Louis Quatorze to victory. The win, for trainer Nick Zito, snapped the Triple Crown race win-streak of trainer D. Wayne Lukas, which had run to six, beginning with the 1994 Preakness, won by Tabasco Cat. May 18, 1998: Trainer Aimee Hall saddled four winners from five starters at Suffolk Downs, with all of the winners being ridden by her husband, Jose Caraballo. The wins are believed to be the first involving a married couple as jockey and trainer. May 19, 1961: Jockey Bill Shoemaker notched his 4,000th career win aboard Guaranteeya at Hollywood Park. May 19, 1964: Jockey Laffit Pincay Jr. won his first race, aboard Huelen, riding at Presidente Remon in Panama. May 19, 1973: Secretariat's winning performance in the Preakness Stakes was marred by a controversy over the timing of the race. The original teletimer time was 1:55 for the 1 3/16-mile race; Pimlico amended it to 1:54 2/5 two days later. May 19, 1999: Secretariat was honored as the 35th greatest athlete of the 20th Century by ESPN's SportsCentury, a series of programs profiling the top athletes of the past 100 years. Secretariat was the only non-human to make the top 50. May 20, 1916: In an unprecedented sweep, Mandarin, Gala Water and Gala Day finished first, second and third, respectively, in the King's Plate at Woodbine for their owner, distiller Joseph Emm Seagram. Three days later, Mandarin and Gala Water again finished one-two, this time in the Breeders' Stakes. May 20, 1941: Seventeen days after his Kentucky Derby win and 10 days after his Preakness victory, Whirlaway raced against older horses for the first time. Carrying 108 pounds, Whirlaway defeated his four rivals in the Henry of Navarre Purse at Belmont Park. May 20, 1954: At odds of 13-1, Rex Ellsworth's two-year-old colt Swaps won his maiden race by three lengths at Hollywood Park. May 20, 1973: Having won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, Secretariat shipped from Pimlico to New York in preparation for the Belmont Stakes, final jewel in the Triple Crown. May 20, 1977: Two-year-old John Henry won his first start ever, a four-furlong maiden race at Jefferson Downs, by a nose. When he was retired in 1984, the gelding had 39 wins, 15 seconds and nine thirds from 83 starts, seven Eclipse Awards and earnings of $6,597,947. May 20, 2006: Barbaro, the 2006 Kentucky Derby winner, suffered a life-threatening right hind leg injury shortly after the start of the Preakness Stakes. May 21, 1978: John Henry made his first start for Dotsam Stable, winning a $25,000 claiming race at Aqueduct. May 21, 1992: Jockey Gary Stevens registered his 3,000th winner in the fifth race at Hollywood Park, aboard Sharp Event. May 21, 2005: A record crowd of 115,318 witnessed Afleet Alex stumble badly at the quarter-pole, regain his balance under jockey Jeremy Rose and win the Preakness Stakes over Scrappy T by 4 ¾ lengths. May 21, 2006: Dr. Dean Richardson and a team of doctors operated on Barbaro the day after he suffered a life threatening injury in the Preakness. Richardson fused Barbaro's right-hind leg with 27 screws and a metal plate, then fitted his shattered leg into a cast. May 22, 1974: Locust Hill Farm's Ruffian won her first start, a maiden race for two-year-old fillies, by 15 lengths at Belmont Park. Sent off at odds of 4-1, Ruffian completed the 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:03. May 23, 1936: Rushaway, ridden by John Longden, won his second derby in as many days, taking the 1 1/4-mile Latonia Derby at Latonia in Covington, Ky. Rushaway had won the 1 1/8-mile Illinois Derby, run at Aurora, outside Chicago, the previous day. May 23, 1992: Jockey Jacinto Vasquez had his 5,000th career winner, aboard Susan Pixum, at Calder Racecourse. May 24, 1905: Harry Payne Whitney's Tanya became the second filly to win the Belmont Stakes. Ruthless was the first filly to win the Belmont, in 1867, and Rags to Riches accomplished the feat in 2007. Whitney also won the Kentucky Derby with a filly, Regret, in 1915. May 24, 1977: At odds of 13-1, Louis and Patrice Wolfson's two-year-old colt Affirmed won his maiden race by 4 1/2 lengths at Belmont Park, ridden by jockey Bernie Gonzalez. May 25, 1991: Jockey Steve Cauthen won his fourth European derby, the Derby Italiano, with Hailsham, trained by Clive Brittain. Cauthen has also won the Epsom Derby twice, the Irish Derby and the French Derby, in addition to his Kentucky Derby win with Affirmed. WEEKEND STAKES RACES (unrestricted stakes in N.A. worth $75,000 and up) top SUNDAY, MAY 15 TUESDAY, MAY 17 WEDNESDAY, MAY 18 -30- |
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