Yearly Archives: 2016

Eight Commonwealth Day Stakes Draw 219 Nominations

Courtesy of LaurelPark.com

Sept. 24 Card Offers Eight Stakes, Three Graded, Worth $850,000 in Purses

LAUREL, MD – A total of 219 horses were nominated to eight stakes, three of them graded, worth $850,000 in purses on Commonwealth Day, Saturday Sept. 24, at Laurel Park.

All eight stakes will be contested over Laurel’s world-class turf course, topped by the $200,000 Commonwealth Turf Cup (G2) for 3-year-olds and up at a mile, and the $200,000 Commonwealth Derby (G2) for 3-year-olds and $150,000 Commonwealth Oaks (G3) for 3-year-old fillies, both at 1 1/8 miles.

Also on tap are five $60,000 stakes for Virginia-bred/sired horses: the Jamestown for 2-year-olds, Punch Line for 3-year-olds and up and Oakley for females 3 and up, all at 5 ½ furlongs; and the Bert Allen for 3-year-olds and up and Brookmeade for females 3 and up, each at 1 1/16 miles.

The Turf Cup (G2) had the most nominations with 36 led by Grade 1 winners Force the Pass and Chiropractor; French Group 1 winner Full Mast; multiple stakes winner A Lot, most recently second in the Fourstardave (G1) at Saratoga; Grade 3 winners Blacktype, Coalport, Dubai Sky, Long On Value, Reporting Star and Surgical Strike; Ghost Hunter, a winner of four straight for trainer Jamie Ness; March, a multiple graded-stakes winner on dirt last year; Laurel-based multiple stakes winner Phlash Phelps; Rose Brier, undefeated at Laurel with three stakes wins; and 2016 Mervin Muniz (G2) winner Take the Stand.

Graded stakes winners American Patriot, Conquest Daddyo, Isotherm, Oscar Nominated; 2015 Maryland Million Nursery winner Corvus; stakes winners Franklin Towers, He’ll Pay, Keystoneforvictory, Rafting and Whatawonderflworld; and Scholar Athlete, fourth in two legs of Canada’s Triple Crown this year, are among the 31 horses nominated to the Commonwealth Derby.

Won last year by Onus, who set the Fort Marcy Turf Course record winning the Lady Baltimore Stakes Sept. 10 at Laurel, the Commonwealth Oaks attracted 29 nominations including Family Tree, a multiple graded stakes winner on dirt this year; graded stakes winners Cheekaboo, Noble Beauty, Pricedtoperfection and Tin Type Gal; graded stakes-placed Elysea’s World and Galileo’s Song; and stakes winners Involuntary, My Impression, On Leave, Shake Down Baby, Super Allison and Try Your Luck.

Trainer Jane Cibelli also made defending champion Rose Brier one of 30 nominees to the Bert Allen, joined by 2015 Commonwealth Derby winner One Go All Go; 2014 Jerome (G2) winner Noble Moon; Cat Fiftyfive, third to Rose Brier in the Edward P. Evans June 25 at Pimlico; and stakes winners Code West and Long On Value.

The Jamestown attracted 25 nominations, while 2015 Jamestown winner Away We Go is among 23 nominees to the Oakley and the top three finishers from the June 25 White Oak Stakes at Pimlico – Two Notch Road, Moon River and Available, top 23 horses nominated to the Punch Line. The Brookmeade had 22 horses nominated led by Queen Caroline, a winner of four straight including the Nellie Mae Cox June 25 at Pimlico.

Virginia-Bred Stakes Day Set For Saturday Sept. 24th At Laurel; Nominations Have Been Submitted

Next Saturday, September 24th, is the annual Virginia-Bred Stakes Day at Laurel Park. Nominations for those five and an additional trio of graded stakes are in, and fans can look forward to a great day with nice size fields, all on turf!

The Bert Allen Stakes, has attracted 30 nominations while the Jamestown has lured 25. The other three stake include the Oakley (23), Punch Line (23) and Brookmeade (22).

2015 Commonwealth Derby winner One Go All Go has nominated to the 2016 Bert Allen Stakes. Photo by Jim McCue.

The trio of graded stakes were all previously held at Colonial Downs but have slightly different names now. The Grade 2 Commonwealth Derby and Turf Cup have drawn 32 and 26 nominations respectively, while the Grade 3 Commonwealth Oaks has drawn 29.

War Dancer, who captured the 2013 Virginia Derby, has nominated to the Turf Cup. Virginia-bred One Go All Go (shown here courtesy of Jim McCue), who won the 2015 Commonwealth Derby, nominated to the Bert Allen Stakes.

Look for a full preview here soon. The draw will be held this coming Wednesday. We hope to see many Virginians at the Laurel, Maryland track next Saturday!

Saturday at Keeneland

Six Virginia-breds will go through the ring at Keeneland today. First through the ring will be hip # 1031, Audley Farm Equine, LLC’s Malibu Moon colt. He is out of G1 placed and earner of $525,000, Snowtop Mountain. Hip 1031 was purchased by Michelle Boghossian/Triple B Farms for $100,000.

Hip # 1275 is Dr. Sam English’s Scat Daddy filly out of If Not for Lust. She is consigned by Top Line sales. Hip 1275 was withdrawn.

Bluegrass Thoroughbred Services consigns hip # 1288 for Clarke Ohstrohm. The Into Mischief filly is out of Katara. #1288 was withdrawn.

Taylor Made sells two yearlings for the William M. Backer Revocable Trust. Hip #1137 is out of Virginia Oaks(G3) winner Blind Date by Scat Daddy. Hip # 1349 is by Giant’s Causeway out of My Mammy and is a half sister to recent Penn Oaks winner Sweet Victory. Both #1137 and #1349 were RNAs.

Late in the day, Brookdale Sales will sell another colt for Audley, hip 1402 a Bodemeister out of Ruler’s Charm. Calumet purchased this colt for $130,000.

Field Size Improves Dramatically As Shenandoah Downs Prepares For Weekend #2 Of Harness Racing

What a difference a week makes. As Shenandoah Downs prepares for its second weekend of racing in Woodstock, Virginia, the newly renovated half mile oval will see more traffic than it had in its debut weekend, last Saturday and Sunday.

Starter Mike Wojchick will have to line up 134 harness horses in 21 pari-mutuel races this weekend compared with 97 in 18 races a week ago. On Saturday alone, 19 horses that last raced at The Meadows will be shipping in to compete. Last weekend, only five races offered trifecta betting. This weekend, 20 of the 21 will offer triple wagering.

“We are thrilled at the reception from horsemen in the Mid-Atlantic region and are grateful for everyone that is shipping in to help fill the weekend races,” said Racing Secretary Mike Wandishin. “Pacers and trotters from The Meadows have been a major force in getting us to this point. We may not see a track record mile like we did last Saturday (1:52 1/5 by John’s Dream), but we will have some outstanding and competitive racing.”

Trainer Henry Lewis has a pair of streaking horses in Saturday. Last Chance Harvey has won three straight and Vertigo Hanover has captured five straight, all at Shenandoah. The former won a pair at the four day, non-betting County Fair meet which preceded the current pari-mutuel stand, while the latter earned a four-pack of victories there also. Both pacers won on opening day and both are favored in the respective first and fifth races Saturday.

Fans can expect to see established drivers Frank Milby, Roger Hammer and Brad Irvine in the sulky this weekend. Tyler Stillings will pilot favorites in both the main and secondary featured races on Saturday. His Mistress Valentine is 8-5 early choice in the $7500 Open Handicap Trot, which has been carded as race eight. The 7 year old daughter of Master Glide has earned $341,953. Stillings will direct second early choice I’m Feelin Good in the next race, a $5,500 conditioned pace. His charge invades from The Meadows and sports a lifetime bankroll of $595,268.

Post time both days is 1 PM. Gates open at 11 AM and there is free admission. Shenandoah Downs is located at the Shenandoah County Fairgrounds, at Exit 283 off I-81 halfway between Winchester and Harrisonburg. More information is available at www.shenandoahdowns.com and at www.virginiahorseracing.com.

Two Virginia-Breds To Sell Friday at Keeneland

Hip number 722, a Pioneerof the Nile colt out Aronia is the first Virginia-bred through the ring Friday. The colt bred by Jim & Katie Fitzgerald’s Chilly Bleak Farm is from the family of Bellamy Road and was sold last November for $140,000. Dromoland Farm is the consignor this time through the ring.

Hip # 722 was withdrawn from the sale.

Hip number 950 is an Orb colt out of Nicky’s Way. Bred by Mrs. C. Oliver Iselin, he is from the family of Vision and Verse and is consigned by Eaton Sales.

Congratulations to everyone at Wolver Hill Farm!!! Hip #950 sold Friday for $425,000 to Lane’s End.

Lazy Lane Colt Brings $125,000

The only Virginia-bred yearling in Keeneland’s book one brought a $125,000 bid from Zayat Stables, LLC yesterday. Zayat Stables is the breeder/owner of last year’s triple crown winner American Pharoah. The Tiznow colt was bred by Lazy Lane Farms in Upperville and is out of Brookhaven, who is from the family of Life at the Top.

Later in the day: Though not a Virginia-bred, Audley Farm Equine, LLC sold a Street Cry (IRE) filly out of Hazy Glow (IRE) for $320,000 to BBA Ireland.

Virginia-Bred Stakes Day Scheduled For Saturday Sept. 24 At Laurel

The annual Virginia-Bred Stakes Day at Laurel is scheduled for Saturday September 24th at Maryland’s Laurel Park and this year, a total of eight turf stakes are on the program. The traditional five, at a $60,000 purse level and open to Commonwealth-bred horses, include the Jamestown, Punch Line, Oakley, Bert Allen and Brookmeade Stakes. The first three are sprints at 5 1/2 furlongs and the latter pair are at the 1 1/16 miles distance.

A trio of graded stakes, all of which were held at Colonial Downs at one time, will also be contested. A pair of Grade 2, $200,000 stakes — the Commonwealth Turf Cup and Commonwealth Derby — share co-headlining status, and the Grade 3, $150,000 Commonwealth Oaks will complement the pair.

Virginia-bred One Go All Go wins the $400,000 Commonwealth Derby (Gr. II( Sept. 19th at Laurel

Virginia-bred One Go All Go won the 2015 Commonwealth Derby (Gr. II) Sept. 19th at Laurel. Photo by Jim McCue.

Nominations close on Thursday September 15th. Contact Coleman Blind at the MCJ at cblind@marylandracing.com or at 301-725-0400.

Last year, the afternoon featured deep fields, exciting finishes and large wagering pools. The VEA encourages all fans of Virginia racing to attend this year, not just for a great race day, but to check out many of the renovations and upgrades that have taken place at nearby Laurel Park.

Labor Day Weekend Racing Preview; Pair Of Virginia-Bred 2 Year Olds To Race At Saratoga Sturday

Labor Day weekend offers another great slate of stakes races from around the country, especially at Saratoga and Del Mar. Virginia residents can wager all the action via one of three partner on line betting sites — TVG.com, XPressbet.com and TwinSpires.com.

Saratoga’s Saturday (Sept. 3) card features four graded stakes including the $600,000 Grade I Woodward, 10th race on the program at 5:46 PM. Another Grade I stake, the $350,000 Spinaway, is the 9th race at 5:11 PM. Completing the four-pack are the $300,000, Grade 2 Saranac Stakes (Race 5 at 2:45 PM) and the $200,000, Grade 3 Glens Falls Handicap (Race 11 at 6:21 PM).

A pair of Virginia-bred 3 year olds will compete in separate $83,000 maiden special weight races Saturday at Saratoga as well. Lenstar, bred by the Lazy Lane Farms, is in the colt division. The Nick Zito trainee, a son of Shackleford, finished fourth in his lifetime bow August 4th and will look to improve on that in the 4th race. He sold for $130,000 at the 2015 Keeneland yearling sale. Rollover Risk, a daughter of First Samurai, will make her debut in the 8th race. Bred by Mr. & Mrs. Oliver Iselin III, she sold for $125,000 at that same sale.

Del Mar features two year old fillies in their feature on Saturday — the $300,000 Grade I Debutante Stakes (Race 8 at 8:30 PM). Finally, Kentucky Downs only races five times a year but one of those cards is Saturday and they offer all grass racing with full fields. They have four stakes carded, each with a purse of $350,000.

Saturday night’s harness stakes menu is full of enticing action. Yonkers hosts the $500,000 Messenger Pace (3 year old open pace) and $500,000 Yonkers Trot (3 year old open trot), while Mohawk Raceway has a dynamite stakes filled card co-headlined by the $685,000 Metro Pace (2 year old open pace) and the $685,000 Canadian Pacing Derby (3 year old & up open pace). Northfield Park also hosts Ohio Sire Stake finals with a series of $250,000 races.

On Sunday, 16 horses entered the Grade 2, $250,000 Del Mar Derby. The under card feature is the Grade 2, $200,000 John C. Mabee Stakes. Saratoga’s Sunday highlight is the Grade 2, $300,000 Prioress Stakes.

On Holiday Monday, a pair of Grade I stakes for 2 year olds take center stage. The $350,000 Hopeful is at Saratoga and the $300,000 Del Mar Futurity is on the west coast. Parx also has a showcase card that day — a trio of graded stakes including the $300,000 Smarty Jones Stakes (Gr. 3), $200,000 Greenwood Cup (Gr. 3) and $300,000 Turf Monster (Gr. 3).

Happy holiday weekend. Enjoy the races!

County Fair Harness Racing at Shenandoah Downs Began Wednesday With Large Crowd

By Michel Carter, for Shenandoah County Fair

Woodstock, VA — Months of anticipation and waiting ended on Wednesday as the new track at the Shenandoah County Fair got it’s first taste of racing in Virginia.

Charles Perry Jr scored the first victory on the new track at Shenandoah aboard Vertigo Hanover (The Panderosa-Varbo). Vertigo Hanover went to the lead and never looked back on the rest of the field. He won his first heat in 2:00 2/5 off a final quarter of 29 3/5 on the track listed as good. Vertigo Hanover wasn’t finished after one heat though, scoring by a big margin in heat 2 just missing the track record at the Virginia track.

Horses head down the straightaway in action from Woodstock, Virginia on Wednesday. Photo by Andy Huffmeyer.

The conditioned trotting heats were the highlight of they day as both just missed the track record by the slightest of margins. In the first heat, Pixel Queen (Scott Woogen) set some strong early fractions and just held off a strong closing Speedy Taxi (Charles Perry Jr.). Pixel Queen closed home in 28 1/5, which was the fastest final 1/4 time of the afternoon over the new Shenandoah oval. In the 2nd heat, Speedy Taxi would get his revenge just getting up at the wire over Pixel Queen. Speedy Taxi sat back off the pace and closed turning for home just like he did in heat one, but this time made sure the move was just a bit sooner to score the victory.

A filled grandstand greeted trainers, drivers and horses when County Fair racing kicked off in Woodstock on Wednesday.

Drivers Scott Woogen and Charles Perry Jr led the day in driving victories with 3 wins a piece, while trainer Gary Messenger scored 3 victories on the training side.

Thursday afternoon at the Shenandoah County Fair features some very strong horses including Intheblinkofaneye who has been known to put in some very impressive miles. Trainer Tara Hynes is listed to drive Intheblinkofaneye who will start from post four in the Aldine Jenkins Memorial Pace and has a big shot at the track record set by Ethical Hanover in 2005.

Dr. Scott Woogen, President of the Virginia Harness Horsemen’s Association (VHHA), drove a trio of winners Wednesday at Woodstock. Photo bv Andy Huffmeyer.

Live racing resumes at the Shenandoah County Fair on Thursday at 1:00 and continues through Saturday. For more information visit www.shencofair.com.

Explore Becomes First Virginia-Bred To Collect a Third Owners Bonus Thru New HBPA/VTA Incentive Program

Congratulations go out to Explore, who won his third straight race at Mountaineer Park yesterday (Monday) and became the first Virginia-bred to score a third bonus for his owner as part of the new HBPA/VTA incentive program that began July 1st.

Explore rolled to an 11 1/4 length victory at Mountaineer August 10th and secured his second straight owners bonus for the LVR Stable. Photo courtesy of Coady Photography.

The 5 year old Stroll gelding (shown here winning the 2nd of his trio on August 10th) was a close second throughout in his $12,000, one mile starter race Monday and at the finish,was a head better. Out of the Giant’s Causeway mare, Elsie Jay, Explore was bred by Mr. & Mrs. Bertram Firestone and is owned by the LVR Stable, Inc.

Explore earned his 4th career win July 18th and first owners bonus at Mountaineer. He was sent off as the betting favorite. Photo by Coady Photography.

Ring Knocker earned a 25% bonus as well by capturing a $42,000 claiming race Monday at Saratoga, her third win of 2016. The 4 year old daughter of Birdstone rallied nicely in the seven horse field for trainer Anthony Dutrow. She was sixth until midway through the turn, went four wide and established the lead at the furlong marker. Bred by Morgan’s Ford Farm and owned by West Point Thoroughbreds, Ring Knocker won her third start of 2016 and bettered her current year bankroll to $81,320. She is also well traveled – each of her last five starts have come at different track.

Morgan’s Ford Farm also bred Super Bird, another Birdstone offspring who won convincingly Thursday at Penn National. The 3 year old colt raced unhurriedly early in the one mile, $19,000 claiming event, went three wide in the far turn, took over by a head at the top of the stretch and won by 6 1/2 lengths in 1:40.18. Out of the Tiznow mare, Thor’s Daughter, the winner has now earned $28,810 in purse monies in 2016. Owner Robert Lee collected a 25% bonus for the win.

Way Up High collected his first lifetime win Thursday in a $10,000 maiden claiming race at Charles Town. The 4 year old son of Up Periscope stayed close to the leader throughout, racing in second through the head of the stretch. The victor closed the gap in mid-stretch and crossed one-half length over Sovereignty in 1:51.53. Way Up High, who did not race as a 2 or 3 year old, is owned and was bred by the Vermont Farms