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TEXAS STALLION STAKES ON TAP AT RETAMA; TURF RACING ON WEEKEND MENU
Stakes races and turf racing return to the Retama Park menu this weekend. On Friday night, the grass course will get its first use with two races scheduled. Two turf races on Thursday’s program had to be switched to the main course due to midweek rains. Four more turf races are carded for Saturday.
The second races in the $1,000,000 Texas Stallion Stakes Series for foals of 2007 headline Saturday night’s 9-race card. Big Texas Daddy (Valid Expectations), who races for Ackerley Brothers Farm, outran Western Forum (Open Forum), owned by Wayne Sanders and Larry Hirsch, in the first race of this year’s series at Lone Star Park. They face each other for the fourth time when they travel one-sixteenth of a mile further in the 6-furlong, $125,000 My Dandy division. Western Forum has finished third and Big Texas Daddy fourth in two recent stakes at Remington Park.
Both may find serious challengers in two Valid Expectations colts that have been shipped in to Retama for the 6-figure stakes. Cowpuncher has moved from Louisiana Downs where he won his lone start by wiring a field of maidens nearly five lengths. Oak Motte, recently fourth in the Arlington-Washington Futurity (G3), has returned to his native state from Chicago. The other seven entrants are Chance Meister (Holzmeister), Jonesicula (Seneca Jones), Late Nite Decision (Tinners Way), Rerun Them Bones (Gold Legend), Set Expectations (Littleexpectations) and the Danny Pish-trained pair of April’s Picture and Silent Boom (both by Silent Picture). The My Dandy is the 6th race on the program.
Two daughters of Valid Expectations, Ro Parra’s Camille’s Appeal and Clayton Walker‘s Bud’s Little Edge, head the $125,000 Darby’s Daughter division carded as the 8th race. Camille’s Appeal came from off the pace at Lone Star Park to post a mild surprise in the first race in the series with Bud’s Little Edge finishing third. The eight other entrants are: Gran Senora (Maverick), Legendary Day (Gold Legend), She’s a Bond Girl (Truluck), Sweetsweetramona (Valid Expectations), Desert Bird and Midif (both by Midway Road), and Royal Colonial and Timber Play (both by Intimidator). Camille’s Appeal has run once since her Lone Star score, but failed to threaten in Saratoga’s Adirondack Stakes (G) after being checked at the break. Bud’s Little Edge may be hard to catch off an 8 ¾-length win since meeting Camille’s Appeal
TEXAS-HOMEBRED PRINCESS HAYA DEFEATS ECLIPSE CHAMP FOREVER TOGETHER
Leave it to Texas owner-breeder Eileen Hartis! Hartis did it again with a Texas homebred!
In one of the most thrilling finishes you’ll ever want to see, Hartis’ Accredited Texas-homebred Princess Haya slipped up the rail to nose out Eclipse Champion Forever Together with Much Obliged just a head back in between the first two at the finish of last Sunday’s $283,376 Canadian Stakes (G2).
Princess Haya, a 4-year-old daughter of Street Cry, out of the Slew City Slew mare Sally Slew, became a graded stakes winner for the first time after having been stakes-placed twice in races that were taken off the turf. Her $168,732 winner’s share more than doubled her earnings to $307,362 after 13 starts with four wins, four seconds and two thirds. Princess Haya, trained by Michael Matz, enjoyed an 11-pound break in weights from the 124 pounds carried by Forever Together. The Hartis runner completed the 1 1/8 miles on Woodbine’s spacious, lush turf course in terrific time of 1:45.03.
Hartis is already recognized as the breeder of Texas champion Got Koko, who never raced in Texas, but made a name for herself by winning graded stakes and racing competitively in the best of filly and mare company in California where she ended her career just short of $1 million in earnings. Got Koko will be inducted into the Texas Horse Racing Hall of Fame at Retama Park on October 10 as the all-time leading Texas-bred filly or mare with earnings of $960,946. Hartis will accept the award for Got Koko.
OHIO SLOTS NO SURE THING; HARRAH’S CAN RENEGE ON THISTLEDOWN PURCHASE
The Ohio slots debate took a new turn this past week as the state’s Supreme Court ruled that any gambling expansion had to be put before the voters. The Ohio Legislature, with the support of Gov. Ted Strickland, thought they had solved the state’s budget problems by including projected revenue generated by slots at the state’s seven racetracks without needing a public referendum. Now the voters will get their say about slots at Ohio tracks, but it won’t appear on the ballot until possibly November 2010.
In the meantime, Ohio tracks may find themselves behind the proverbial 8-ball, because there will be a referendum this fall about legalizing four casinos to be located in Ohio’s major cities and not at tracks.
It also turns out that the Ohio Supreme Court decision may have ramifications on the recently announced $89.5 million purchase of Thistledown, near Cleveland, by Harrah’s Operating Company after a bidding war with several other suitors. The purchase agreement gives Harrah’s an opt out right if Ohio’s slots proposals stall and approval at the tracks has to go to a vote of the people. Pardon the pun, but does Harrah’s roll the dice or opt out of the agreement?
Fast furlongs...The Maryland Million, the first state-sired stakes series of its kind, will be renewed at Laurel Park this Saturday and honor its late founder, legendary broadcaster Jim McKay, by being re-christened the Jim McKay Maryland Million...Magna Entertainment Corporation’s former property in Ocala, FL, is now being proposed for development as an industrial park...That’s Our Buck, one of Texas’ leading sires in recent years, died of a heart attack on September 15 at Jamar LDK Farm in Bridgeport, where he stood for James Isom...Death claimed two of Kentucky’s prominent stallions during the past week in one-time leading sire El Prado and Summer Squall, winner of the 1990 Preakness Stakes and several other major added-money events...Congratulations to owner Terry Propps and trainer Charlie Smith on the first black-type win for Texas-bred Ruby’s Big Band, a 2-year-old filly by Bowman’s Band out of one-time sales topper and stakes-placed Ruby Be Mine, who went wire to wire in the $50,000 Winnipeg Futurity at Assiniboia Downs on September 12...Best wishes to Dr. Bob Hillman, Texas’ state veterinarian and executive director of the Texas Animal Health Commission, on his announced retirement at the end of 2009...The Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association will offer the 2009 Breeders’ Sales Company of Louisiana Yearling Sale on Monday and Tuesday, September 28 and 29th, at the Ike Hamilton Expo Center in West Monroe, LA...The balance of the nomination fee for Texas stallions nominated to the Texas Stallion Stakes Series for the 2009 breeding season is due October 1. If you have any questions, contact TTA Accreditation Manager Jennifer Gibbs at 512-458-6133.