TheWinnersForum.com

Posted Monday, April 13, 2009 11:33 a.m. EDT

Albertrani Can Bid for Seventh Stakes Win of Meet in Boynton Beach

             Trainer Tom Albertrani hasn’t been in the national spotlight this year quite to the extent that he was after Darley Stable’s Bernardini won the 2006 Preakness Stakes (G1) after launching his career with two starts at Gulfstream early that season and went on to earn Eclipse champion 3-year-olds.

            However, Albertrani has been a regular in the Gulfstream winners’ circle at this meet after stakes victories that account for six of his nine wins from 33 starts with six seconds at the meet. He may add one more if he runs Lawrence Goichman’s 3-year-old filly My Magic Moment in next Saturday’s $50,000 Boynton Beach Stakes, the final stakes on the schedule.

            Albertrani sent out Darley Stable’s 3-year-old filly Raw Silk to score a wire-to-wire victory in Saturday’s $50,000 South Beach Stakes as the daughter of Malibu Moon set a course record for 7½ furlongs on turf in her first start since November at Churchill Downs.

            Prior to the South Beach Albertrani had recorded stakes victories with Melnyk Stable’s 3-year-old filly Gemswick Park in the $100,000 Old Hat Stakes (G3) on Jan. 4; Padua Stable’s 3-year-old Duke of Homberg in the $125,000 Hallandale Beach Stakes on Feb. 14; Farnsworth Stable’s 3-year-old filly Gozzip Girl in the $125,000 Coconut Grove Stakes on Feb. 15; Darley Stable’s 5-year-old mare Criticism in the $100,000 The Very One Stakes (G3) on Feb. 22, and Gozzip Girl in the $150,000 Herecomesthebride Stakes (G3) on Mar. 15.

            My Magic Moment would likely be the favorite in the Boynton Beach if she runs, despite the fact that she would be returning from a layoff since winning an overnight stakes on turf at Belmont Park on Oct. 26 in her last start. The New York homebred daughter of Forest Wildcat had finished a close-up third in the Miss Grillo Stakes (G3) at Belmont earlier that month, beaten only a neck.

Blue Pepsi Lodge Returns in Wednesday Feature

            Chester Bishop’s 7-year-old Blue Pepsi Lodge is a hard-hitting sprinter with 13 victories from 36 starts in his career and he’s entered to return from an eight-month layoff in Wednesday’s optional/allowance feature at Gulfstream Park going six furlongs.

            Jockey Wesley Henry is named to ride Blue Pepsi Lodge as he makes his first start for trainer Joe Calascibetta after Kirk Ziadie guided his career the last few seasons, including a five-race win streak from late 2007 through early 2008. The chestnut son of Pioneering is entered for a $62,500 claiming tag in the field of seven.

            Blue Pepsi Lodge was never better than last spring when he won the Champali overnight stakes at Calder by 5½ lengths in May, a performance that earned him a chance in bigger races, and did well enough to finish third behind Rockerfeller in the $100,000 Ponche Handicap in June.

In a big step up from the Ponche, Blue Pepsi Lodge tired to finish fifth in the $400,000 Smile Sprint Handicap (G2) in July behind Benny the Bull after dueling for the lead past the eighth pole. In one more start last year he finished a game second in the Hooting Star overnight on Aug. 9 after leading by three lengths at the furlong marker.

Another hard-hitting veteran stakes performer in the field for Wednesday’s race is owner-trainer Luis Olivares’ 5-year-old gelding Green Vegas, a winner of more than $500,000, most earned as a 2-year-old. The son of Trippi also is entered for the $62,500 claiming price with Carlos Olivero named to ride.

Green Vegas earned nearly half of his career bankroll of $515,000 winning the $400,000 In Reality Division of the Florida Stallion Stakes at Calder in 2006 going 1 1/16 miles, but has been most effective sprinting since then. In four starts at this meet, Green Vegas won an allowance race over First Word, finished fourth in the Sunshine State Stakes and second last out behind Biker Boy in an allowance on Mar. 18.

Completing the field for Wednesday’s feature are Winning Stable’s Blind River Fox, Wesley Henry; My Purple Haze Stables’ Mannington, Jose Lezcano; Freddy Chirinos Castro’s Pechito, Eduardo Nunez; Terry Bruner’s Next Adventure, Junior Alvarado; and Eddie Broome’s Big Red Hope, Elvis Trujillo.

Posted Monday, April 13, 2009 11:30 a.m.

Trujillo Scores 1,000^TH Career Victory

Elvis Trujillo reached the 1,000th career-victory plateau aboard Bahia Girl in the first race Sunday at Gulfstream Park

Trujillo reached the mark with a 1 ¾ length win over Princess Haya. His winning mount is a 4- year-old filly owned by Stronach Stables and trained by Brian A. Lynch. She paid $11.20.

“I’m very happy, this is a special moment in my career,” said in the winner’s circle minutes after scoring the milestone win. “To come to this country so young with so many dreams and see them come true is very satisfying.

“The trip was beautiful. We got good positioning and got the result we wanted.”

Fifth in the jockey standings at Gulfstream with 44 victories, Trujillo, a 25-year-old native of Panama, has accumulated earnings of over $1.3 million. Unaware until just a few days ago that he was on the verge of the mark, Trujillo put the accomplishment into perspective.

“We do this over and over again, so sometimes you don’t have time to enjoy the results,” said Trujillo. “I’ll remember this one for the rest of my life. They’re probably having a party in Panama.”

            One of the sport's rising stars, Trujillo won his first riding title at Calder in 2007. Earlier that year at Gulfstream he had ridden Augustin Stable'’s future Eclipse champion filly Forever Together to victory in the Forward Gal Stakes (G2) for trainer Jonathan Sheppard and later that year jumped into the national spotlight with a half-length victory win aboard Maryfield in the 2007 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Monmouth Park. He finished the year with 305 winners from 1,448 mounts and purse earnings of over $8 million.

            “Winning a Breeders’ Cup (race) put me on another level and opened doors,” said Trujillo. “I came to this country with a lot of expectations but winning a race of such magnitude is definitely something I will remember for the rest of my career.”

             Trujillo scored in his first mount in the States eight years ago for trainer Wesley Ward at Hollywood Park.  He continued his impressive run as an apprentice winning his first two mounts at Arlington Park.

Another of a long list of graduates from the Laffit Pincay Jr. Jockey School, Trujillo won 35 races in Panama and 55 in Mexico City before coming to the U.S. in 2001.

Sunday, April 05, 2009  4 p.m. EDT

Confident ‘Vixen’ Ready to Tackle South Beach 

            Trainer Joe Orseno has been patiently waiting for Reata Thoroughbred Racing Farm’s Reata’s Vixen to come around. Apparently the 4-year-old filly simply needed a confidence boost and now she’s poised for a strong effort in the $50,000 South Beach Stakes at 7½ furlongs on turf Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

            The daughter of Sligo Bay won a $35,000 claiming race on turf on Feb. 26 to snap a 10-race losing streak. She built off that effort to be third in an allowance race on Mar. 22, and Orseno says it is all part of a plan.

            “She’d been sort of stuck, hanging, saddle-slipping, not finishing,” said Orseno Sunday from his Gulfstream barn. “One of the reasons we went in the claiming race was to give her a confidence boost. She could have won her last race too, but she was stopped, blocked and never got a chance. We knew we were pointing for this stakes so we’re pretty sure she got enough out of it.”

            Reata’s Vixen worked Saturday at Gulfstream, breezing three furlongs in 38 2/5.

            “She’s doing really good right now,” said Orseno. “Yesterday was just a little maintenance work. We’re running back a little quick compared to some of her other races, but we figure she’s had just enough time to get over her last race and she’s had a pretty easy campaign this year.”

            Orseno is also counting on Reata’s Vixen maturing like a sound investment. He convinced owner Fort Worth, Texas, restaurant owner Al Micallef to spend $100,000 at the 2007 Adena Springs 2-year-old sales largely because he had intimate knowledge of the filly’s family.

            “I trained her mom, Top of the League, for the Stronachs and I remember what a really good runner she was,” said Orseno. “She was always a nice horse. I think the Sligo Bays are all going to get better with age and I think this filly has always had something holding her back. She’s going in the right direction now and I think she’s going to turn out to be pretty nice.”

Lezcano Drawing Clear; McPeek & Pletcher Duel Continues 

            Jockey Jose Lezcano is the ‘last man standing’ among the top five riders in the Gulfstream Park standings as he remains based here for the closing weeks of the session, and all of his closest rivals on the leader board have moved on to Keeneland and/or Aqueduct.

            Lezcano rode one winner Saturday to bring his total to 53, five more than Kent Desormeaux, who had a good day Saturday at Keeneland riding four winners. Rounding out the top five are John R. Velazquez third with 47 followed by Julien Leparoux fourth with 45 and Alan Garcia fifth at 41.

            Lezcano finished third in the standings here last year behind Eibar Coa and John Velazquez. A 24-year-old native of Panama, Lezcano began his U.S. career riding at Gulfstream in 2003 and led the standings last summer at Monmouth Park where he will be headed after Gulfstream closes on Apr. 23.

            Ken McPeek continues atop the trainers’ standings with 29 victories, but defending meet champion Todd Pletcher is only two back at 27 after winning the last race Saturday. Pletcher is bidding for a sixth straight Gulfstream title.

Nick Zito ranks third with 21 wins, followed by Wesley Ward fourth at 17 and nine-time Gulfstream champion Bill Mott and Peter Walder tied for fifth with 16 apiece. McPeek and Pletcher have left divisions behind to compete during the final weeks of the meet with the title chase likely to go into the final days before being decided.

Gulfstream Park Handicap Winner Smooth Air Texas-Bound 

            Mount Joy Stable’s 4-year-old Florida homebred Smooth Air, winner of the $300,000 Gulfstream Park Handicap (G2) last out on Mar. 14, will likely make his next start in the $300,000 Texas Mile (G3) at Lone Star Park on Apr. 25, according to trainer Ben Stutts Jr.

            “We considered the race at Charles Town (Classic, 1 1/8 miles on Apr. 18), which (as Smooth air is a Grade 2 winner) would have been worth $750,000 if he won it,” said Stutts Saturday morning, “but with all things considered and the major goals ahead, we decided on the Texas race at one mile around two turns.

            “Tentative plans would have him on a Fed Ex flight the Tuesday before the race and a return the following Tuesday. The major goal for him this season is to win a Grade 1 and after the Lone Star race we’ll decide between running him in the Met Mile or the Churchill race, both Grade 1s. We’ll keep him on a Sunday work schedule”

            The $600,000 Metropolitan Handicap (G1) will be run at Belmont Park on May 25 at one mile and the $750,000 Stephen Foster Handicap (G1) will be run at Churchill Downs on June 13 going 1 1/8 miles.

            A son of Smooth Jazz, Smooth Air won the Gulfstream Park Handicap by 1 ¼ lengths over Finallymadeit, favorite for Saturday’s $100,000 Skip Away Stakes (G3). Smooth Air won the Hutcheson Stakes (G2) here early last year and finished second to Big Brown in the Florida Derby (G1) in two previous starts over the main track at Gulfstream. 

Lezcano Wins Four Friday to Take Lead in Gulfstream Standings  

            Jockey Jose Lezcano rode four winners Friday at Gulfstream Park, the first on a stewards’ disqualification, to break out of a tie for the lead in the standings with Kent Desormeaux (he now leads 52-48) and trainer Ken McPeek sent out a winner to extend his lead over Todd Pletcher to 29-26.

            Lezcano is a heavy favorite to win his first title here as Desormeaux and the three others in the top five in the rider standings have moved on to ride at Keeneland and/or Aqueduct. John R. Velazquez left with 47 victories in third, followed by Julien Leparoux fourth with 45 and Alan Garcia fifth at 41.

            McPeek and Pletcher began the week tied in the standings until McPeek won two races on Thursday and another Friday. McPeek is bidding for his first Gulfstream title while Pletcher has taken home the championship here the last five years. Both have left divisions to compete through the final weeks of the session until closing on Thurs., Apr. 23. 

Ward Juveniles Come Out Running at Gulfstream & Keeneland 

            Trainer Wesley Ward has a well-established reputation for developing fast 2-year-olds over the years, and his first juveniles unveiled this week have likely exceeded any possible expectations with the stable winning the first two races carded here and the first on opening day at Keeneland Friday.

            Wednesday’s fourth race at Gulfstream was the first of the meet and Girl Bar and Miss Lulu Belle finished one-two for Ward going 2½ furlongs. Ward also owns both fillies and bred the winner as well. Girl Bar is by Atticus and Miss Lulu Belle is a daughter of Yankee Gentleman and was a $6,000 Saratoga yearling purchase.

            Things continued to go well for the stable Friday with Ward at Keeneland for opening day. He saddled a filly, Jealous Again, for a runaway victory in the second race, defeating colts. Jealous Again is a daughter of Trippi purchased for $30,000 at the OBS August yearling sales and is owned by Ward, Robert Abrams and Mitch Dutko.

            Not more than a few minutes later at Gulfstream, Ray Saintz’ colt Convoy Ahead and Ron Brewer’s gelding Yogaroo finished one-two in the second race at Gulfsteam for Ward. Convoy Ahead was a $15,000 OBS August yearling purchase by Wildcat Heir and Ward bred Yogaroo, a son of Bring the Heat.

Posted Saturday, April 4, 2009 12: p.m. EDT

Barn Notes

Friday, April 3, 2009

Rick Pitino Takes Time for Horse Hobby at Gulfstream

            With the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s college basketball fans stirred into a frenzy after the elimination of top-seeded University of Louisville from the NCAA men’s tournament and the hiring of a new coach at the University of Kentucky, Louisville’s coach Rick Pitino escaped the storm for a few hours indulging his passion for horse racing Thursday at Gulfstream Park.

            The 56-year-old coach is one of the principle partners in Ol Memorial Stable. He was at the track to see his 3-year-old filly In Debt Joanne go for her second career win in a 5 ½-furlong claiming race.

            “I came down to play a little golf and it just so happened my horse was running,” said Pitino, whose Cardinals team was eliminated last Saturday in the Elite Eight by Michigan State, denying Louisville a return trip to the Final Four.

“This filly was named for my wife. Her name is Joanne and she’s always in debt. So I had to come out. This is my first trip this year. I always enjoy myself here. It’s a really great track.”

            In Debt Joanne, a homebred daughter of El Corredor trained by Cam Gambolati, was unable to make up any ground on 56-1 front-running winner I Love My C D and finished sixth under jockey Elvis Trujillo.

            Pitino has reached the highest levels in both basketball and horse racing. His Halory Hunter finished fourth in the 1998 Kentucky Derby (G1) and A P Valentine was seventh three years later. He also won the NCAA title as head coach of the University of Kentucky Wildcats team in 1996 and is the only coach to bring three different teams to the Final Four.

            As for a prediction of what might happen in the Final Four this year, Pitino was diplomatic.

“I’m hoping to see one of the Big East teams win it,” he said. “Other than that, I like all four coaches.”

Tomcito Pushing to Reach Potential in Skip Away

            When Jet Set Racing’s Tomcito arrived on the scene in South Florida at Palm Meadows with trainer Dante Zanelli, Jr.as a 3-year-old in 2008 he brought some international flair to the Florida Derby (G1) at Gulfstream Park.

After a credible third-place run behind Big Brown in the Florida Derby in his U.S. debut the son of Street Cry will try and put injuries behind him and realize his potential in Saturday’s $100,000 Skip Away Stakes (G3).

            The 4-year-old colt is a Group 1 stakes-winner from his time as a precocious juvenile in Peru where his South American-based owners raced him against horses older than him and still won four of his five starts.

            After finishing third in the Florida Derby, he failed to advance in two other Graded stakes attempts before shifting to trainer Tom Albertrani and eventually going on the shelf.

            “We got him in early June and he’s just such a big horse, his shins gave him problems so we gave him some time off,” said Albertrani, who took over following a seventh-place finish in the Peter Pan (G2) at Belmont Park in May. “He got some foundation on the farm and he’s come along quite nicely since we got him back here at Palm Meadows in November.”

            Albertrani naturally worries about bringing a horse back from an 11-month layoff in a stakes race, let along one at 1 3/16 miles, but he points to the horse’s fondness for extended distances and is cautiously optimistic.

            “He looks fantastic and he’s been training well,” he said. “The thought would be that he might need a race, but I’ll be curious to see how he handles it. He’s older now. His Florida Derby last year wasn’t a bad race and I think if he’s able to come back to the form and run as well as he did then, it should be fun. We should learn something this weekend.”

            Albertrani says he will likely remain at his Palm Meadows base through the end of the meet here which closes on Apr. 23. He will be watching the performance of Farnsworth Stables’ 3-year-old filly Gozzip Girl, a winner of two stakes at Gulfstream this winter, as she tries the Polytrack surface at Keeneland in the $400,000 Ashland Stakes (G1) Saturday.

            “It was something of a last-minute decision,” said Albertrani, who saddled the daughter of Dynaformer to victories in the Coconut Grove Stakes on Feb. 15 and the Herecomesthebride Stakes (G3) on Mar. 15 – both on turf.

“She’s trained forwardly since her last race, and even though it’s a little quick off her last race, we figured if there was a time to take a chance on the Polytrack, Keeneland should be the place.”

Marquez Fractures Finger

Jockey Carlos Marquez Jr. will be sidelined indefinitely with a fracture of the metacarpal bone of his index finger on his left hand.

            Marquez shattered the bone - which extends from the wrist to the finger - while attempting to break his fall when the filly Classy Concorde reared up in the starting gate in Thursday’s seventh race at Gulfstream Park.

            The 32-year-old native of Puerto Rico was fitted with a hard cast from his forearm to the top of his fingers, and will visit a hand specialist for a second opinion early next week.

            Marquez and his agent Joe Burdo are hoping to get a timetable for a return during that second evaluation.

            "I'd like to get an answer on everything before next week," said Burdo, who has helped Marquez to 20 wins this season at Gulfstream and a stakes win aboard Victory Alleged in the Tampa Bay Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on Feb. 21.

            Marquez bruised his tailbone last Saturday when the 3-year-old colt Ramblin Boy acted up in the starting gate in the first race on the Florida Derby day card. Marquez missed the rest of the weekend before returning to the saddle Wednesday.

Rutherienne Leads Nominations for South Beach

            Virginia Kraft Payson’s 5-year-old homebred mare Rutherienne is a Grade 1 winner of more than $900,000 for trainer Christophe Clement and would appear to be overqualified for next Saturday’s $50,000 South Beach Stakes at 7 ½ furlongs on turf, but the timing, place and distance may fit into larger plans as the season unfolds.

            A daughter of Pulpit, Rutherienne has ranked high in the filly and mare turf stakes division the last two seasons, winning the Del Mar Oaks (G1) in 2007, but hasn’t run since finishing third as the favorite behind Wild Promises in the My Charmer Handicap (G3) at Calder on Dec. 6.

            Rutherienne won nine of her first 12 career starts, but the My Charmer continued a frustrating streak of five straight third-place finishes in Graded stakes going back to last May at Hollywood Park in the Gamely Stakes (G1).

Prior to the My Charmer, Rutherienne finished third in the First Lady Stakes (G1) at Keeneland behind Forever Together, who would go to victory in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Santa Anita and Eclipse Award honors. 

            Also prominent among 34 fillies and mares nominated for the South Beach is Farnsworth Stable’s 5-year-old mare Flibberjibbit, a two-time allowance winner over the course at this meet. Trained by Marty Wolfson, the daughter of Arch finished a good third last out in the Honey Fox Stakes (G3) on Mar. 7.