Belmont Park: Valente re-claims, retires Callmetony

Roddy Valente has owned dozens of horses over the years, but one that grew close to his heart was the hard-knocking claimer Callmetony.

On Tuesday, Valente claimed Callemetony for the fourth – and final time – and subsequently retired him. The 11-year-old gelding by Runaway Groom will retire to Akindale Farm, a rehabilitation, rescue, and retirement facility, in Pawling, N.Y.

Callmetony made his 85th start Tuesday, finishing second in a $5,000 claiming race at Parx Racing. Valente and his Parx-based trainer, Ronald Dandy, claimed the horse and won a two-way shake to get him.

Callmetony retires with a record of 21-22-17 from 85 starts and earnings of $666,446. He went 17 for 46 for Valente.

“Sometimes, I get a little too attached and it makes it hard,” Valente said. “He’s one of those horses that comes along every 10 years; him Coyote Lakes, Bustin Stones, those were special horses. This horse is just a cool horse.”

Valente first claimed Callmetony for $32,000 in July 2005. Callmetony won 13 of 37 starts for Valente and trainer Bruce Levine before they lost him at the claim box in April 2009.

Over the next two years, Valente claimed Callmetony on two more occasions before losing him for $7,500 to Joe Imperio on Dec. 31.

Callmetony went 0 for 7 on the New York circuit before Imperio dropped him for $5,000 on Tuesday at Parx.

In landing at Akindale, Callmetony joins in retirement some well-known stalwarts such as Evening Attire, Hotstufanthensome, and Greeley’s Legacy. Tacticianor, a half-brother to Evening Attire also is at Akindale.