Parisella eyes Ruthless and Busanda
It has been a while since trainer John Parisella has had the luxury of having to decide in which stakes races to run his young horses. But in the first two weekends of 2010, Parisella plans to have runners in both the Ruthless and Busanda stakes, New York's first two stakes of the year for 3-year-old fillies.
Parisella will run Wild News in Sunday's $65,000 Ruthless at six furlongs, and on Jan. 9 he will start She'll Be Doggone in the $65,000 Busanda at a mile and 70 yards,
"It's the first opportunity I've had with young horses since Sabarese in the mid 80s,'' said Parisella, referring to owner Ted Sabarese, whose bevy of stakes winners included Don Rickles, Simply Majestic, Fight Over, and Chapel of Dreams.
Wild News, a $130,000 2-year-old in-training purchase by Max and Saul Kupferberg in February, finished second in her debut before winning a 5 1/2-furlong maiden race over Aqueduct's main track on Nov. 22. The runner-up from that race, E Z Passer, came back to win a maiden race here on Sunday.
Wild News won the race that was named for Max Kupferberg's 90th birthday. Though Wild News won that day in gate-to-wire fashion, jockey Ramon Dominguez told Parisella he feels the filly is better with a target.
"When I ran her for Max's 90th I told Ramon don't take any chances, but I'd like to see a speed horse in there where she can rate,'' Parisella said.
On Wednesday, Wild News worked a half-mile in 48.25 seconds over Belmont's training track.
She'll Be Doggone, a daughter of Gone West, was purchased for $150,000 at the same sale as Wild News by Parisella on behalf of owner Morris Bailey. She'll Be Doggone rallied from off the pace to win a 6 1/2-furlong race in the mud by a neck.
"From the 11-hole, mud, inside, outside then around, it was a tremendous education,'' Parisella said. "Normally a horse needs two races; she didn't need two races.''
Parisella said both Kupferberg and Morris Bailey have made a commitment to purchasing young horses. Parisella said he has six yearlings who turn 2 on Friday and he will buy six more yearlings this year.
* A memorial service will be held Tuesday for trainer William "Red'' Terrill at St. Catherine of Sienna Church at 33 New Hyde Park Rd. in Franklin Square, N.Y. Terrill, best known as the trainer of the multiple Grade 1-winning filly Turnback the Alarm, died Sunday night in Saratoga Springs at the age of 80. The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in Terrill's memory to the Backstretch Employee Service Team (B.E.S.T), Belmont Park, 2150 Hempstead Turnpike, Gate 6, Elmont, NY 11003.