In Reality suits Lake to pair of T's
MIAMI - Trainer Scott Lake, once again an Eclipse Award contender with nearly 300 victories to his credit this year, has his sights set on the $400,000 In Reality Stakes with a pair of promising 2-year-olds who are eligible to the rich finale of the Florida Stallion Series at Calder on Oct. 13.
Lake said he is considering both Thunderello and Tacirring for the In Reality. Thunderello won a maiden race by 14 lengths at Saratoga on Sept. 1, covering 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:03.56, just .20 off the track record. In his only previous start, the promising youngster finished second behind Mayakovsky's track-record performance on opening day of the Saratoga meet. Thunderello was entered back last Saturday night as the prohibitive favorite in the Comet Stakes at The Meadowlands.
Tacirring finished third behind the $1 million yearling Warners on closing day at Saratoga in one of the strongest fields of 2-year-old maidens to compete at the meet.
"He's a handful and still kind of green," Lake said of Thunderello, who was scratched out of a race earlier at the Saratoga meet after breaking loose, running off, and injuring himself during the post parade.
"He bruised his chest a little but fortunately didn't get hurt too bad when getting loose that day," Lake said. "I think he scared himself when that happened, because he's gone through an attitude change and has really straightened out ever since the incident."
While Thunderello currently has the best credentials of the pair, Lake is high on Tacirring as well. Tacirring "beats Thunderello whenever they work together," said Lake.
Hunt wins four on card
Apprentice Charlene Hunt had the biggest day of her racing career on Friday when she won four races.
Hunt, who returned here earlier this summer after trying her luck at Monmouth Park, won both halves of the early daily double ($31.40) with One Judge Trend and Swampe Cabbage, then posted back-to-back wins in the fifth and sixth races aboard Darby Lane ($17) and Russian Hand ($7).
Despite her late start, Hunt has now won 21 races at the current session and is the second-leading apprentice behind Omar Camejo.
Coa back briefly
Eibar Coa, fresh off winning the riding title at Monmouth Park, returned home to ride here Sunday and Monday before heading back out on the road to fulfill a busy schedule that includes a three-day riding engagement in Saudia Arabia from Oct. 7-9.
Coa, who won the 2000 Calder riding title with 149 victories, will be at Belmont Park next weekend to ride Pure Precision in the $200,000 Futurity Stakes. He is expected back here for the Festival of the Sun on Oct. 13 before returning to south Florida on a regular basis, beginning with the opening of the Tropical meet on Nov. 4.