Recount exits Arlington-Washington Futurity well but will get a break

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – The second- and third-place finishers in Saturday’s Grade 3, $125,000 Arlington-Washington Futurity, Private Prospect and One Go All Go, could make their next start in the Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland, but race winner Recount is more likely to run against Illinois-breds at Hawthorne if he starts again this year.

Recount, 2 for 2 on Arlington Polytrack, eked out a head victory in the local Futurity, winning a three-horse photo over Private Prospect and One Go All Go. Recount won his career debut sprinting over Arlington Polytrack but had finished third in his second start, the Prairie Meadows Juvenile Mile, a two-turn dirt race in Iowa. Private Prospect narrowly won that race, and the second-place finisher, Lucky Player, returned to capture the Iroquois at Churchill on Saturday.

But while the form of the Futurity is looking solid (all three horses got an 85 Beyer Speed Figure), and Recount appeared to have come out of the race in good enough condition, trainer Jim DiVito is not especially anxious either to ship Recount to an open stakes or race the horse around two turns again in the immediate future.

“Let’s see what happens after he’s back to the racetrack. I don’t want to run him for at least six weeks or so,” said DiVito.

Recount, by Limehouse, could be aimed at the six-furlong Sun Power Stakes on Nov. 22 at Hawthorne.

Private Prospect suffered his first loss in four starts when narrowly defeated Saturday, continuing on gamely after exchanging bumps with One Go All Go in the homestretch.

“I was pleasantly surprised with how he came out of the race. He feels quite good about himself,” said trainer Mike Campbell.

Campbell and owner George Mellon are weighing three options for Private Prospect: taking the rest of the year off, going to Keeneland for the Breeders’ Futurity, or shipping directly to Santa Anita for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

One Go All Go might have been the best horse Saturday. His rider tried to edge through a hole on the rail racing down the backstretch early in the Futurity, but the space closed, and One Go All Go became somewhat rank. He loomed boldly turning for home but could not keep a straight course and was beaten two heads for the win. Trainer Mike Stidham said One Go All Go would be shipped to Keeneland later this month and could be considered for the Breeders’ Futurity depending upon how he trains on dirt there.

Trainer change for Quality Rocks

Quality Rocks arrived Monday at trainer Bill Mott’s string at Churchill Downs, assistant trainer Ken McCarthy said Tuesday, and appeared to have come out of her 3 1/2-length win in the Arlington-Washington Lassie in good shape.

Quality Rocks, whose victory produced a 77 Beyer, was trained through this past weekend by Bill Helmbrecht. Her owner and breeder, Destiny Oaks of Ocala, sold a 75 percent share in the filly to Adam Wachtel and partners prior to her Lassie score, her second in two career starts, both on synthetic.

McCarthy said Mott was traveling to Kentucky to look in on the Churchill string Tuesday, and more would be known on immediate plans for the filly after she trains Wednesday morning.

No plans for A. P.’s Glory

DiVito said he and owner-breeder Curtis Green have no immediate plans for the 2-year-old filly A. P.’s Glory, who easily won her career debut at Arlington before capturing the Mountaineer Juvenile Fillies on Aug. 2. A. P.’s Glory, whose 92 Beyer from her career debut equals the highest number this year by a 2-year-old filly, worked a half-mile Aug. 23 but has not breezed since and is merely jogging at the moment, DiVito said.

◗ The 3-year-old filly Pirate’s Trove, unbeaten after three starts, is scheduled to race next in the $200,000 Pebbles on Oct. 13 at Belmont, trainer Stidham said. Pirate’s Trove won an Arlington maiden race and two Woodbine stakes, the Duchess and Etobicoke, all at one turn on Polytrack, and will try turf for the first time in the one-mile Pebbles.