Skymaster gives Parisi's stable a lift
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Paul Parisi has more on his mind than trying to win races.
Parisi, like many trainers based in New Jersey, thinks a lot about the winter that is rapidly approaching. He will head to Florida, but he doesn't have enough stalls there. Parisi needs 11 at Gulfstream Park, and he was allocated only four.
"Worrying about it really eats me up inside," Parisi said. "My stock fits down there. I've got horses ready to go down there and run."
While Parisi doesn't have the horsepower of higher profile outfits, he does have a stable of honest runners like Skymaster in Tuesday's $26,000 feature at The Meadowlands. The race is for claimers going one mile on the turf.
Parisi claimed Skymaster, a 4-year-old, for $20,000 on June 14 at Monmouth. Four starts later, Skymaster won an allowance race.
"He didn't appear to be fit at the time of the claim," Parisi said. "He had just come off the farm following a layoff. Right off the bat, he started running good races."
The only setback for Skymaster since the claim was his latest race, an optional claiming allowance on the grass at the Big M.
"He just didn't run his race," Parisi said. "He had a new rider [Dale Beckner] and the horse was a little closer than he wanted to be. I think Dale will ride him better now that he knows him a little better."
Skymaster runs best when closing and could catch a race with a lively pace.
Ballado's Devil has good speed from the rail. He won races setting the pace in June and July, and won from a stalking positionin his most recent start.
Lack of turf experience, however, could hurt Ballado Devil, who has run on grass once in 31 career starts.
Emergency Status brings speed to the contest. He led for the first two points of call in each of his last five races and finished second in his most recent outing, posting a best last-race Beyer Figure of 86.
Although he is based at Monmouth, Red Antics has recently been racing at Belmont Park against allowance company. He drops back into a claimer for the first time since he was claimed for $35,000 at Belmont in July.
Hot Head also takes a drop. He was fourth in an optional claiming allowance two weeks ago at the Big M and had a rallying victory in his first start following a layoff.