Dan Dougherty has been forced to gradually close all 16 of his furniture stores over the past five years due to the economic downturn. When the final two were shuttered last summer, the 55-year-old father of six faced an uncertain financial future.
But then along came Ride On Curlin.
Turner likes Chrome, but . . .
Bill Turner, the trainer of 1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew, is a fan of California Chrome, but he appeared to waver a bit on whether the California-bred son of Lucky Pulpit is going to win the Triple Crown in Saturday’s 146th Belmont Stakes.
On one hand, Turner compliments the horse, noting that in his workout Saturday, “he was a beautiful mover,” and that mentally, “nothing bothers him, he just takes everything in stride.”
Things are going well for Team Sherman. On Saturday, of course, trainer Art Sherman and his son and assistant Alan will be going for the Triple Crown with California Chrome in the Belmont Stakes. Last Saturday, Art’s son Steve sent out another talented 3-year-old to win his turf debut in a Golden Gate Fields allowance race.
Reno Rebel, whose five previous races had come for Art in Southern California, scored a professional 2 1/4-length win going 1 1/16 miles. A ridgling by Big Brown, Reno Rebel was a $100,000 weanling purchase by Nevada Equine LLC and Charles Finch.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Hall of Famers Bill Mott and Mike Smith will team up with Belmont Stakes longshot Matuszak, but they are no strangers to surprising the racing world in the oldest and longest spring classic. In 2010, they scored their first Belmont victory together with longshot Drosselmeyer.
As with Drosselmeyer, the Belmont will mark the first time Smith will be aboard Matuszak, who has one win from eight starts, that being in his career debut last September at Churchill Downs.
ELMONT, N.Y. – The decision by Hall of Fame trainer Allen Jerkens to remain in Florida this spring has left a void on the Belmont Park backstretch. Though he personally will not be attending Saturday’s Belmont Stakes card, the 85-year-old Jerkens will have the chance to make his presence felt.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Art Sherman, the trainer of California Chrome, hadn’t seen the horse in person in two weeks, since the Preakness win at Pimlico, but he certainly liked what he saw after flying to New York on Monday to begin final preparations for the Belmont Stakes on Saturday.
“He looks like he has more weight than the last time I saw him,” Sherman said Tuesday at Belmont Park. “He looks bigger.”
ELMONT, N.Y. - Social Inclusion came out to gallop over the Belmont Park main track without the special Belmont Stakes saddle towel he’d worn since his arrival here last week, raising speculation that owner Ron Sanchez and trainer Manny Azpurua had already made the decision to bypass the Belmont Stakes for the seven-furlong Woody Stephens earlier on Saturday’s card.
But that is not the case, according to Sanchez, who said that as of Tuesday Social Inclusion is still being considered for the Belmont.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Kid Cruz on Tuesday was ruled out of the Belmont Stakes by trainer Linda Rice, who said she was looking “for an easier spot to get him back on track.”
Kid Cruz finished eighth in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico in his most recent start after winning his prior two starts, the Private Terms Stakes at Laurel Park and the Federico Tesio Stakes at Pimlico. He would have been a longshot in the Belmont on Saturday. Entries were to be taken Wednesday.
“His last effort was a non-effort,” Rice said outside her Belmont Park barn Tuesday. “He didn’t perform at Pimlico.”
Seek Again came off a five-month layoff and nearly upset two-time Horse of the Year Wise Dan, falling a head short to that rival in the Grade 1 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic at Churchill on Kentucky Derby Day.
Bill Mott believes a similar effort will make Seek Again more than formidable in Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Manhattan Stakes, which will not include Wise Dan.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Bob Baffert got off the Triple Crown trail at the last stop and won’t be attending the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, when California Chrome tries to become Thoroughbred racing’s 12th Triple Crown winner.
But the Hall of Fame trainer will make his presence felt on the prestigious Belmont Stakes card with runners in three of the nine undercard stakes.
