ELMONT, N.Y. - Giant Ryan, the recently crowned New York-bred Horse of the Year for 2011, was vanned to Belmont Park from Florida last week and will start in Saturday's Grade 2, $400,000 True North Handicap at six furlongs.
Giant Ryan, trained by Bisnath Parboo, went 6 for 9 last year, including a victory in the Grade 1 Vosburgh over this track last October. He completed his year with an eighth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Sprint.
ELKTON, Md. – Going back to last summer, John Velazquez has long admired Union Rags from afar. On Sunday morning, he got up close and personal with the Grade 1-winning colt for the first time, and it served only to confirm his admiration.
ELMONT, N.Y. – The union representing approximately 130 to 150 maintenance crew workers for the New York Racing Association – including the starting gate crew – has authorized a strike that could impact Saturday’s Belmont Stakes in which I’ll Have Another will attempt to win the Triple Crown.
The members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 3 voted recently to authorize a strike at the three NYRA tracks, although no date was selected for that strike to begin, according to Vincent McElroen, financial secretary for the IBEW.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – It was only by circumstance that River Rush ran in last Sunday’s $151,200 Plate Trial.
Reade Baker, who trains the homebred River Rush for Stronach Stable, initially had entered the colt in a 1 1/16-mile maiden race scheduled for Sunday while reserving the Plate Trial as an option.
“I had to get a race into him,” said Baker. “There’s another maiden race Friday, but I didn’t know if that would go either.
“I had to run him in one of those three spots, if I was going to have a chance of making the Plate with him.”
ELMONT, N.Y. – For a guy whose colt will try to end a 34-year drought in the Triple Crown on Saturday and whose professional life has been repeatedly picked over in the past month, trainer Doug O’Neill looked awfully calm Monday morning at Belmont Park, just days before I’ll Have Another tries to become the 12th Triple Crown winner in the 144th Belmont Stakes.
The reason? I’ll Have Another.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Bob Tiller won four races last weekend at Woodbine, including the Ballade Stakes. He will try to keep the ball rolling in Wednesday’s third race with The Bull Got Shot, who will be the first or second choice in the Ontario-sired allowance sprint on the grass.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Michael Mareina’s decision to bring a 14-horse string to New York for the first time has certainly paid off, as the trainer has 2 wins and a third from his first 4 starters at the Belmont Park meet.
Wednesday, Mareina will seek to continue his good fortune here when he runs Divine Music for the first time in a $74,000 optional claiming/allowance at 5 1/2 furlongs. Of the six horses entered, four are being offered for the optional claiming price of $50,000 including Divine Music.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Guyana Star Dweej became the final prospective Belmont Stakes starter to work prior to the race when breezing an uninspiring half-mile in 49.30 seconds with new rider Kent Desormeaux aboard immediately after the renovation break Monday at Belmont Park.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – There was more than a touch of irony in conjunction with Irish Mission’s victory in Sunday’s $500,000 Woodbine Oaks for trainer Mark Frostad.
Frostad had sent out Woodbine Oaks winners Catch the Ring (2000), Dancethruthedawn (2001), and Eye of the Sphynx (2004) after hooking up with the Sam-Son Farm outfit in 1994. But that association came to an end prior to the start of the current meeting, and Frostad seemed to be facing a rebuilding year as a public trainer.
Jockey Rico Walcott had to make a tough call when choosing between Minutesandtouches and Alisal who stand out in a second-level allowance race that will serve as Wednesday’s feature at Northlands Park. The six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up drew eight horses, but it is hard to get past Minutesandtouches and Alisal.
Minutesandtouches, an easy winner of a first-level allowance race May 18, is the 8-5 morning-line favorite. Nonetheless, Walcott opted to ride Alisal.
