Beau Choix prevails in Quick Call Stakes at Saratoga Race Course Friday, July 30, 2010
ED BURKE/The Saratogian
Beau Choix with Javier Castellano up edges out Lonesome Street with John Velazquez and Lighthouse Sound carrying Ramon Dominguez for a 6,8,5 finish in Thursday's Quick Call feature.
ByNICOLE RUSSO
The Saratogian
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Some say good things come in threes. But really, good things have been coming in all numbers these days for Javier Castellano.
The jockey piloted a very game Beau Choix to victory in the $70,000 Quick Call Stakes on the Saratoga turf Thursday afternoon, his third winner of the day.
Castellano, who rode an incredible five consecutive winners on Sunday’s card, is leading the Saratoga rider standings through six days, with nine winners to seven for Johnny Velazquez. Although Castellano has won some of Saratoga’s biggest prizes, including the 2006 Travers with Bernardini, he has not yet won a Spa riding title — and although it’s still early in the meet, his momentum makes him formidable.
“You never know in this game,” Castellano said. “There are so many little things [that need to go right] for a good result. I’m very lucky, very fortunate. Lots of owners and lots of trainers have given me opportunities and believed in me.”
When the gates opened in the Quick Call, Lighthouse Sound immediately bounced out to the early lead; the gelding got his first quarter in :23.90, but then Ramon Dominguez rationed his speed into a :48.09 half. Down the backside, the field spread out in an almost single-file line up front, with Lighthouse Sound holding an advantage of several lengths over Lonesome Street, with Beau Choix another two lengths back and the field strung out behind him.
“Perfect trip, beautiful trip,” Castellano said, noting that his mount was able to relax behind the speed early.
Turning for home, Lonesome Street and Johnny Velazquez pounced on Lighthouse Sound, who wasn’t done yet and battled back. Beau Choix swung around the two leaders to launch his rally and Lethal Combination, having advanced steadily, was looking for a seam down on the rail. Lonesome Street finally collared the stubborn Lighthouse Sound in midstretch and the two were virtually inseparable the rest of the way to the wire, but Beau Choix doggedly wore both down to get up in the shadow of the wire for the win. Officially, the margin was a head.
“He’s a special horse,” Castellano said. “When I asked, he responded.”
Lonesome Street did nose out Lighthouse Sound for second, with Lethal Combination also involved in the photo and finishing fourth. Turf Melody was less than a length back in fifth in the wild finish.
Beau Choix, who stopped the clock in 1:35.57 for the mile, returned $6.80, $4.10 and $3. Lonesome Street paid $8.60 and $5.70 and Lighthouse Sound returned $7.10. After Lethal Combination and Turf Melody came Alfarabi, Our Douglas and Psychic Income.
After taking four tries to break his maiden, Beau Choix, the most inexperienced member of the field, was winning his second straight stakes. In his previous start, he won the James W. Murphy Stakes at Pimlico on May 15.
“He was a great, big gawky colt who took forever to get to the races,” trainer Barclay Tagg said. “I thought he had a good trip, but I was a little worried there at the end. He pulled it off.”
The son of Elusive Quality, out of multiple graded winner Belle Cherie, improved his career record to 7-3-1-2, and pushed his bankroll to $109,800.
The Quick Call Stakes is named in honor of the classy gelding who won 9 of 16 starts at Saratoga between 1986 and 1992, including back-to-back runnings of the Forego in 1988 and 1989. Quick Call is retired at the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation’s vocational facility at the Walkill Correctional Facility in Ulster County. The TRF was on hand at the track Thursday.
Lamar Valley won the 9th at Saratoga Monday, July 26th.
Won Token finishing 2nd in the 6th race Saturday July 10th at Belmont.
SEATTLE MISSION's 2nd place finish in an allowance turf race
5-29-10. photo's taken by Nancy
VRAIMENT, BLUEGRASS JET and BIG HERMAN. 5-29-10 photo taken by Nancy
am workout photos from Belmont..5-22-10 photo's taken by Nancy
BLUEGRASS JET AND THE LAURELS
MORE IS BETTER
SENADA
LION CUB
Nehantic Kat's..2nd place finish in the Sheepshead Bay Stakes.
May-22-2010. photo's taken by Nancy
Colonial next for Kindergarden Kid David Grening, Daily Racing Form
May 21, 2010
ELMONT, N.Y. - Much of the focus going into Wednesday's first-level turf allowance race at Belmont Park centered on New Madrid, who was trying to use the race as a springboard to the Belmont Stakes.
But at the conclusion of the race, most of the talk was about Kindergarden Kid, who made a powerful four-wide rally turning for home to record a three-quarter-length victory in the $53,000 race. The win was the second straight for Kindergarden Kid, a son of Dynaformer owned by Roy and Gretchen Jackson's Lael Stable and trained by Barclay Tagg.
Kindergarden Kid ran 1 1/8 miles over "good" turf in 1:49.74 and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 91.
"I expected him to do that, but I've been around long enough to know that it doesn't always happen," Tagg said Friday. "He was really on the muscle, feeling good, doing good."
Tagg said his only concern going into the race was whether the distance would be too short for Kindergarden Kid, who had won a maiden race going 1 3/8 miles at Gulfstream on March 31. Tagg had hoped to run in an allowance race at 1 1/4 miles instead of 1 1/8 miles.
Coming off that win, Kindergarden Kid will be pointed to the Grade 2, $500,000 Colonial Turf Cup on June 19. That race is scheduled for 1 3/16 miles. It is designed as a prep for the $600,000 Virginia Derby at 1 1/4 miles July 17.
Nehantic Kat on rebound in Sheepshead Bay David Grening, Daily Racing Form
Thursday, May 20, 2010
ELMONT, N.Y. -- The New York-bred Nehantic Kat has rarely run a bad race when she has stepped into open company. If her last-place finish in last month's Grade 3 Bewitch is an aberration, Nehantic Kat could make amends in a wide-open renewal of Saturday's Grade 2, $150,000 Sheepshead Bay Stakes at Belmont Park.
Nehantic Kat takes on seven nondescript fillies and mares in the Sheepshead Bay, scheduled for 1 3/8 miles over Belmont's inner turf. The Sheepshead Bay goes as race 9 on a 10-race card and is the third leg of a pick-four wager with a guaranteed pool of $300,000.
Nehantic Kat was beaten less than one length in The Very One and the Orchid -- both Grade 3, 1 1/2-mile races Gulfstream -- before the Bewitch at Keeneland. Trainer Barclay Tagg said Nehantic Kat raced wide throughout the race, despite breaking from the rail.
"She was beaten 11 lengths, but she easily went a dozen lengths out of her way," said Tagg, who is making a rider switch from Javier Castellano to Ramon Dominguez.
Here are a few am workout photos
from 5-15-10 at Belmont that Nancy took.
VERY
YA GOTTA HAVE SOUL
OVERLAP
KRISTI WITH A K
SPEIGHTSTOWN-EVANGELIZER AND BLUEGRASS JET
RED TABBY
KINDERGARDEN KID
CAT BE NIMBLE
BIG HERMAN_VRAIMENT
Belmont May 16th. Here are photos of BROKEN HOME........finished 4th, in an allowance race.
A Beautiful picture of BROKEN HOME that Nancy took.
BROKEN HOME
BROKEN HOME
Beau Choix Wins the James W. Murphy Stakes.
BALTIMORE, 05-15-10 – Belle Meadows Farm & Lael Stable’s Beau Choix carried Javier Castellano to his third winner on the Preakness Day card, rallying from just off the pace to take the $70,000 James W. Murphy Stakes at Pimlico.
The mile turf race honors the memory of James W. “Jimmy” Murphy, a longtime trainer on the Maryland racing circuit who died last year at age 82.
Barclay Tagg, who saddled Funny Cide for victories in the 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, trains the chestnut son of Elusive Quality, who collected his first stakes win in the inaugural running of the Murphy. Beau Choix prevailed over a late-closing Manhattan Fox by 1 ¾ lengths, running the mile in 1:34.93. Cat Park finished well to come in third.
Beau Choix paid $6.80 to win.
Barclay Tagg (winning trainer, Beau Choix) – “It was exactly the way I wanted it to go. Everything worked fine. It was almost like Funny Cide’s Kentucky Derby. He broke good; he stayed where I wanted him to stay; and he was in a nice stalking position. It was a bit of a jump for him, because most of these horses have won their allowance conditions and he hadn’t yet. But he’s been training very well. I just had a good feeling about him.”
Photo Credit: Jim McCue/MJC
Here are am photos from 5-10-10...some
new 2 year olds and others.
MY PRINCESS JESS...finished 4th in the Beaugay
Stakes.
MY PRINCESS JESS
GATHERING CLOUD.... 2nd place in
a maiden turf race.
GATHERING CLOUD
HERE ARE A FEW MORNING WORKOUTS
THAT NANCY TOOK
ON SATURDAY 24TH
BAHAMA BOUND
BLUEGRASS JET
DEEP DARKNESS
KINDERGARDEN KID
GATHERING CLOUD
TALL POPPI
SEATTLE MISSION
SENADA
WICKED B. HAVIOR
Monday 19th April 2010
My
Princess Jess eyes Beaugay By David Grenig
Last year, My Princess Jess kicked off her 4-year-old campaign
with a victory in the Grade 3 Beaugay Handicap. She will seek
a repeat of that when she makes her 5-year-old debut in the same
spot here May 1.
My Princess Jess worked four furlongs in 49.67 seconds Monday
morning over Belmont Park's main track. It was the eighth work
of the year for My Princess Jess, who has not run since finishing
fifth in the Grade 1 First Lady at Keeneland on Oct. 10.
Robin Smullen, assistant to trainer Barclay Tagg, said My Princess
Jess was given the winter off following her disappointing race
in the First Lady. She spent a couple of months in Ocala before
joining Tagg's stable at Gulfstream where she was training very
strongly over the main track.
"She likes Gulfstream, she worked 59-and-change one morning," Smullen
said. "I don't think she likes the sandy surface here."
Even though My Princess Jess won last year's Beaugay, Smullen
feels she will be fitter for the race this year.
Smullen said the goal for My Princess Jess is "to get that
elusive Grade 1" victory. The Beaugay is a prep for the
Just a Game, a Grade 1 race on Belmont Stakes Day in which My
Princess Jess finished third last year.
HERE ARE A FEW MORNING WORKOUTS
THAT NANCY TOOK
ON SUNDAY 18TH
BALTIMORE, 05-15-10 – Belle Meadows Farm & Lael Stable’s Beau Choix carried Javier Castellano to his third winner on the Preakness Day card, rallying from just off the pace to take the $70,000 James W. Murphy Stakes at Pimlico.
