Maryland Horsemen Find Success Out of Town Over Weekend
Maryland Horsemen Find Success Out of Town Over Weekend
Locally Based Horses Come Within Head of Winning Four Stakes
Jockey Carrasco Expected to Make Weekend Return
Carryovers in Rainbow 6, Super Hi-5 on Friday Program
LAUREL, MD – A quartet of horses came within a head of sweeping four out-of-town stakes, three of them graded, in Canada and on both U.S. coasts to cap an outstanding weekend for Maryland-based horsemen.
On Saturday at Santa Anita Park, trainer Graham Motion captured the Seabiscuit Handicap (G2) with Ring Weekend and the Jimmy Durante Stakes (G3) with Journey Home, just hours after their Fair Hill Training Center stablemate Bellows broke his maiden with a gutsy effort at Laurel Park.
The same day, fellow Fair Hill-based trainer Arnaud Delacour watched as Grade 3 winner Divining Rod, third in the 2015 Preakness (G1), dueled with Connect the length of the Aqueduct stretch before coming up a head short at the wire in the Cigar Mile (G1).
“He ran his race. That was a great race; very exciting finish. We could have got there but we just didn't. I thought that was a great stretch from both horses. I think Connect is a great horse, so I'm thrilled,” Delacour said. “I don't really think anything could have made a difference. I think everything went pretty much our way. I don't see any excuse. We'll have to regroup and see where we go next.”
On Sunday, M M G Stables’ Undulated rallied from last to first under jockey Alan Garcia to win the Swynford Stakes over the all-weather surface at Woodbine Racetrack in Ontario. It was the first race outside of Maryland for the 2-year-old son of Curlin, who won his Aug. 7 unveiling at Laurel before returning to finish second in the Laurel Futurity Sept. 10.
“They went crazy fractions there, 20 and 4 for the opening quarter, and Garcia just sat the back and waited. He asked him to quicken at the three-eighths pole and they just ran by everything down the lane. He galloped out like a good horse and the biggest problem was getting him pulled up. He had to get the outrider to pull him up. We’re delighted,” trainer Cal Lynch said. “He’s a Curlin so we expect him to go two turns. We were just giving him a couple of sprint races to get the foundation in him. He’ll go long probably next time. We’ll get him back on the track here in a few days and I’ll talk to the boss and go from there.”
Jockey Carrasco Expected to Make Weekend Return
Jockey Victor Carrasco sat out Monday’s card with a sore knee but is expected to return to action when live racing resumes Friday, agent Tom Stift said.
Carrasco banged his knee in the starting gate aboard 2-year-old gelding Game Winning Shot in Saturday’s fourth race, came back to ride the fifth but took off his remaining five mounts. He returned to ride one race Sunday before having to be replaced on his last four with recurring soreness.
Tied for fourth in the current fall meet standings, Carrasco took off all seven mounts on Monday’s nine-race makeup card from the Nov. 20 cancellation due to high winds. He is named in seven of nine races on Friday.
“His knee’s just sore. He got it checked out and nothing was broken or anything,” Stift said. “He just needed to take a couple days off. He’ll be back to work Wednesday morning.”
Rainbow 6, Super Hi-5 Carryovers for Friday Program
There will be carryovers in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 and $1 Super Hi-5 for Friday’s nine-race program. First race post time is 12:30 p.m.
No one selected all six winners in the Rainbow 6, which had its carryover jackpot grow to $1,990.69. Tickets with five of six winners Monday returned $191.74.
Friday’s opener will have a Super Hi-5 carryover of $751.08.
Notes: Meet-leading rider Jevian Toldeo swept the early daily double with Lanier ($10.40) in the first race and Tiz a Diamond ($9.60) in the second, and added a third win with Cho Time ($7.60) in the ninth. Both Tiz a Diamond and fourth-race winner Double Whammy ($3) are from the barn of Mary Eppler, who took over the lead in the trainer standings. … Jockey Brian Pedroza had a pair of winners with Rockin ($7.20) in the fifth race and Foxhall Drive ($17.80) in the eighth.
