With the $75,000 Final of the Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park Late Closing event for mares on tap for Super Saturday night in South Florida, drivers and trainers have chimed in with their thoughts on the big event. Please note that #6, Mach It A Par, scheduled to be driven by Tim Tetrick, has been scratched due to illness.
Here are some of their comments:
Post #1-Strut My Stuff (12/1), Driver Matt Romano: “She actually raced very well last week. Yes, Mike’s mare (Just A Bee) picked up the pieces late, but we were just a length or so away from second. We drew well–and that helps in an event like this–and I expect her to bring her ‘A’ game and be aggressive leaving.”
Post #2-Totally Rusty (10/1), Driver Tom Jackson: “She cut some serious fractions in her last and they got to her late. Still she is a very sharp mare and, if she returns to the form when she won the first leg three weeks ago, she’ll be prominent.”
Post #3-Lucy’s Pearl (8/1), Driver David Miller: “I have never driven this mare before but have seen her race many times. She’s very talented and has a nice brush. If the fractions are right, she could be right there at the finish with them all. I expect the mile to go in (1):50 and a piece and she’s capable of that. Of course, so are the others! It should be very interesting.”
Post #4-Pertty Music (15/1), Driver Kevin Wallis: Hopefully, she’ll get a better trip than last week when she never saw the inside part of the racetrack. She can turn it on in the lane, especially off of an easier trip if we find some room in the stretch. She drew OK with a lot of great mares to her outside. That always helps!”
Post #5-Velocity Vespa (5/2), Trainer Chris Oakes: She was roughed up pretty much last week but came out of it just...
We wanted you to know it’s been a frustrating past two weeks for Justgottogetthere at Buffalo Raceway with a pair of solid but disappointing second place finishes. But that annoyance was erased on Friday night (March 4) as Justgottogetthere posted a convincing 2-3/4 length victory over Winkys Pride in the featured $8,200 trot.
Leave Your Mark (Jim Morrill Jr.) set the fractions through the opening three stations with times of 29.4, 1:00.0 and 1:29.0.Justgottogetthere, in the meantime, began his first over journey just before the half mile and eventually got on even terms with the pace-setter with a quarter mile to race.
In the drive to the wire, driver Jim McNeight gave Justgottogetthere some minor encouragement and he responded to draw away for the popular $4.10 win in 1:59.3. Winkys Pride (Denny Bucceri) came on late for second place with Kahoku (Truman Gale) taking third.
Co-owned by Antonietta Landi and North Creek Racing, the 7-year-gelded Justgottogetthere (Valley Victory-Mara’s Theme) scored his initial win of 2016 after four previous appearances. Trained by Jerry Nugent Jr., Justgottogetthere has won $8,660 this year and $211,534 lifetime.
Morrill Jr. registered four victories in the bike while Gale doubled. Trainer JD Perrin remained red hot as he conditioned three winners.
Racing will continue on Saturday night with an 11-race program set to go to the post at 6 p.m.
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Our IdaBet players should know that after securing the pocket on the first turn, Crosbys Clam Bake ($7.80) angled off the pegs in mid-stretch and chased down 8-5 favorite Opulent Yankee to take Friday (March 4) evening’s featured $25,000 Open Handicap Trot at The Meadowlands.
Scott Zeron put the 6-year-old Kadabra gelding in play from the outset, outsprinting Appomattox (Andy McCarthy) to the first turn but in turn beaten to the early lead by Opulent Yankee (Andy Miller) through a :27.1 initial quarter mile. Crosbys Clam Bake enjoyed a cozy pocket trip throughout, only briefly boxed by the first-over DW’s NY Yank (Joe Bongiorno)–who failed to sustain his bid–on the far turn.
Off the far turn, Crosbys Clam Bake was once again in the clear after Opulent Yankee rated a :57.3 middle half–but had to make up 2-1/2 lengths in the final eighth of a mile after the pacesetter edged clear off the corner. Just outside the sixteenth pole, Opulent Yankee was asked for all he had, but Crosbys Clam Bake ultimately had his measure, driven to prevail by a head in 1:53.1 over fast going. Appomattox stayed on for third off his stalking trip.
Andy Federico trains Crosbys Clam Bake–now a 23-time winner–for Randy Bendis, Jack Piatt, II, and Tom Pollack. The win was Crosbys Clam Bake’s second in his three most recent Open-class events.
Zeron swept the evening’s features, also capturing the $15,000 top-level distaff pace with Gweneeee J ($4.60). The 4-year-old American Ideal mare sustained a middle move out of midpack to take charge just after a :55.4 half, ultimately kicking clear to a 5-3/4 length victory over Inittowinafortune (Marcus Miller, elevated to second) and Sayitall BB (Joe Bongiorno, disqualified from second to third for a pylon violation) in 1:51.1.
Linda Toscano trains Gweneeee J for the KJ...
IdaBet players, in recent weeks, local standouts Dovuto Hanover and Rockeyed Optimist made their seasonal debuts at The Meadowlands, showing no lack of late staying power in upper-level events. On Saturday (March 5) night, not only do they both rise to Open company, but they square off against a pair of Ron Burke trainees in Dynamic Youth and Take It Back Terry–both of which come off the bench to kick off their 2016 seasons in the evening’s $25,000 feature.
Millionaire Dynamic Youth, a 29-time winner, returns off a lone qualifier after spending last fall racing in Open events throughout the Mid-Atlantic with varying success. Andy Miller drives the 7-year-old Bettor’s Delight gelding from post 5. Burke stablemate Take It Back Terry will start right alongside in post 6, likewise coming back off a lone qualifier after winning five of his last seven Open attempts at Yonkers last fall. Joe Bongiorno handles the driving duties on the 7-year-old Western Terror gelding, as he did in last week’s qualifier.
The Burke duo are not likely to have an easy time of it on debut, though, as 5/2 morning line favorite Rockeyed Optimist (post 7) rises off a powerful four-length win in an upper-level event two weeks ago. In both his seasonal starts–that win and a near miss on debut two weeks prior–the 5-year-old Rocknroll Hanover gelding sprinted home with final quarters faster than :27. Andy McCarthy takes the lines for trainer Steve Elliott. Likewise, Dovuto Hanover (post 2, 5/1) is sharpening up, having made significant ground up the pegs in his seasonal debut last week. Scott Zeron opted to drive the Nifty Norman-trained 6-year-old over two other nominations in the field.
Lucrative opportunities await punters throughout the 13-race card, including the usual Pick 5 (beginning in race 3) and Pick 4s (races 5 and 9) with their combined $105,000 in guaranteed...
We wanted to let our valued IdaBet.com players know that Gulfstream Park will have a first post of 12:00 (noon) Eastern to accommodate the 13 race card on Saturday, March 5.
Have a great weekend everyone and thanks for choosing IdaBet.com!
IdaBet and Ed Golden have teamed up to offer Santa Anita Stable Notes for your wagering considerations. Thanks for choosing IdaBet.com!
SANTA ANITA STABLE NOTES
BY
ED GOLDEN
Friday March 4, 2016
Effinex
- EFFINEX ARRIVES FOR SANTA ANITA HANDICAP
- MOR SPIRIT DRILLS SATURDAY FOR SAN FELIPE
- KOBE’S BACK WORKS FOR THE SAN CARLOS
- OM IS ON COURSE FOR GRADE I KILROE MILE
EASTERN INVADER EFFINEX SETTLES IN FOR BIG ’CAP
Effinex, the probable favorite for the 79th running of the Grade I, $1 million Santa Anita
Handicap presented by San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino a week from Saturday, March 12, arrived safely from Florida early Thursday evening and was bedded down in trainer Eoin Harty’s barn to prepare for the prestigious mile-and-a-quarter classic.
“We left Palm Meadows at 6:30 a.m. our time (Eastern Standard Time) and got in the barn about 6:30 (Pacific Time),” said Kent Sweezey, assistant to Jimmy Jerkens, who trains Effinex.
“It made for a long day for him but he ate up everything last night and looks good. I had him walking this morning and bouncing around, so he shipped good.”
Sweezey, who recently turned 30, is a native of Lexington, Ky. He worked with Harty until parting company two years ago at Del Mar and has been with Jerkens for 18 months. Prior to that, he was with Christophe Clement for a bit, then came to Southern California where he was with Harty for three years.
“The horse hasn’t run since November 27 (when he won the Grade I Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs),” Sweezey said. “Initially, we were going to give him a...
