CARBONITE
DOMINATES PINK RIBBON STAKES
Horse racing is a game of ups and downs.
For jockey Chad Schvaneveldt and agent Dennis Patterson, the meet started on
the ground and ended as perfectly as one could imagine, with a victory in the
closing day feature race on his final mount of the San Joaquin County Fair
season.
Schvaneveldt rode Carbonite, a handsome chestnut son of Aldebaran, to a
powerful victory in Sunday's $50,000 Pink Ribbon Stakes Invitational.
Mr. Monkey Jones finished second, while Tudor Blue checked in third. The
Pink Ribbon Stakes was the highlight of a day dedicated to raising funds to
support finding a cure for breast cancer. Pink T-Shirts and caps were
sold with all proceeds donated to the cause.
"He ran very well today," said Schvaneveldt. "When I
asked, he gave it to me."
Trained by Dennis Patterson (father of Chad's agent), Carbonite came off the
first disappointing effort of his career, when he was sixth in the Grade 3 Laz
Barrera at Hollywood Park in May. Prior to that, he won his debut and
defeated allowance company in his second start.
"It was a tougher group, and he got real hot that day," said
Schvaneveldt. "Today he relaxed for me."
Owned by Mercedes Stable, Carbonite nearly doubled his bankroll to $65,400 in
registering his third win from four starts.
Schvaneveldt missed out on several winners earlier in the meet when his first
mount was fractious and sent him out of the gate on opening day. After a
visit to the hospital and a couple of days off, he was back in action and
couldn't be happier with the way the meet ended.
"We went out with a bang," he said.
Earlier on the card, Bar JF Hot Ticket continued her winning ways with a
dominant victory over Genie Jones in a mule allowance race, while Copia turned
in a dazzling performance in winning the Stockton Derby at 350 yards for
Quarter Horses. Trained by Terry Knight, who also won the finale with
Virginia Girl, Copia won by 2 1/4 lengths and equaled the track record of
17.44.
Northern California racing shifts to Pleasanton for opening day of the Alameda
County Fair on Wednesday.
KAWEAH
PRINCESS WINS SWEEPIDA INVITATIONAL STAKES
Kaweah
Princess sat, stalked, then pounced on a promising group of 3-year-old fillies
in Saturday's $50,000 Sweepida Invitational Stakes. Congo Kaye rallied
strongly to finish just a neck back in second, while Summers Peace was
third, well clear of the rest. The running time was 1:09.47.
Trained by Jerry Hollendorfer for Very Un Stable, Kaweah Princess ($5.60) was
sent off as the favorite on the strength of her record of two wins and one
second in three starts. After a runner-up effort in her debut, the
daughter of Soto has now rattled off three straight and won professionally in
her initial stakes appearance. She settled nicely behind pacesetters See
N Win and Basket Copy, then attacked around the far turn.
"She's a racehorse," said winning jockey William Antongeorgi III, who
has been aboard for each of her four races. "A couple of them went out to
the front, so I tucked in right behind them and was just waiting to go
outside. "She's a real nice filly and a pleasure to ride. When
I asked her, she kicked away from them."
The San Joaquin County Fair closes its meet on Sunday,
Pink Ribbon Stakes Day. Fans are reminded to wear pink as T-Shirts and
Caps (pink, of course) will be on sale, with proceeds going to help funding for
breast cancer research.
Mule sensation Bar JF Hot Ticket will be in action, and the Thoroughbred
feature is the $50,000 Pink Ribbon Stakes for 3-year-olds. First post for
the closing day card is at 12:45 p.m. PST.
BISONO
WINS ANOTHER PHOTO
Jockey Alex Bisono has been using all of his talents to get to the winner's
circle, and he won another close call on Friday
as Ruff N Tuff held off heavily favored Quick Meeting in the 3rd and featured
race. Trained by Lloyd Mason, Ruff N Tuff ($23.20) was prominent
throughout and held on to win by a head.
Bisono scored victories by a head yesterday with Humorous Guy and Marked
Treasure.
In Friday's opener, Dashn Bobi Mcgee scored a decisive victory over Ears
Lookingatyou in the only mule race on the card. Owned by Dave Wood and
trained by Ray Thomas, the same connections as mule sensation Bar JF Hot
Ticket, Dashn Bobi Mcgee, a 3-year-old daughter of Coalee Mcgee is now 2 for 3
in her career, with the lone defeat coming in her debut when she came up a head
short. Stay tuned, there could be another mule star on the horizon.
Saturday's feature race is the $50,000 Sweepida for 3-year-old fillies at six
furlongs. Kaweah Princess, trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, will be looking
for her third consecutive win, while the consistent Bakers Beach, no worse than
second in her five career starts, should be a factor throughout.
Promising debut winner Basket Copy, trained by the red-hot Bud Klokstad, will
look to keep her record unblemished with Hall of Famer Russell Baze riding.
Fans will be entertained with the Wiener Nationals between races. There
will be five races and a championship race at the conclusion, with the two
finalists moving on to compete at a Cal Berkeley game during halftime later
this fall. First post is at 12:45 p.m. PST.
MILITARY
MANDATE FIRES FRESH
A popular handicaping angle is to watch for trainers whose horses run well
"fresh". In fact, the Daily Racing Form offers stats on
trainers whose runners return from a layoff of 180 or more days. On Thursday, trainer Dean Pederson's 8-year-old
Military Mandate returned to the races after a layoff of nearly six years to
score a front-running win over $8,000 claimers. The son of Perfect
Mandate was quite reluctant to load, and in fact his odds went up from 2 to 1
to 5 to 2 during the process, but once the gate opened, he cruised to victory.
Ridden by Francisco Duran, Military Mandate's last race was on August 17, 2003,
when he was third under the care of Jerry Hollendorfer.
In other races, trainer Rene Amescua and AJM Racing LLC stole the show with
back-to-back wins in the fifth and sixth races. In the fifth, Fox In The
House ($11.60) stormed home to catch pacesetter and favorite, More
Than Class, who held a six-length lead at the furlong marker, to win by a neck
under Frank Alvarado. In the sixth, Pisa Playboy outfinished pacesetter
Haja Boy for the same connections, pulling clear late to win by 3 1/2 lengths under
Jose Contreras. The longest shot in the field of five, Pisa Playboy paid
$36.00. The $2 double paid $92.60.
Jockey Alex Bisono was on the right side of two photo finishes, as Humorous Guy
fended off Rave Rave Rave in the third and Marked Treasure battled back to beat
Storybook Story, who appeared on her way to victory, in the seventh.
Racing resumes on Friday, as the San Joaquin Fair
kicks off its closing weekend. First post is at 12:45 p.m. PST.
SARAH
NELSON BREAKS HER OWN RECORD
Sarah Nelson, the ageless 10-year-old mule, came back to the races with a
vengeance on Wednesday, smashing her own track
record in humbling five rivals as the San Joaquin County Fair opened its
carnival, agriculture, and amusement area. Bret Michaels kicked off the
fair's nightly entertainment.
Trained by Diana Skinner, Sarah Nelson, who hadn't raced since October 2008,
broke beautifully and was never threatened, stopping the clock in 19.95 seconds
for 350 yards. Her previous mark at this track was 20.220 seconds, set in
2005.
Owned by Roger Downey, Sarah Nelson won for the 51st time in her 83rd career
start. She returned $5.60 as the second choice. Genghis Khan, sent
off as the 3/5 favorite, won the place photo over Eye of the Hawk.
In the ninth and featured race, Nsync Lynx outfinished Like New Money
as the co-favorites turned it into a match race for the final three
furlongs. Owned and trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, Nsync Lynx ($4.80) was
ridden by William Antongeorgi III. The 4-year-old won for the fifth time
in 17 career starts.
Trainer Steve Sherman padded his lead atop the standings by winning with two of
three starters. Sherman scored with Bella Castagna in the 7th and Ramon Simone
in the 10th.
In the Arabian races, there were contrasting results on the tote board.
In the second race, the favorite, Go the Limite, dominated his seven rivals as
the 1/5 favorite. Owned and trained by Helen Shelley, Go the Limite was
ridden by Chris Russell. Even Proudder completed the exacta, while the
Shelley-trained The Sam Man rallied belatedly for third.
In the very next race, longshot 8-year-old mare Anvirlik
($71.80) taught her younger rivals a lesson by sweeping past the field to
win decisively as one of the longest shots in the field. Leased and
trained by Renee Glass, Anvirlik, who won more races in 2008 than any of her
rivals, regained her best form to shock the public in her first
victory in nearly a year. The daughter of Virgule al Maury was last seen
winning in July 2008, when she won her third consecutive race, the Santa Rosa
Arabian Stakes. Prior to that win, she had scored victories in an
allowance race at the Solano County Fair and in the Pleasanton Arabian
Distaff. K Tiki Sprite, also trained by Glass, finished second, while
pacesetter Galagule was third. T M Marie Laveau, the even-money favorite,
was fanned wide into the stretch and was no factor, finishing fifth
of six.
Racing resumes on Thursday, with a 10-race card
beginning at 12:45 p.m. PST. Following the races, the Charlie Daniels
Band will be performing at the fair.
SHERMAN,
HARVEY, ALVARADO SCORE DOUBLES ON SUNDAY
A good on-track crowd enjoyed an 11-race program as week one of horse racing
concluded on Father's Day at the San Joaquin County Fair. Jockey
Barrington Harvey won two races, as did trainer Steve Sherman.
Harvey scored a front-running win in the fourth on Creekin Charlie, an invader
from Boise, who defeated heavily favored Lucky General. "That was a
surprise for me," said the 46-year-old Jamaican-born jockey.
Regarding his win aboard It'sthewinetalking in the ninth race, Harvey gave all the credit to the horse. "He came out pretty fast and finished
up strong, there's not much more I can say about that," he said.
A fan favorite based on his work ethic and riding horses vigorously to the finish
to ensure the best possible placing, Harvey has been riding in California for about 15 years. Previously, his base was at Philadelphia Park. Harvey rides Thoroughbreds, Quarter Horses, Arabians and Mules.
"It means a lot to win on the fairs," he said. "It's a wonderful
time of year, because I usually win more races on the fair circuit."
Regarding the mules, he simply said "It's just like riding a horse".
Trainer Steve Sherman scored his first win of the day with What a Wish, who
scored in a game performance after battling between runner-up Hidden Costs and
Ohsokool for most of the race. His second win came with Fritz Grau, who
was victorious in the 10th race. Both runners were well-backed (What a
Wish was 9/5, Fritz Grau 7/5).
Jockey Frank Alvarado also visited the winner's circle twice, guiding What a
Wish in the eighth and aboard heavily favored Yodelers Dream, who cruised home
in the finale for trainer Terry Knight.
Another notable performance on the Sunday card came from Driving Cat, who returned
from a layoff of nearly 26 months to win the sixth race for trainer Clifford
Delima and GCCI. The 5-year-old gelded son of Royal Cat earned the first
win of his career in his fifth start. Alfredo Miranda was aboard.
After two days off, the San Joaquin County Fair kicks off its fair week on Wednesday with nightly entertainment, a carnival,
agriculture, livestock, food and exhibits.
Racing fans are reminded that wagering will be offered on
Wednesday's Stockton program, as well as other simulcasts across the
country, even though there is no live racing at Hollywood Park that day.
SCHVANEVELDT
REBOUNDS WITH THREE WINS
Jockey Chad Schvaneveldt, forced to take off three winners on yesterday's
program due to soreness, earned a hat trick with three winners on the meet's
first Saturday. Schvaneveldt won aboard Joaquin Home in the sixth,
Becky's Vow in the 10th, and Baron's Gold in the 11th.
On Thursday, Schvaneveldt's meet began
miserably. His first mount of the meet, Rosiana, suddenly acted up, and
in the blink of an eye Schvaneveldt went flying out of the gate and was a late
scratch.
"She hadn't moved, and all of a sudden, she turned and launched me out of
the gate. I came down on the back of my head and neck," he
said.
Schvaneveldt had an instant headache and was taken to the hospital.
"I was seeing spots," he said. "I felt a stinger down my
back."
Fortunately, the doctors found no broken bones or major injuries.
"I'm still pretty stiff and sore, and yesterday I knew that I couldn't
give 100%, so I stayed home. Today, I'm at about 90%, but I thought it
would be better to ride through it than stay at home and do nothing. Dennis
(jockey agent Dennis Patterson) is doing a great job. I really enjoy
working with him."
Trainer William J. Morey, Jr. won two races on the program, winning with Haas
N' Alibi in the seventh and Baron's Gold.
Hall of Famer Russell Baze picked up where he left off on
Saturday, guiding heavily favored Drama Cat to a thrilling victory in
the third race despite breaking a bit slowly. Baze had swept the final
four races on Friday.
Sunday's program offers 11 races. After two days off, the San Joaquin
Fair officially begins on Wednesday. There
will be entertainment nightly at the fair, kicking off Wednesday with Bret
Michaels.
BAZE
SWEEPS LAST FOUR RACES AT STOCKTON
When
Russell Baze comes to Stockton, he means business. On Friday afternoon, fans were treated to a very rare
treat as the Hall of Famer swept the final four races on the card. A $1
pick four ticket singling all of the Baze runners paid $35.70.
Baze’s
day began with a second-place finish aboard Refinery in the fourth race.
He was second aboard his second mount, McGriz, in the sixth before unleashing
four straight wins with Silver Helmet ($3.00), Turning Tiger ($5.40), Beaulah
Fay ($6.60), and Skimpy ($4.20).
North
America’s all-time
leading jockey has three mounts scheduled for Saturday (Drama Cat in the 4th,
Silver Tuxedo in the 11th and Velvet Sword in the 12th).
The first
Saturday program of the meet offers one mule race, one Arabian race and 10
Thoroughbred races. First post is at 12:45 p.m. PST.
OPENING
DAY AT STOCKTON A FORMFUL ONE
Fans who backed the logical contenders cashed plenty of tickets on opening day
of the San Joaquin Fair, as the Northern California Fair Season officially
opened on Thursday afternoon.
The most impressive performance of the day came in the second race, as Babes
Zell dominated a field of Arabian maidens, romping home to win by 16 lengths
under jockey Chris Russell, who scored his second win of the afternoon in the
eighth race aboard Keon, the highest-priced winner of the program at
$23.60. Jockey Michael Martinez also scored a double, as he piloted
Excessive Yodeler ($5.80), a good-looking firster to victory in the sixth, and
Lady Amanda ($7.80), who won the 10th.
With the exception of the eighth race, form held up very well as the mules,
arabians and thoroughbreds returned to a dirt racing surface.
The father-son combo of William J. Morey, Jr. (dad) and William E. Morey,
completed a rare double and exacta combination in the third and fourth
races. See Eye To Eye ($7.00), trained by the younger Morey, was a very
game winner of the third race, battling back to defeat Ex Angel, who had taken
the lead at the top of the stretch.
In the very next race, Morey Jr. sent out first-time starter Midnite in Kona
($9.20) to victory, while his son's horse, Minister Meeting finished
second. The $1 Morey exacta returned $16.90, while the Morey $2 daily
double on races three and four paid $24.20.
Racing resumes at the San Joaquin Fair on Frida, with a first post of 12:45
p.m. PST.
SAN
JOAQUIN FAIR OPENS ON THURSDAY
The San
Joaquin County Fair returns to its tradition June position in kicking off the
first nine days of racing on the Northern California Fair Circuit. Opening Day
is Thursday, June 18, 2009 with first post at 12:45 p.m. PST daily. The first
four days will feature horse racing while the full fair, complete with
concerts, a carnival, agriculture, livestock, food and exhibits, will open for
five days beginning Wednesday, June 24 through Sunday, June 28.
Highlights
this year include the $50,000 Sweepida Stakes at six furlongs for 3-year-old
fillies on Saturday, June 27 and the inaugural running of the $50,000 Pink
Ribbon Stakes at six furlongs for 3-year-olds on closing day, June 28. The
Pink Ribbon Stakes is part of an ontrack effort to raise money in support of
finding a cure for breast cancer.
New to
the fair this year will be a running of the Northern California Wiener
Nationals Series sponsored by Wienerschnitzel on Saturday, June 27. Conducted
between the horse races, 96 dachshunds will compete in 8 heats. The two
fastest dachshunds to exit the final qualifying round will earn a berth in the
2009 Championship, to be conducted at halftime of a Cal Berkeley game later in
the fall. Other races in the Wiener Nationals Series will be conducted at Pleasanton, Santa Rosa and Golden Gate Fields.
The Pink
Ribbon Stakes will be the feature race on a day dedicated to raising awareness
for breast cancer research. Fans are encouraged to wear Pink as part of the
closing day festivities and “Bet on a Cure for Cancer” by placing a $2 win
wager in support of the effort. Mutuel tickets and small donations will be
accepted at a booth near the Winner’s Circle. The track will feature a
“Pink-Out” with horses, grooms, mutuel tellers and jockeys wearing pink. Pink
Ribbon caps and t-shirts will be available for purchase throughout the meet.
For more
information on the San Joaquin County Fair, please visit www.sanjoaquinfair.com or call
209-466-5041.
FULL
FIELDS AS STOCKTON OPENS
The
Northern California racing scene shifts to the Stockton as the San Joaquin
County Fair kicks off the summer fair season on Thursday. The 9-day meet opens
with a 10-race card, and there is much excitement due to the overwhelming
response from horsemen.
“Our
horse population is up between 20 and 25 percent from last year,” said Tom
Doutrich, racing secretary for the fair circuit. “A lot of things fell into
place, including the return of several trainers from Arizona and Idaho, an eight percent purse increase across the board, the desire of may horsemen to run
on conventional dirt again, and our field sizes are helped greatly by not
racing on Mondays.”
“We are
very pleased with entries for the first few days, but our best racing will most
certainly come on closing weekend,” said Doutrich, noting he expects attractive
fields for the two 3-year-old stakes (Sweepida on Saturday, June 27 and Pink
Ribbon on Sunday, June 28).
As is
tradition, the meet will open with a mule race at 350 yards, where veteran
8-year-old campaigner Jet Fuel will begin his 2009 campaign, attempting to make
amends for his three defeats as the odds-on favorite last year at Fresno and Stockton.
The theme
of making amends continues in the second race, the first Arabian race of the
meet, where Babes Zell, who has been no higher than 7/5 in four starts, will
try to get the first win of her career in the five furlong maiden test.
The next
eight races are extremely competitive Thoroughbred contests. The most likely
winner may be in the 10th, where the Kent Molinaro-trained Lady
Amanda heads a field of maiden fillies and mares. Third in her first two
starts against tougher competition, Lady Amanda has been freshened since her
last start and appears poised to pose for a winner’s circle picture after the
six furlong race.
First
post each day is at 12:45 PST.
