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3.2.2002
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Photo By: Jim Linscott
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Barnett Stables' Paloma Parilla (pink colors) and jockey James Lopez withstood a late rally from Choctaw Racing Stable's Cope With An Image (#8, outside) and jockey Damon Nuesch to win the second division of the $75,000 Southwest Stakes at Oakalwn Park in Hot Springs, Ark. on March 2. Windward Passage (red cap, obscured) finished third in the field of eight three-year-old colts. |
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Came Home Rates, Accelerates Around Two Turns In San Rafael
By John Asher
Kentucky Derby Headlines:
WEST (California) -- Saturday's San Rafael (GII) at Santa Anita
confirmed again that the talented Came Home is one of the top
3-year-olds of his generation and, although the Kentucky Derby's 1
1/4-miles remains a great unknown, the flashy son of Gone West proved
he's awfully tough at one mile.
Came Home passed a major test when he cruised to a three-length
victory over late-
running Easy Grades and five other rivals in his first test at a
two-turn distance. Came Home stalked the pacesetting Werblin before he
quickly surged to the lead on the turn for home and drew off down the
stretch under jockey Chris McCarron. He completed the mile in 1:36.20 on
a "fast" track.
"He looked like the best horse on paper, but the way he finished
in the race was very promising," said McCarron. "Going into this race I
didn't have any qualms about his ability to get a mile, but now he
showed me he'll go a mile-and-an-eighth. The next eighth-of-a-mile after
that, who knows?"
Werblin finished third, followed by Ocean Sound, Fonz's,
Pelirrojo, and Cottonwood Cowboy.
Trainer Paco Gonzalez said Sunday morning that Came Home bounced
out of his race in good shape and was likely to continue on to the
$750,000 Santa Anita Derby (GI) on April 6. He said the final decision
on the colt's next start would be made by owners John Toffan, Trudy
McCaffery, Bill Farish, and John Goodman.
Came Home won for the second time in as many starts as a
3-year-old and improved his career record to 5-0-0 in six races. He has
now earned $421,400.
MIDWEST (Kentucky, Illinois, Louisiana, Arkansas) -- A pair of
stretch-running winners -- James Cassels and Bob Zollars' Private Emblem
and Barnett Stables' Paloma Parilla -- splashed home in their respective
divisions of the $75,000 Southwest Stakes at muddy Oaklawn Park on
Saturday to strengthen their credentials as contenders for the $500,000
Arkansas Derby (GII) on April 13. The latter withstood a jockey's
objection and a brief review by Oaklawn stewards to hold on to his
victory.
Private Emblem, one of four Steve Asmussen-trained horses that
competed in the Southwest's two one-mile divisions, trailed a sharp pace
in the first division before he rallied to edge Dusty Spike by
three-quarters of a length. Previously unbeaten Clergy, the first
division favorite, was third.
Private Emblem, who won the Black Gold Stakes at the Fair
Grounds in his previous start, covered the mile in 1:40.29 under Donnie
Meche. The New York-bred son of Our Emblem won for the third time in six
races and raised his career earnings to $159,300.
Paloma Parilla, a Maryland-bred son of Dove Hunt trained by
Larry Robideaux and ridden by James Lopez, rallied from third and
survived a stretch-long duel with Cope With An Image to win by a neck in
1:41.70. Windward Passage rallied to finish third and the favored Cojet
faded to seventh after setting a strong pace.
Request For Parole outdueled Perfect Drift to win Saturday's
$100,000 John Battaglia Memorial in a rerun of their earlier duel in the
WEBN Frog Stakes -- but the margin was much narrower this time around.
Perfect Drift benefited from a ground-saving move along the rail
by jockey Tony D'Amico to grab a clear advantage over Request For Parole
in upper stretch in the 1 1/16-mile Battaglia, but the latter surged in
the final yards under Brian Peck to prevail by a nose. Pacesetter
Thunder On Land, the winner's entrymate, was a distant third, 13
3/4-lengths behind the top pair. Request For Parole won their previous
meeting by 1 1/2-lengths.
"This colt does just enough to win," said Peck. "He's smart
enough that if anyone catches him, he finds another gear."
Request For Parole, who is owned by Jeri and Sam Knighton,
improved his career record to 4-3-1 in nine starts and he has now earned
$291,212. The Steve Margolis-trained colt covered 1 1/16-miles is 1:43
on a "sloppy track." He chased the likes of Harlan's Holiday and Repent
at two, but is now unbeaten in two starts at three.
"I think last year those other horses taught him how to win,"
said Margolis. "I used to think maybe he wasn't as good as them, but
he's just now improving."
Round 3 of the rivalry between Request For Parole and Perfect
Drift will come in the Lane's End Spiral.
The anticipated 3-year-old debut of Sandbar Farm's unbeaten
Cashel Castle was delayed when winter weather forced the cancellation of
Saturday's Sportsman's Park race card. The Chris Block-trained Hoosier
Juvenile winner had been entered in a 5 1/2-furlong allowance race.
EAST (New York, Maryland) -- Magic Weisner found his way through a wall
of horses in the stretch to make Saturday's $75,000 Deputed Testamony
Stakes at Laurel Park his third consecutive stakes victory.
Owned, bred and trained by Nancy Alberts, Magic Weisner won by 1
3/4-lengths and covered the 1 1/16-mile distance in 1:44.80 under jockey
Phil Teator. Magic Weisner improved his record to 5-1-0 in eight races.
"I sat off the leaders, looking for somewhere to go," said
Teator. "An opening happened and he exploded through. He's something
else."
Invent finished second and Root With Style was third as odds-on
favorite Touch Love, the only filly in the field of five, finished last.
SOUTHEAST (Florida) -- Marylou Whitney's Straight Gin turned in a gritty
stretch rally to notch his second consecutive victory for trainer Nick
Zito in a 1 1/16-mile allowance race on Saturday at Gulfstream Park.
Straight Gin edged clear of Marasca in the final yards to win by
three-quarters of a length under jockey Jorge Chavez. Quest Star
finished third, 8 1/4-lengths farther back. Straight Gin covered the
distance in 1:42.27.
The winner is a son of 1994 Kentucky Derby winner Go For Gin,
one of Zito's two Derby winners.
Kentucky Oaks Update -- Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider's Bema,
outfitted with blinkers for the first time, romped to a 3 1/4-length
victory in Saturday's Busher Stakes at Aqueduct. Javier Castellano rode
the winner, a daughter of Pulpit trained by Shug McGaughey...A rematch
between Edmund Gann's You and the Thoroughbred Corp's Habibti is set for
Saturday's 1 1/16-mile Santa Anita Oaks (GI) at the Arcadia, Cal. track.
Habibti defeated You by a head in the Hollywood Starlet (GI) in
December, but You took their rematch by a length in the Las Virgenes
(GI) on Feb. 10.
Derby Talk -- Seattle Slew, winner of the 1977 Kentucky Derby and the
only surviving winner of the Triple Crown, is recovering from successful
surgery to correct a neck problem. The 28-year-old champion underwent
surgery on Saturday to fuse the joint between two vertebrae. The
procedure was performed at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington,
Ky., where he is expected to remain for up to 10 days. Seattle Slew
underwent similar surgery in April, 2000 and his recovery is expected to
take six to eight weeks. "We're taking everything one step at a time,"
said owner Mickey Taylor. "He's a very intelligent and resilient horse.
I learned a long time ago to never, ever be surprised by what he can
do"...The Los Angeles Times reported Sunday that Jack Van Berg, trainer
of 1987 Kentucky Derby winner Alysheba, faces the suspension of his
training license because of financial problems. Van Berg, 65, is a
member of racing's Hall of Fame and has won more than 6,300 races in his
career. The report said Santa Anita stewards had ruled that Van Berg's
license would be suspended March 12.
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