Archarcharch, Due Date post wins on Santa Super Saturday
card at Fair Grounds
Fair Grounds offered five stakes races on its Santa Super Saturday program,
Trained by Jinks
A fast-finishing second versus maiden special weight rivals at Churchill
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Jockey Jon Court asked for run upon
entering the stretch, and Archarcharch began to wear down his rival. Joe
Hollywood dug in gamely along the rail when initially confronted, but he could
not withstand his challenger in the final sixteenth of a mile. Archarcharch
carried his momentum to a 1 3/4-length win, clocking six furlongs over the fast
track in 1:10 2/5.
“I knew I had to stay close today because of the small field,” Court said of
his ride aboard Archarcharch, who is trained by his father-in-law. “I looked
over and saw Robby (Albarado, aboard Joe Hollywood) next to me and I could tell
he had something left in the tank.”
The even-money second favorite yielded payouts of $4 and $2.40. Joe Hollywood
wound up 5 3/4 lengths clear of B G Suavecito (Suave), and Hydro Power
(Aptitude) trailed.
“I think people probably thought we were a little bit silly bringing a maiden
down here to run against winners,” Fires said, “But we’ve always been pretty
high on this horse. All of his works have been above-average so we thought we
had a nice colt. The owner turned down a lot of money for him because we did
think so.”
Jinks was asked about future plans.
“We plan on going in the Smarty Jones (at Oaklawn Park on January 17) first
and hopefully if that works out well we’ll continue on.
“He’s bred to go that way — long — but he has enough natural speed that we
thought sprinting would be good rather than, if we had to, going into the Smarty
Jones at a mile,” Jinks added
Archarcharch, who has now earned $47,744, owns the pedigree for longer
distances. He’s out of the Grade 2-placed Woodman’s Dancer (Woodman), and second
dam Pattern Step (Nureyev) captured the 1988 Hollywood Oaks (G1).
DUE DATE (El Prado [Ire]) proved to be a convincing winner of the $60,000
A fast-closing sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G2) in his previous
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Due Date took the overland route into the stretch, racing not far from the
outside rail as he motored home, and struck the front inside the sixteenth pole. He drew clear
late to win in 1:04 1/5.
“We got in a one-two punch today,” said Margolis, who saddled his first Fair
Grounds winner two years ago on this same date and has quickly become one of the
top stakes trainers of the Crescent City oval’s winter racing season. “Due Date
had an unlucky trip last time, but he has really come into his own lately, and
he’s getting better as a five-year-old going on to his six-year-old season.”
“I know my horse perfectly,” Farina said. “There was a lot of pace in the
race. I take my time with him and that is what I did and he won.”
The gray totaled $7.40, $6.40 and $4.20 with Early Return, who got up by a
neck for second over the 6-1 Backtalk (Smarty Jones). It was another head back
to Goldzar (Cozar), who came from the well off the pace as the 62-1 longest
shot, and Central City, Royal Express (Royal Academy), Cool Bullet (Red Bullet),
Grand Traverse (Pioneering), Major Rules (Peace Rules) and Western Smoke were
next under the wire. Why Not Be Perfect (Whywhywhy) was scratched.
Due Date notched his first stakes win in the Kentucky Cup Dash three starts
previously and finished a close third in the Woodford S. (G3) prior to his
Breeders’ Cup effort. The Kentucky-bred also placed in the Jaipur S. (G3) and
Troy S. last year, and he’s now bankrolled $240,788 from a 29-7-1-4 scorecard.
Heiligbrodt Racing Stable’s FASTATION (Valid Expectations) recorded her fifth
straight stakes win when rallying to a smart 3 1/2-length tally in the
$58,200
Letellier Memorial S. for two-year-old fillies. Trained by Steve Asmussen
and ridden by Shaun Bridgmohan, the Texas-bred miss has recorded a pair of
stakes scores over restricted rivals and added the six-furlong Letellier
Memorial to open victories in the Permian Basin S. at Zia Park and the Mountaineer Juvenile Fillies. She
completed six furlongs in 1:11.
Fastation dropped nearly 10 lengths off a quick opening quarter-mile in :21
4/5 by Big Sweets (American Champ). She advanced into a threatening position
after a half-mile in :45 3/5, and Bridgmohan guided the dark bay filly to the
outside leaving the far turn. She accelerated rapidly into the stretch, reaching
the five-furlong point in :58 1/5 with a one-length advantage, and continued to
draw off in the final furlong.
“She’s an honest filly,” Bridgmohan explained. “I let her do her thing. She
just does what you want.”
Fastation, who opened her racing career with three straight runner-ups at
Lone Star Park, has now earned $259,768 from her 8-5-3-0 line. She returned
$4.80, $2.80 and $2.10 as the 7-5 favorite in Saturday’s six-horse field and was
followed by Fiscal Policy (Wildcat Heir), Street Storm (Stormy Atlantic),
Dimanche Pouliche (Sunday Break [Jpn), Big Sweets and Unbridled Praise
(Songandaprayer).
Saturday’s stakes action kicked off with a wire-to-wire score by Ron
Off as the 2-1 second choice among four rivals, Wildcat Heiress paid $6.60
“I’d hoped I’d get a good, clear break and I did,” jockey Corey Lanerie said.
A debut maiden winner at Hoosier Park on September 5, Wildcat Heiress
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“We’d been looking for a good spot for her,” owner Ron McCauley said. “She
won three of her first four races and we felt it was time to move on up to
stakes races. She’s proven herself over Poly, over grass and over synthetic. We
actually had her entered at Tampa last weekend in a grass race, but she didn’t
draw in and our next choice was here. I’m real glad it worked out this way.”
A 21-1 upset winner of the Hanshin Cup S. (G3) two starts previously, Jim
Tafel’s homebred COUNTRY FLAVOR (Empire Maker) proved all doubters wrong again
in the $58,800
Tenacious H., closing strongly to win to win by a neck as a 11-1 outsider.
Jockey Shane Sellers recorded his second straight win in the 1 1/16-mile event,
following up on the success of Good and Lucky (Wild Rush) in 2009, providing a
well-timed ride to get up in the final strides aboard the four-year-old gelding.
The Greg Geier trainee stopped the teletimer in 1:44 3/5.
Smarten Destiny (Smart Strike) set an early pace in :24 and :48 as Country
Flavor rated in midpack during the early stages. Z Humor (Distorted Humor) was
up close tracking the pacesetter and surged to the lead approaching the
conclusion of the far turn, passing the three-quarters pole in 1:13. Country
Flavor saved ground along the rail through the final bend and was guided to the
outside for the stretch run.
Z Humor shook off a stiff challenge from Recapturetheglory (Cherokee Run) in
midstretch, but he could not withstand the oncoming Country Flavor, who
determinedly got up in the final strides.
“It was a tough race but it set up good for him,” Sellers explained. “I was
able to tuck in and save ground. I thought if we had some running room we would
be fine. You always want to be confident. We thought he was capable of running
this kind of race.”
The Kentucky-bred entered the Tenacious off a 105-day layoff, posting a fifth
in the September 4 Washington Park H. (G3) most recently, and improved his
ledger to 15-5-1-2, $179,890. He paid $24.40, $8 and $4.20. Z Humor, the 9-2
third choice among seven runners, wound up 1 3/4 lengths clear of the 5-2
Dubious Miss (E Dubai) in third. Recapturetheglory, Atoned (Repent), Smarten
Destiny and 3-2 favorite Mad Flatter (Flatter) rounded out the order of finish.
“When we got here from Chicago he was sick; that’s why he didn’t work in
November,” Geier stated. “He started training good. He likes this racetrack, so
we said, ‘Lets give it a try.'”