By Claire Novak,
Front-running filly Istanford took it to her male rivals early and held on late, carrying a wire-to-wire victory in the $150,000 Arlington Classic Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Arlington Park (VIDEO).
Making the lead all on her own from post 7 in the field of eight for the 1 1/16-mile contest, the sophomore Michael Stidham trainee secured the advantage going into the first turn and set the pace with an opening :24.36 quarter and a half in :49.21. Fellow speedster Solitary Ranger rated along in second by 1 1/2 lengths, and held that position while eventual runner-up Long On Value followed closely in third.
Posting three-quarters in 1:14.13, Istanford rounded the turn for home and quickened under jockey James Graham, keeping Long On Value at bay while putting up a 1:37.86 mile. Afortable, favored at 8-5, could not close from far back in time and had to settle for the show in the Arlington Classic, the first leg of the Mid-America Triple. Final time on the firm turf was 1:43.60.
"She's great; she's absolutely beautiful," said Graham, who has been aboard Istanford for all three of her career wins. "She showed it today. If they give her a breather, they ain't catching her. I've wanted to ride her all along but sometimes I couldn't get off another horse I was supposed to ride. We were going to lay off (the pace) if (Solitary Ranger) wanted the lead, but evidently he didn't. So she just bounced around here happy as can be, and came on home."
It was the first victory of the season for the daughter of Istan, who had not put up another score for partners Ike and Dawn Thrash and Janet and Sam Alley since taking a Dec. 19 mile turf allowance at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. She came off a good second in the May 2 Edgewood Stakes at Churchill Downs, that effort a fine recovery from an 11th in the April 5 Ashland (gr. I) on Keeneland Polytrack. Earlier in the season, she was second in the Florida Oaks (gr. IIIT) at Tampa Bay Downs.
"We didn't have a lot of options for a filly race, so we thought 'let's just keep her here and run out of her own stall,'" Stidham said. "I've run in this race a few times and I feel it's the easiest of the three races (in the Mid-America series). Our filly had been running good and had been beat by some pretty good fillies in her last two losses. We felt fairly confident that we had a chance in the race."
Off at odds of 5-1, Istanford paid $12.20, $5.60, and $4.20 while Long On Value returned $4.80 and $3.20 under Brian Hernandez Jr. with Afortable bringing $3 under Julien Leparoux. Chief Barker, Tiger Bourbon, Rankhasprivileges, Solitary Ranger, and Ry's the Man completed the order of finish.
“We had a pretty good trip; I just wish the horse on the lead had a little more pressure on her, but she didn’t,” Hernandez explained. “She had everything kind of go her way, then we had to run into her. It just slowed down a lot in front of us. We ran a good race and he sprinted home, but the filly had a little more sprint in her.”
Leparoux echoed similar sentiments. “It was a good trip," he said. "They didn’t really back up at the end. He made his run, but there wasn’t a lot of pace. He ran big.”
Istanford, bred in Florida by Hardacre Farm out of the Tale of the Cat mare Aerocat, now has those three wins and two seconds from eight starts, with earnings of $207,246. She is 2-for-3 at Arlington, where she broke her maiden going a mile on the turf by five lengths last August. She was a $25,000 purchase by Ike and Dawn Thrash at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. Florida summer yearling sale in 2012, when consigned by Summerfield, agent.
Only two fillies have won the Arlington Classic, and none had done it since long before it was moved to turf in 1994. Twilight Tear took the 1944 edition, then called the Classic and run at one mile on the dirt at Washington Park, and Tosmah took it in 1964 when it was run at 1 1/4 miles on the dirt.
The second leg of the Mid-America Triple, the July 12 American Derby (gr. IIT) leading to the Aug. 16 Secretariat Stakes (gr. IT), is a possible next start for Istanford. Stidham said she would be nominated to a variety of races as her connections consider their options.
Read more on BloodHorse.com: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/85274/istanford-beats-the-boys-in-arlington-classic#ixzz32gPTkvo0
By Claire Novak,
Homebred Nikki's Sandcastle made a strong run on the final turn of the $150,000 Hanshin Cup Stakes (gr. III) May 24 at Arlington Park, and that move carried him to a determined finish May 24 for his first victory of 2014 (VIDEO).
Exiting a third in the April 19 Ben Ali Stakes (gr. III) over Keeneland's Polytrack and seeking his first win for owner Richard Sherman since an upset victory at the Lexington oval in the Hagyard Fayette Stakes (gr. II) last October, the 7-year-old Castledale gelding withstood bumping from Pass the Dice to edge off in time by half a length under vigorous handling.
Jockey Leandro Goncalves said he has become familiar with the hard-knocking runner by working him for trainer David Kassen in the mornings, as well as partnering with him in the afternoons.
"This was the third time I rode him and I've worked him four or five times before, so I know what he likes and how he acts," Goncalves explained. "We changed a bit to break to get him closer and not take him far back where he's been (in past races) and always gets in trouble. I just wanted to make sure he got a good trip because I knew he would show up."
Goncalves kept Nikki's Sandcastle seventh in the field of 13 older runners behind a pace set by Mongolian Saturday, who went through early fractions of :23.07 and :45.81 while being pressed by Tulira Castle. Mongolian Saturday held the advantage by a head to post three-quarters in 1:10.30, but yielded briefly to Valentino Beauty as that one ranged up to take the lead heading for home.
Nikki's Sandcastle was rolling at a good clip, however, after shifting out five wide midway through the bend. He ranged up to challenge for command while getting five-eighths in 1:22.88, and took it after holding firm through bumping from Pass the Dice. Final time was 1:35.57 on the fast track.
Mister Marti Gras rallied from far back to finish second under Eduardo Perez, a half-length clear of Pass the Dice.
"My horse tried hard and gave it all he had," said Perez. "I thought I would have passed (the winner) in the last sixteenth but he just hung on me. I thought I had a good chance when I saw the speed fractions."
"It was pretty uneventful," said jockey Channing Hill of his trip aboard Pass the Dice. "We kind of bullied our way out at the top of the lane. I thought we had a really good shot. I have to give the first- and second-place horses a lot of credit."
According to jockey Chris Emigh, aboard 8-5 favorite Hogy in the one-mile test, multiple circumstances combined to put his mount at a disadvantage.
"He lost his tongue tie going to the gate; that didn't help," Emigh said. "Then he got into a pinch where he was trapped between horses on the outside; he doesn't like that. He likes to have a clear run on the outside, but he got squeezed out there, I had to check a little, and it was all over."
Nikki's Sandcastle paid $16.40, $7.80, and $5.20 while Mister Marti Gras brought $14.40 and $6.80, with Pass the Dice returning $4.60. Joha, Valentino Beauty, 2011 Hanshin winner Havelock, Sir Applesolutely, Mongolian Saturday, Fordubai, Tulira Castle, Pataky Kid, Hogy, and Francois completed the order of finish.
A Kentucky-bred out of the Sandpit mare Sandtina, Nikki's Sandcastle has a 10-9-6 record from 40 starts, with earnings of $650,707. The Hanshin was his second graded stakes victory. In his other starts of 2014, he was fourth in the Skip Away Stakes (gr. III) on dirt in March at Gulfstream Park, fifth in the Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap (gr. IT) in February, and third in the Fort Lauderdale (gr. IIT) on Jan. 11—his first start off that 2013 Fayette score.
Read more on BloodHorse.com: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/85270/nikkis-sandcastle-takes-hanshin-cup#ixzz32gQ7ZkxX
By Claire Novak,
Salvador Hernandez's La Tia displayed her affinity for her home track once again May 24 in the $150,000 Arlington Matron (gr. III), romping wire-to-wire under E.T. Baird in the 1 1/8-mile Polytrack event at Arlington Park (VIDEO).
The two-time Illinois-bred champion wheeled back in two weeks off her season debut, a runner-up finish in a May 9 allowance event going 1 1/16 miles at the Chicagoland oval. She appeared full of good energy in her rapid return for trainer Armando De La Cerda as she cleared her closest contender by 6 1/4 lengths. It was her seventh career victory, six of which have come at Arlington.
Sent to the lead by Baird from post 3 as the 8-5 favorite in a field of eight older fillies and mares, the 5-year-old daughter of City Place kept about a length advantage over Awesome Flower while getting early fractions of :24.14 and :48.07 with 3-1 third choice Frivolous skimming the rail in third.
"(There was) a little bit (of early pressure), but nothing that she wasn't unable to handle," Baird said of his mount's front-running position. "I had her well in hand. Armando told me she was a kind filly and that she would pretty much do what I wanted her to do. He was exactly right. This was the first time I was ever on her. It was a pretty good feeling."
La Tia led the group into the far turn, completing three-quarters in 1:12.17, and kicked clear through a 1:36.67 mile, finishing under firm handling in 1:49.66. Frivolous worked hard for the place by a neck over Awesome Flower. Ambusher was a head back in fourth, followed by Moment in Dixie, I Dazzle, Heart of Destiny, and Naples Gold.
Naples Gold caused a minor delay before the start for a shoe repair, and the riders briefly dismounted behind the gate while she returned to the paddock for the adjustment.
"The delay concerned me because she just ran two weeks ago and is a bit hyper," De La Cerda said of the winner. "I thought she might lose her energy, but she was okay. Last time out she ran very fast, so I was a little worried. She ran a mile and a sixteenth last time to get her ready to run a mile and an eighth (today). She came out of that race good and happy, so I said 'Let's run her.' "
La Tia returned $5.20, $3.40, an $3. Frivolous paid $4.20 and $3, with Awesome Flower bringing $3.60.
The Arlington Matron was the second graded victory for La Tia, who took the 2012 Arlington Oaks (gr. III). In 2013 the dark bay mare won two of her six races—all on grass—including the Lincoln Heritage Handicap en route to being crowned both champion older handicap female and female turf horse in Illinois.
Bred by Hernandez out of the Sky Classic mare La Adelita, La Tia improved her career record to 7-1-3 from 17 starts for earnings of $528,382 for her owner's Hernandez Racing Club.
Read more on BloodHorse.com: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/85266/la-tia-impressive-arlington-matron-winner#ixzz32gQLnxRk
