'Jump': Saratoga Storms - L'Imperator, Abaan meet again in delayed A.P. Smithwick and Bargary's Double Delight!
'Jump': Saratoga Storms - L'Imperator, Abaan meet again in delayed A.P. Smithwick and Bargary's Double Delight!
Saturday July 20th, Edition #43
In Case You Missed It: This Weeks Top 5 USA Jump Racing Stories
Contents
Summer ‘Jump’ - L'Imperator, Abaan meet again in delayed A.P. Smithwick
Saratoga - AP Smithwick Entries
Colonial Downs Race 1 - Walk the Warrior dances to victory in $50,000 maiden
Colonial Downs Race 2 - Exuma rallies to take 110 handicap
Colonial Downs Race 3 - Kitten Around makes it two in a row in $35,000 handicap
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Saratoga Storms and Bargary's Double Delight!
As anticipated, the Tuesday night storms in Saratoga led to the rescheduling of the AP Smithwick steeplechase race to Sunday. The field seems set for a thrilling encore, spotlighting a tantalizing battle between Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Abaan and Hudson River Farms' French bred, L'Imperator (FR).
However, Katie Dalton, Abaan’s trainer isn’t sure the extra time between races has necessarily benefited him. “It might have been a slightly bad thing,” she said. “We’ve ended up really training him a lot with nowhere to go. He’s a little bit over training at this point, though he’s doing all his training very well. He’s getting bored now. It’s about to get interesting, I hope.”
Taking a deeper look into the prestigious owner lineup for this Grade 1 affair reveals the usual steeplechase stalwarts like Bruton Street-US and Leipers Fork Steeplechasers. Yet, it’s wonderful to see the inclusion of Eclipse Thoroughbred, Madaket Stables, and the emerging force of Upland Flats. Personally, I still don't think we have gotten to the bottom of Abaan's potential yet. Should be a good one!
Meanwhile, Thursday's trio of 2 1/4-mile hurdle races at the New Kent, Va., circuit produced victories by three different owners and trainers. Leipers Fork Steeplechasers and Leslie Young solidified their positions at the top of the standings by winning the maiden race with Irish Bred, Walk the Warrior. Additionally, Jamie Bargary rode a double, propelling him ahead of Graham Watters in the competition for the leading jockey title.
Riders up
Steve
Saratoga:
L'Imperator, Abaan meet again in delayed A.P. Smithwick
L'Imperator (No. 1) clears a fence en route to winning the Beverly R. Steinman Hurdle Handicap at Aqueduct Racetrack
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Abaan has defeated L’Imperator the previous two times they have met. Arch Kingsley, the trainer of L’Imperator, believes his horse could flip the script Sunday at Saratoga when the two meet again in the Grade 1, $150,000 A.P. Smithwick Memorial Steeplechase going 2 3/8 miles over National fences.
The Smithwick was originally scheduled for Wednesday, but was postponed when rain forced that card’s races off the turf.
In last October’s Foxwood Champion Hurdle at Far Hills, L’Imperator finished third, 23 lengths behind Abaan. Kingsley felt the turf was too soft for L’Imperator that day. In March, at the Carolina Cup in Camden, L’Imperator was beaten 3 1/4 lengths by Abaan in a race where Kingsley felt L’Imperator made a premature move.
Read the full article at drf.com
Summer Racing:
Saratoga Entries (Sunday 21st July)
Entries for Sunday's Grade 1, $150,000 A.P. Smithwick Memorial, a 2 3/8-mile steeplechase handicap for older horses, at Saratoga Race Course.
Colonial Downs Results Race 1:
Walk the Warrior dances to victory in $50,000 maiden
The Leipers Fork Steeplechasers ownership group is having a bang-up 2024 season. Topping the National Steeplechase Association in both wins and earnings under the direction of leading trainer Leslie Young, the stable rolled out one of their latest acquisitions in Walk the Warrior.
Making only his second NSA start, the five-year-old Irish-bred son of Walk in the Park faced a field of seven challengers. Pressing the pace from the flag drop, jockey Jamie Bargary took an outside trip and was never farther back than a close third. Walk the Warrior ($4.40-1) moved up to second at the two-mile call, took the lead in the stretch, and dug in gamely as Irv Naylor's 16-1 Westerland, under Gerard Galligan mounted a strong charge from fifth to second, beaten just 1 1/4 lengths. Favored Palio, sent off at $2.30-1, was third under Graham Watters for Riverdee Stable.
Walk the Warrior was second in his NSA debut at the Iroquois Races in May, finishing a strong second to Leipers Fork Steeplechasers' stablemate Old Tom Morris. Before that, Walk the Warrior had a pair of off-the-board finishes in his native Ireland.
The victory was trainer Young's 22nd of the season, double that of Hall of Famer Jack Fisher, who sits in second. Young has been the NSA's leading conditioner for the past two seasons.
Read the full article at Facebook.com/tod.marks.9
Colonial Downs Results Race 2:
Exuma rallies to take 110 handicap
Turks Head Turf's Exuma gave trainer Mark Beecher his fifth win of 2024 thanks to a late charge under jockey Jamie Bargary in the second race, a $30,000 handicap for horses rated at 110 or less.
The victory by Bargary, who took the opener aboard Walk the Warrior, was his 10th of the season, one more than Graham Watters.
The race drew a field of nine, and the six-year-old son of Galileo was content to sit in fifth through the first mile and a half, far behind runaway leader Lightning Ridge, who scooted off to an eight-length advantage over the the second-place runner. Exuma made an outside move on the the far turn on the second lap around the course, taking the lead in the upper stretch. From there, he dug in on the inside and withstood a vigorous challenge by Maranto Manor's Auction Kingdom (ridden by Conor O'Farrell) under strong handling by Bargary. The margin of victory for the post-time $2.80-1 favorite was 1 1/4 lengths. Norman Lewis' Auchincruive was far back in third.
Exuma is a recent convert to jump racing, coming off the flat for his first NSA start at the Virginia Gold Cup Races in early May. He finished a close second in that debut in an optional claiming maiden event, then romped by more than five lengths in similar company at the Radnor Hunt Races.
Read the full article at Facebook.com/tod.marks.9
Colonial Downs Results Race 3:
Kitten Around makes it two in a row in $35,000 handicap
Kentucky-bred Kitten Around, a four-year-old son of Flintshire out of a Kitten's Joy mare, certainly has the DNA to be a nice runner. And while his career on the flat may not have produced the desired results, he has shown plenty of spark over hurdles.
In Thursday's handicap for horses rated at 115 or less, the Keri Brion trainee tracked the pacesetters under Stephen Mulqueen for the first mile and a half, and unfurled his bid the around the far turn the final time around. He had a head lead over Oscar Winner, who had led throughout, at the two-mile mark, then fought off Leipers Fork Steeplechasers' 3-1 second choice Artistic Choice (Jamie Bargary) under Mulqueen's strong handling. The margin of victory was 1 3/4 lengths. Even-money favorite Jimmy Dan (Graham Watters) was third.
Kitten Around, who is owned by Upland Flats Racing, Darkhorse Racing, and The International Venture, has made six NSA starts, winning his past two. Before Thursday's tally, he took an optional claiming maiden at Great Meadow in May. Between that race and Thursday's contest, he finished out of the money in a first-level allowance race on the turf at Penn National.
PICTURED: File photos of Thursday's three winners at Colonial Downs
Read the full article at Facebook.com/tod.marks.9
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