CHIC IN A CELEBRATORY MOOD HEADLINE p5 NEWS For information about TDN, DELIVERED EACH NIGHT BY FAX AND FREE BY E-MAIL TO SUBSCRIBERS OF call 732-747-8060. www.thoroughbreddailynews.com SUNDAY, AUGUST 29, 2004 IT’S A BIRDIE! POMEROY POUNCES TO TAKE KING’S BISHOP The critics said he couldn’t do it, and the bettors Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith’s Pomeroy (Bound- weren’t entirely convinced that Marylou Whitney’s ary) sat just in behind a speed duel up front then Birdstone (Grindstone), unraced in the 84 days since his charged through a mammoth opening turning for home stirring victory in the GI en route to a 1 1/2-length victory over Weigelia Belmont S. June 5, could (Safely’s Mark) in the GI win the GI Travers S. But King’s Bishop S. It was with a three-wide move the second victory in the at the quarter pole, the King’s Bishop for Tabor, little engine that could who took the event in stole away to a clear 1996 with Honour and lead past the midstretch Glory when it was run as marker and went on to a Grade II. Favored Med- register a 2 1/2-length allist (Touch Gold) was Birdstone Horsephotos victory over his stable- Pomeroy Horsephotos off slowly, rushed up to mate The Cliff’s Edge make the lead, but fal- (Gulch). “Those two horses were really great today,” tered in the stretch to finish second last. “He ran good said trainer Nick Zito. “Birdstone proved how great he going into the turn and then he tried to come out,” said is, coming off the layoff. They ran slow up front, but his jockey Jorge Chavez. “There was nothing I could we were still able to run them down.” The victory was do.” King’s Bishop cont. p3 the first in the $1-million event for Zito, who had been shut out in his previous 11 attempts. Travers cont. p2 TURNING THE TABLES Under brilliant reinsmanship from leading jockey John Saturday, Saratoga Race Course Velazquez, Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s Nothing To Lose TRAVERS S.-GI, $1,000,000, SAR, 8-28, 3yo, 1 1/4m, (Sky Classic) weaved his way through stretch traffic 2:02 2/5, ft. and got up in time to defeat 1--BIRDSTONE, 126, c, 3, by Grindstone Silver Tree (Hennessy) in 1st Dam: Dear Birdie (SP), by Storm Bird yesterday’s GII 2nd Dam: Hush Dear, by Silent Screen Fourstardave H. at the Spa. 3rd Dam: You All, by Nashua It was the first victory of O/B-Marylou Whitney Stables (KY); T-Nicholas P Zito; the year for the four-year- J-E Prado; $600,000. Lifetime Record: 8-5-0-0, old, who was coming into $1,575,600. *1/2 to Mountain Bird (Mt. Livermore), yesterday’s event off a GSP, $147,838; and Bird Town (Cape Town), Ch. tough-luck defeat at the hands of Silver Tree in the 3yo Filly, MGISW, $871,251. Nothing to Lose defeats Silver 2--The Cliff's Edge, 126, c, 3, Gulch--Zigember, by GII Bernard Baruch H. July Tree in the Fourstardave 30. “We got lucky,” said Danzig. ($200,000 yrl '02 KEESEP). O-Robert V Adam Coglianese the winning rider. “We LaPenta; B-Stonerside Stable (KY); $200,000. could have got shut off and got beat. The horse ran 3--Eddington, 126, c, 3, Unbridled--Fashion Star, by really, really well. It was nice turning the tables on Chief's Crown. ($450,000 yrl '02 KEEJUL). Silver Tree.” Fourstardave cont. p5 O-Willmott Stables Inc; B-Carl Rosen Associates (KY); $100,000. Margins: 2HF, 3HF, NK. Odds: 4.80, 3.15, 9.70. Maiden Sweet Catomine takes the Also Ran: Purge, Sir Shackleton, Suave, Lion Heart. GI Del Mar Debutante....p3 TDN P HEADLINE NEWS • 8/29/04 • PAGE 2 of 10 Travers S. cont. Threatening Skies, But a Happy Result... A Harbinger of Things to Come... No, those weren’t cameras going off as the field for There was no more impressive maiden winner at the the Travers was sent on its 10-furlong journey, but 2003 Saratoga meeting than Birdstone, who splashed rather flashes of lightning from a menacing thunder- through the mud to win by a whopping 12 1/2-length storm which rolled into Saratoga. Lion Heart (Tale of margin at first asking last Aug. 2. The next logical step the Cat) got off to a sluggish beginning, but led the was the GI Hopeful S. four weeks later, but the bay field past the stands for the first time, covering the lacked the same turn of foot that carried him to his opening two furlongs in a pedestrian :24.48. GII Jim maiden score and he could do no better than fourth, Dandy S. winner Purge (Pulpit) stalked the leader from some 6 1/2 lengths behind Silver Wagon. The half second while Eddington (Unbridled) was a ground-sav- brother to 2003 GI Kentucky Oaks and Eclipse Award ing third. Birdstone found himself just a half dozen winner Bird Town regrouped off that effort and came lengths off Lion Heart’s easy half mile of :49.15 and from just off the pace to register his first success at the took even closer order after six furlongs in 1:12.82. highest level in the Oct. 4 Champagne S., but Zito Asked to accelerate approaching the quarter pole, decided not to go on to the Breeders’ Cup and instead Birdstone was pulled out three wide, assumed com- put the colt away with an eye on 2004. mand at the three-sixteenths pole and was going away at the finish. The Cliff’s Edge, who found himself closer A Start and Stop Campaign... to the front as a result of the slow pace, put in a strong move on the far turn, but was no match for the winner. The three-length winner of his sophomore bow at Trainer Patrick Biancone was perplexed following the Gulfstream on Valentine’s Day, Birdstone was sent to last-place finish of favored Lion Heart. “He quit too Kentucky for the GII Lane’s End S. Mar. 20, but the colt early. I don’t know what else until I see him.” Added struggled mightily over a sealed main track and was jockey Joe Bravo, “He rated good and nice. He felt fifth as the 3-5 chalk. The GI Toyota Blue Grass was to good, pole to pole. Then he started shortening his be next on the agenda, but the homebred developed a stride.” high white blood count two days before the Apr. 10 Click for the brisnet.com chart or the free brisnet.com test and was scratched. Entered in the Kentucky Derby catalogue-style pedigree. For the video race replay, without the benefit of a prep, Birdstone was eighth, select: broadband or modem. inspiring in his trainer the necessary confidence to point for the Belmont. The First Family of Saratoga... The Whitney family had been represented by just one Party Crasher... winner of Saratoga’s marquee event, when Chompion The rest, as they say, is history. Before a crowd in carried the eton blue silks of C.V. Whitney to victory in excess of 120,000 on the first Saturday in June, 1968. For his widow, yesterday was the completion of Birdstone kept close contact with the pace, hoping that a fairy tale. “I can’t believe it’s true. It’s like a dream would-be Triple Crown hero Smarty Jones would be come true,” Marylou Whitney commented. “I always softened up by his early efforts. And that he was. wanted to see my colors on that canoe out there [on Birdstone, with Edgar Prado up, rallied four wide into the infield lake]. It was so wonderful to see my colors the stretch, took aim on Smarty Jones and went on to at the Belmont on the jockey, but now the canoe.” She dash the dreams of the Thoroughbred world, winning was effusive in her praise for her trainer. “I am so by a length. But surely he couldn’t win the $1-million thrilled with the way Nick brought this horse up. He’s Midsummer Derby off this kind of layoff...or could he? the doctor, he did a brilliant job of training this horse.” (859) 233-4252 FAX (859) 987-0008 www.claibornefarm.com TDN P HEADLINE NEWS • 8/29/04 • PAGE 3 of 10 Saturday, Saratoga Saturday, Del Mar KING'S BISHOP S.-GI, $250,000, SAR, 8-28, 3yo, 7f, DEL MAR DEBUTANTE S.-GI, $250,000, DMR, 8-28, 1:20 4/5 (NSR), ft. 2yo, f, 7f, 1:24, ft. 1--sPOMEROY, 121, c, 3, by Boundary 1--s@#SWEET CATOMINE, 114, f, 2, by Storm Cat 1st Dam: Questress, by Seeking the Gold 1st Dam: Sweet Life (SW & GISP, $223,486), 2nd Dam: Nahema, by Believe It by Kris S. 3rd Dam: Flickering Star, by Chompion 2nd Dam: Symbolically, by Flying Paster ($45,000 yrl '02 KEESEP; $300,000 2yo ‘03 3rd Dam: Hail to the Queen, by Native Royalty FTFFEB). O-Derrick Smith & Michael Tabor; B-Cherry O/B-Mr & Mrs Martin J Wygod (KY); T-Julio C Valley Farm Llc (KY); T-Patrick L Biancone; J-E S Canani; J-V Espinoza; $150,000. Lifetime Record: Prado; $150,000. Lifetime Record: 9-4-3-1, $384,250. 2-1-1-0, $159,800. 2--Weigelia, 121, c, 3, Safely's Mark--Turning North, by 2--Souvenir Gift, 120, f, 2, Souvenir Copy--Alleged Gift, Obligato.