FREE SUBSCR ER IPT IN IO A N R S T COMPLIMENTS OF T !2!4/'! O L T IA H C E E 4HE S SP ARATOGA Year 9 • No. 20 SARATOGA’S DAILY NEWSPAPER ON THOROUGHBRED RACING Friday, August 21, 2009 Comic Relief D’Funnybone sparkles in the Special Inside F Lake Placid preview F Today’s entries & handicapping Racing UK PPs Inside Tod Marks Photo Here & There at Saratoga 517 Broadway, Suite 207 Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 (Second Floor, around the back) Phone: (518) 490-1175 Sean Mobile: (302) 545-7713 Joe Mobile: (302) 545-4424 E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected] Internet: www.saratogaspecial.com Published Wednesday through Sunday during the racing season. Every day of Sales Week Aug. 10-16. The Staff Editors/Publishers: Sean Clancy, Joe Clancy Staff Writers: Brian Nadeau, Karen Johnson, Ben Meyers, Katie Bo Williams, Colin Beaury Photographers: Tod Marks, Dave Harmon, Connie Bush, Sarah Condon Handicappers: Pete Fornatale, John Pana- got, Gaile Fitzgerald, John Shapazian Office Assistant: Jill Grant Distribution: Ryan Clancy, Jack Clancy, Nolan Clancy, Jane Motion Advertising Sales: Contact a Clancy or call Jon Bordeau (518) 812-4545 or Kathy Rubin at (203) 650-6815 ST Publishing Inc. Home Office Tod Marks 364 Fair Hill Drive, Suite F, Steve Asmussen’s lead pony, Poncho, shows that he got up early Thursday morning. Elkton, MD 21921 (410) 392-5867 • Fax (410) 392-0170 Worth Repeating “Don’t worry. Everybody noticed.” www.st-publishing.com Violette, talking about sleeping in until 7 o’clock Wednesday morning “I got some Crazy Glue.” [email protected] Exercise rider when asked if she had gotten stitches yet Trainer Jack Fisher: “Will you be in a better mood now?” The Saratoga Special Trainer Tom Voss (whose horse won Thursday): “I’m so tired of that.” “You hear something?” Steeplechase Times Jockey Mike Luzzi as his agent, Sal Russo, called his name Thoroughbred Racing Calendar The Best of The Saratoga Special “What’s the headline? Yankees Win.” Saratoga Days and other acclaimed Nick Santagata when looking products and services at The Saratoga Special Thursday morning; no Phillies Win. Quote of the Morning within the equine industry. “She went in a blazing 1:09 for 5 furlongs prior to winning the Call us about your editorial needs. “Heavy.” Jump jockey Paddy Young, under a jacket, Indiana Distaff. My other horse that worked with her went in “Editorial excellence is not a goal to be when asked if he was cold Thursday morning 59 and change. Maybe 10 or 15 years ago I would have blown sought and one day acquired and then a gasket but I just chuckled and thought it was funny.” retired to the trophy case. It is instead “People were complaining that horse people only work half a day. Yeah, Trainer Tom Proctor, sun up to sun down.” an ambition which must be pursued Trainer Leo O’Brien Thursday morning about Lake Placid runner Keertana each day, never ending, never totally achieved. That striving, that ambition is “We don’t run, she breaks her maiden here and then maybe we’d be looking an essential part of our newspapers, a cornerstone of what we have been, at the Spinaway.” HORSE TRANSPOrtATION Trainer Rick Violette, asked what would have happened 1-800-523-8143 what we are, and what we will be.” if they didn’t take the race off the grass when Worstcasescenario – Lee Hills, Pulitzer Prize winner, broke her maiden at Belmont Park, her only start before Knight Ridder chief executive, in 1974 winning the Adirondack (she was entered Main Track Only) HAMMERTOWN INSURANCE AGENCY Call to discuss “Fall of the Hammer” coverage for the upcoming sales. “PROTECTING EQUINE INVESTMENTS” s&5,,%15).%-/24!,)49 s34!,,)/.!6!),!"),)49!.$).&%24),)49 s"!22%..%33!.$02/30%#4)6%&/!, s./'5!2!.4%%#/.6%23)/.3 s%15).%,)!"),)49 s&!2-0!#+!'%3 Contact: Anya Sheckley PO Box 90, Pine Plains, NY 12567 Tel: 646-872-6843 Email: [email protected] Fax: 518-398-5143 Web: www.hammertowninsurance.com Tod Marks photo Tod 2 Friday, August 21, 2009 Here & There at Saratoga Still Worth Repeating By The Numbers “I’m so mad, I hit her too much.” $560: Total cost of a Pick Six ticket purchased Jockey Alan Garcia, after winning by six of The Special’s employees. the Adirondack aboard Worstcasescenario $48.50: Total return on the ticket for picking “Believe it or not, she’s bred for the turf.” five out of six. Garcia about Worstcasescenario, a daughter of Forbidden Apple T-Shirt of the Day “I’ve got six years, he’s only 4.” Trainer Todd Wyatt, “Not only am I perfect, but I’m Irish.” on the future of steeplechaser You The Man “I picked the three favorites without knowing Name of the Day anything.” Try this handicapping tool on for size. Twen- Doc Richardson, after handicapping ty-eight horses have earned the honor of Name the jump race Thursday morning of the Day from The Special thus far at the 2009 meet. One was a yearling, and four have “You’ve got a picture of a lawn mower and noth- scratched. The remaining entrants have a record ing about M.G.” of 23-5-4-3 (a win percentage of .217). Assistant Rober Cutler, looking for an article Furthermore, if you placed a $2 win bet on on his former boss, Hall of Fame trainer each of the live 23 you would be up $10.50 M.G. Walsh (The Special did feature a lawn ($56.50 in total winnings for $46 worth of tick- mower on page 2 Thursday morning) ets) for the meet. The Name of the Day winners are: Attrac- Weather tive Ride ($20.80 in the ninth race July 31), Just Ben ($4.10 in the third Aug. 13), Mother Today: Clouds with showers and scattered thun- Russia ($6.00 in the ninth Aug. 13), Theartof- derstorms. High 82. Chance of rain 60 percent. compromise ($15.40 in the third Aug. 15) and Tonight: showers and scattered thunderstorms. D’Funnybone ($10.20 in the ninth Thursday). Low 72. So, without further adieu . Saturday: Scattered thunderstorms possible. High in the 70s. Low in the mid 60s. Ouchy Night, first race.Owned and bred by Edi- Sunday: Few showers. High in the mid 70s, low tion Farm, the 3-year-old filly is a daughter of in the upper 50s. Cactus Ridge and Minetonightsfirst. Monday: Mix of sun and clouds. High in the 70s, low in the mid 50s. Book, fourth race. Owned and bred by Carl Buhr, the 3-year-old gelding is out of Spiral Binder. Sarah Jean Condon IN THE WEEDS. A practice rider guides his mount on a Saratoga morning. Friday, August 21, 2009 3 Ice Follies Purchased in spring, ‘Mary’ tackles turf stakes BY BRIAN NADEAU LAKE PLACID STAKES PREVIEW Rick Dutrow got the phone call shortly after Mary’s Follies won her The win caught Pompa’s attention and turf debut in Monmouth Park’s Boiling he purchased the filly and turned her Springs Stakes June 27. Paul Pompa was over to Dutrow, who has had a long looking to purchase the filly and wanted string of successes with new acquisi- his trainer’s thoughts. Dutrow watched tions (see Big Brown). her determined win in the Grade III and “Basically when I get a new horse I was impressed. hope we can keep them going forward “Paulie had seen the race and was all without having to make any major ad- over it and so he told me about her.” justments. You hope to push the right Dutrow said. “I went looking into it, buttons and have clear sailing,” Dutrow saw her win that race and liked what I said. “When that’s not the case we just saw. He went ahead and bought her and keep adjusting and trying to find the we’ve just tried to keep a good thing go- right ones to get the horse going in the ing.” right direction. This filly came in the They try to build on that mindset to- right way and we just continued on day when Mary’s Follies starts as one with her basic training. She’s been very of the choices in a contentious renewal low maintenance since we got her and of the Grade II Lake Placid Stakes for that’s helped out a lot. We haven’t had 3-year-old fillies. Run at 9 furlongs on to do much at all with her.” the Mellon Turf, the $150,000 race Dutrow earmarked the Spa’s Lake lured eight well-matched runners who George July 31 as Mary’s Follies’ first look to emerge as the leaders of a mud- start in his care but heavy rains hit town dled division. and knocked the race off the turf while Mary’s Follies was a relative unknown rendering the main track sloppy. He when she won the Boiling Springs in the started his filly anyway and Mary’s Fol- care of trainer John Forbes. The daugh- lies ran well to finish second to the ac- ter of More Than Ready had won two complished dirt runner Be Fair. Dutrow of five career starts but had never start- was hardly disappointed, but admits Connie Bush ed on turf prior to her half-length score. See LAKE PLACID page 6 Mary’s Follies goes for Rick Dutrow in the Lake Placid this afternoon. 4 Friday, August 21, 2009 Friday, August 21, 2009 5 Lake Placid – Continued from page 4 he’s concerned about the quick turn- around.