Tag: Racing

Tamaroak Partners' classy 5-year-old homebred Bango kicked clear to a 4 ½-length victory in Friday's featured ninth race to become just the 12th documented horse in Churchill Downs' modern history to win at least eight races at the historic Louisville track.

Ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, Bango won the 6 ½-furlong allowance-optional claiming event in 1:15.36 on fast track. He returned $9.76.

Trained by Greg Foley, Bango is tied with Athenium, Bet On Sunshine, Canela, Crown Lease, Lord Rusty, Maxxed, and Paden, who all recorded eight wins at Churchill Downs. Barrister Siv, Can'tholdmeback and Herreno all have nine wins, but all trail leader Ready's Rocket, who recorded 11 victories from 2008-2012.

“As long as he stays happy and sound we'll have a shot at the record,” Foley said. “This should set him up well for the (Nov. 13) Bet On Sunshine.

“It's pretty neat to have a horse like this in our barn who has won so many races at our home track. He's won some pretty tough races here, too: back-to-back wins in the Aristides and some tough allowance races. He's a really neat horse.”

Bango scored his first victory in a maiden special weight contest on Nov. 2, 2019 at Churchill Downs. Since that race he's achieved victories in the 2021 and 2022 Aristides Stakes, 2021 Kelly's Landing, and four allowance contests. Overall, he has a 10-1-2 record from 26 career starts and $768,915 in purse earnings.

A son of Congrats, Bango is a product of owners Fred and Debbie Schwartz's, talented broodmare band.

Bango's dam, the Smart Strike mare Josaka, also was campaigned by Foley.

The Schwartz family has been a longtime client of Foley. Along with their Tamaroak Partners', they are also a part of Lloyd Madison Farm, who has campaigned stars such as Champali and Sconsin.

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The leaves are starting to turn in upstate New York and with that comes the time for Steve Asmussen's runners to depart Saratoga Race Course for all points south for autumn stakes engagements.

The group of Asmussen runners that enjoyed an extended stay in Saratoga includes Peter Blum's homebred Society, one of the contenders for Saturday's Grade 1, $1 million Cotillion Stakes at Parx Racing. The 3-year-old daughter of Gun Runner arrived in the Philadelphia area Thursday and settled into the Parx stable area before taking on eight others in the 1 1/16-mile Cotillion.

“It was an easy ship, like three hours,” said assistant trainer Sarah Campion, who made the trip after overseeing the filly in Saratoga with Asmussen's lead assistant Scott Blasi. “She's settled in really well, tack walked today and seems very happy.”

Society, 8-1 on the morning line for the Cotillion off a blowout win in the Grade 3 Charles Town Oaks in late August, drew the outside post Saturday. Florent Geroux takes the mount for the first time on Society, who is 4-for-5 in her career with the lone defeat a troubled fourth behind Nest and Cotillion favorite Secret Oath in the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga.

The CCA Oaks was Society's lone start at Saratoga, but she trained there through the summer with the likes of champions Jackie's Warrior and Echo Zulu, Travers winner Epicenter, Grade 1 winners Gunite and Clairiere, graded stakes winner Wicked Halo and stakes winner Gulfport.

Society breezed twice on Saratoga's Oklahoma Training Track between her 6 3/4-length win in the 7-furlong Charles Town Oaks and the Cotillion.

“She's doing really well,” Campion said. “We kept half a barn up there. The weather was really nice, the track was great. A lot of times, you're like one of five out there.”

Asmusssen, North America's all-time leading trainer by victories and a member of the Hall of Fame, won last year's Cotillion with Clairiere. He won the race three other times – Midnight Bisou (2018), Untapable (2014) and My Miss Aurelia (2012).

“She's a nice filly. She's fast. I like her chances,” Campion said. “She won going a mile and a sixteenth at Churchill and that Charles Town race was perfect for her. She loved that. She's really sensible and I think Florent should get along with her pretty well. There are some good fillies to contend with.”

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Saturday's Ashley T. Cole field is bolstered by a fan-favorite New York-bred in Three Diamonds Farm's Cross Border, who makes his first start for trainer Keri Brion. The 8-year-old English Channel gelding's claim to fame is securing back-to-back wins in the Grade 2 Bowling Green at Saratoga in 2020-21.

Cross Border brags field high earnings of $1,171,479 through a 44-11-8-5 record, but has been unplaced in five starts this season, three of which came against graded stakes company. He will seek his first triumph since December, when capturing the Prairie Bayou over the all-weather surface at Turfway Park.

Brion, who conditioned last year's Champion Steeplechaser The Mean Queen, said Cross Broder will make the transition over the jumps following Saturday's race.

“He came to me to make him a steeplechase horse. I took him after the Sword Dancer when I was up there with my jumpers,” Brion said. “We brought him back to Fair Hill and there was this race, so it seemed like a logical spot. He's taken to the jumping great, but horses can do both steeplechase and flat racing. His hurdle debut will be pushed back to later this fall and we're going to take a shot here with him. Any time you get a million-dollar earner in your barn, it's exciting.”

Brion said Cross Border could return to the Spa next year as a jumper.

“Hopefully, he can go back to Saratoga next year over hurdles,” Brion said. “He really loves the jumping. Even in general, he seems a lot more eager to train and do things. He's 8-years-old and has been doing the same thing his whole life, so it might just be enough to really spark him up again. He's doing great, he's a class old horse.”

Cross Border was bred in the Empire State by Berkshire Stud and B.D. Gibbs and is out of the Empire Maker mare Empress Josephine.

Jose Ortiz, aboard for two of his stakes victories, will reunite with Cross Border from post 4. Saturday's 35th running of the $125,000 Ashley T. Cole is for New York-breds 3-years-olds and upward going nine furlongs on the outer turf at the Belmont at the Big A fall meet.

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Headlined by the New Mexico State Fair Quarter Horse Futurity with a record purse of $625,689, the Downs at Albuquerque will pay out a track record total of $2,201,440.29 in 10 races this Sunday afternoon.

The track's owner Paul Blanchard and President of Racing Donnie Cook told TRACK Magazine Monday afternoon that the $625,689 for the futurity is not only the richest race ever run in the 84-year history of New Mexico's oldest racing plant, it is also the richest race ever run anywhere for accredited New Mexico-bred horses.

“This is a very exciting time for all horsemen in New Mexico,” said Blanchard. “To have this race with a $626,000 purse and then the Championship
with a $300,000 purse is a real testament to the strength of the horse business in New Mexico and the entire nation.

“The strength of the business is shown by the quality of the fields. We not only have the defending World Champion Danjer in the Championship
and we have a strong field for the New Mexico State Fair Futurity, but we also have quality fields in all 10 races.

“The recent New Mexico-Bred sale at Ruidoso showed a 43 percent increase in prices and that as much as anything shows the overall strength of the horse business in New Mexico. There is no doubt that the enhancement of the New Mexico State Fair Futurity had a lot to do with the success of that sale. And the positive effects of that sale and the size of the futurity should lead to a good breeding season in 2023.”

The leading money earner in the $330,000 New Mexico State Fair Thoroughbred Futurity is Storm Leader $154,000, who won the Rio Grande Senor Futurity and the Mountain Top Futurity this summer at Ruidoso. Also in this race is Better Believe $108,000, who won the Rio Grande Senorita Futurity.

The New Mexico State Fair Quarter Horse Futurity includes horses that this summer ran in the finals of the Zia Futurity and the Mountain Top Futurity, the two richest New Mexico-bred races at Ruidoso this past summer.

Talbott was the fastest qualifier of the 105 horses in the Sept. 9 trials for the $626,000 New Mexico State Fair Quarter Horse Futurity, and he has drawn the outside post position for Sunday's rich race. Among the horses that Talbott will face are Wood Dee Queen, Flashtoglory and Codex, all of which won their trials by daylight.

Danjer, the $1.7 Million earner who is the AQHA defending World Champion, certainly should be the favorite in the $300,000 The Downs at Albuquerque Fall Championship at 440 yards. Danjer won this race in 2020 and won the AQHA Challenge Championship G1 here last year.

Two-time World Champion Jessies First Down won this race in 2017 and 2018.

“The Fall Championship has turned out to be everything that we hoped it would be,” Blanchard said. “It is a true Championship race that everybody wants to win.

“We're excited about this weekend. We have tested blood, hair, and urine. And we'll be testing more both before and after the races. And we are going to expand our testing in 2023 to include a new broad spectrum program. We must do everything we can to keep racing as clean as possible.”

Blanchard said with the large number of horses currently eligible for the 2023 New Mexico State Fair Futurity that the race should easily reach it's $1,000,000 goal. Cook told TRACK Magazine that Albuquerque is working with the New Mexico Horse Breeders Association and it appears that the New Mexico State Fair Derby will have a record $600,000 purse in 2023.

“I hope that everyone can be here Sunday for our big day. And if you can't be here in person, you can see it on The Cowboy Channel. It's going to be fun!”

Here are the races that will be run Sunday with the first post being at 1:30 p.m. MDT.

Race 1: 400-yard allowance, purse $37,700. For registered New Mexico-bred fillies and mares three years old and older which have not won a race since March 25 or which have never won four races.

Race 2: 5 furlongs, purse $30,500. For registered New Mexico-bred maidens, 2-year-olds.

Race 3: 5-1/2 furlongs, purse $30,500. For registered New Mexico-bred maidens, fillies, 2-year-olds.

Race 4: New Mexico State Fair Thoroughbred Futurity. 6 furlongs, purse $329,947. For registered New Mexico-bred 2-year-olds who qualified for finals.

Race 5: New Mexico State Fair Juvenile Stakes. 400 yards, purse $100,000-guaranteed. For 2-year-old registered New Mexico-bred Quarter Horses that started in the New Mexico State Fair Futurity Trials and failed to qualify for the finals.

Race 6: The Downs at Albuquerque La Fiesta Derby. 400 yards, purse $173,907. For 3-year-olds which qualified for The Downs at Albuquerque La Fiesta Derby finals.

Race 7: New Mexico State Fair Quarter Horse Derby. 400 yards, purse $287,844. For 3-year-old Registered New Mexico-bred Quarter Horses which qualified for the New Mexico State Fair Quarter Horse Derby finals.

Race 8: The Downs at Albuquerque La Fiesta Futurity. 400 yards, purse $285,352. For 2-year-olds which qualified for The Downs at Albuquerque La Fiesta Futurity finals.

Race 9: New Mexico State Fair Quarter Horse Futurity RG2. 400 yards, purse $625,589. For 2-year-old Registered New Mexico-bred Quarter Horses which qualified for the New Mexico State Fair Quarter Horse Futurity finals.

Race 10: The Downs at Albuquerque Fall Quarter Horse Championship G1. 440 yards, purse $300,000-guaranteed. Three-year-olds and older.

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