Tag: trainer milestones

Tampa Bay Downs: Trainer Michael Wright Runs Consecutive Win Streak To Six

Gina Wright had a dream last Friday night. Her husband, trainer Michael Wright, was standing in the Tampa Bay Downs winner's circle after capturing his sixth consecutive victory at the Oldsmar, Fla., track.

Entering Saturday's $50,000 Wayward Lass Stakes, that scenario seemed like a pipe dream to most observers. The conditioner had entered the 7-year-old Colebrook Farms mare Nantucket Red, who would go off at odds of 15-1. Her surprising three-length victory under jockey Olaf Hernandez brought Gina's dream a step closer to reality, and Hernandez made it happen in Sunday's third race with a cagey ride aboard 11-10 favorite More Chances.

The 5-year-old gelding, who was breaking his maiden in his 14th start, is owned by Wright's assistant, Mike Dunslow, who claimed More Chances for $5,000 from his previous start on Nov. 12 at Woodbine in Toronto.

“When you put them in the right race, that's all that matters,” Wright said. “That's what you told me years ago,” Dunslow agreed. “Don't put them in over their heads.”

Now, Wright – perhaps best known as the trainer of Scotzanna, who won a pair of Sovereign Awards in 1995 as Canada's Champion Sprinter and Champion 3-Year-Old Filly – is chasing some serious Oldsmar oval history. In 1977, trainer E.T. Clark won with nine consecutive starters, when the track was known as Florida Downs, from Jan. 28-Feb. 4. Wright will try for seven in a row in Wednesday's eighth race with 6-year-old gelding Victor's Destiny, also owned by Dunslow. Hernandez will be aboard.

Besides being a Thoroughbred owner, Gina Wright is a nurse who often works nights, and was unable to attend the races Saturday. That's OK, now, as long as she keeps getting her dream-inducing slumber.

Hernandez engineered dream trips in both weekend victories for Wright's charges. “He did a great job. He's a hard worker and he's at the barn every morning,” Wright said.

The Wright barn is a fun place to be a part of, made more so by the current winning streak. “He (Wright) is the warden and I'm the assistant warden,” Dunslow said.

And for now, they are taking no prisoners.

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Zero Tolerance Outlasts Fast-Closing Tapwater In Las Cienegas

Zero Tolerance stalked favored Hear My Prayer to the top of the lane en route to a hard fought head victory over late-closing Tapwater in Sunday's Grade 3, $100,000 Las Cienegas Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., thus providing trainer Ruben Alvarado with his first career stakes win. Ridden by Flavien Prat, Zero Tolerance, a 4-year-old grey daughter of Mizzen Mast, got about 6 ½ furlongs down the hillside turf course in 1:13.26.

Drawn on the far outside, Zero Tolerance fell into a perfect trip as speedy Hear My Prayer went to the lead, maintaining a one-length advantage past the half mile pole, but the winner gained the advantage at the dirt crossing at the top of the stretch and was all out to hold off the runner-up.

“Unbelievable, I don't have the words to say,” said Alvarado, a longtime assistant to Peter Miller, who has taken a hiatus from training, handing over his stable to Alvarado.  “I remember I had this moment when Roy H won the Breeders' Cup (Sprint, in 2017 and 2018).  That was a moment I would never forget…

“That's her (Zero Tolerance), I knew she could run.  She's a horse that can come off the pace or be on the lead. … She loves six and a half, so I knew she was going to run huge for me. She was a little fresh, so that was what we expected from her.”

A winner of a five-furlong turf allowance at Del Mar on Nov. 20, Zero Tolerance was off as the second choice at 2-1 in a field of seven older fillies and mares and paid $6.00, $3.80 and $2.60.

Owned by Custom Truck Accessories, Jason Hall, Joe Kelly and Michael Riordan, Zero Tolerance, who is out of the El Prado mare Torreadora was a winner of Santa Anita's ungraded Unzip Me Stakes two starts back on Oct. 3 and she is now a two-time stakes winner with four wins from six overall starts.  With the winner's share of $60,000, she increased her earnings to $215,000.

“She was traveling super relaxed and it does help to have a target, I think it helped her to relax,” said Prat, who although he didn't ride her in her most recent start, has now won three of his four engagements with her. “She can be a little on her toes sometimes, but she was relaxing well today and when it was time to make a move, she responded well.”

Ridden by Joe Bravo, Tapwater was unhurried from her rail post position, running next to last after the first quarter mile. In her first try down the hillside, the 6-year-old mare, who was shortening up out of a series of two turn races, rallied impressively while trying to drift in and just missed. Off at 10-1 Tapwater paid $10.00 and $5.00 while finishing 1 ½ lengths better than a tiring Hear My Prayer.

The 8-5 favorite with Juan Hernandez, Hear My Prayer paid $2.40 to show.

With the win, Prat notched his third on the day and he went to get his fourth victory of the afternoon in the next race, making 21 for the meet, four better than runner-up John Velazquez. The Las Cienegas also marked Prat's meet-leading sixth stakes win as well.

Fractions on the race were 21.99, 44.16 and 1:06.92.

Racing resumes with a special four-day holiday week on Friday, with first post time for an eight-race card at 12:30 p.m.

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Trainer Lindsay Schultz Captures Glory At Oaklawn With First Career Winner

Trainer Lindsay Schultz saddled her first winner on Saturday at Oaklawn in Hot Springs, Ark., when Ten Strike Racing's Capture the Glory went wire to wire to score by 3 1/4 lengths under jockey Francisco Arrieta in a $10,000 claiming race.

Capture the Glory was the 10th starter for Schultz, including two starts in 2017 for Ten Strike.

Schultz, 33, grew up in Connecticut and rode hunter/jumpers, then attended the University of Louisville's Equine Business School, graduating in 2010. Among her classmates at Louisville were future trainers Jason Barkley, Will VanMeter and Bentley Combs and bloodstock agent Liz Crow.

Following college, Schultz was accepted in Darley's two-year Flying Start program and learned many facets of the horse industry while traveling the world. Since completing that porgram, Schultz worked as assistant trainer for Tom Proctor and Shug McGaughey. She also managed Glen Hill Farm in Florida.

With the encouragement of Ten Strike Racing's Marshall Gramm, Schultz began putting a stable together last fall and had six starts in November and December and one runner prior in 2022 prior to Saturday's breakthrough win.

 

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Asmussen Gobbles Up Five Thanksgiving Day Wins At Churchill Downs

Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen found another way into the record books.

Asmussen, the 56-year-old who collected win No. 9,446 on Aug. 7 at Saratoga to become North America's all-time win-leader among trainers, saddled what is believed to be a record five winners on a single card at Churchill Downs on Thanksgiving Day.in Louisville, Ky.

Records prior to 1991 are incomplete and no trainer had ever won more than four races in a day at the Louisville track since then. There have been eight four-win days since 1991 including five by Asmussen: Asmussen (July 4, 2004), Todd Pletcher (May 5, 2006), Asmussen (June 16, 2007), Asmussen (July 7, 2007), Kenny McPeek (Oct. 26. 2008), Mike Maker (June 2, 2013), Asmussen (May 4, 2019) and Asmussen (June 27, 2020).

On Thursday, Asmussen won with Generator ($5.60), Front Street ($2.80), Regal Retort ($6.60), Treaty of Paris ($21) and All in Sync ($5.80). He had a chance to add to his record in Race 10 but Dr. Jack finished sixth as the 2-1 favorite.

Asmussen, who is atop the Fall Meet trainer standings with 18 wins, is Churchill Downs' all-time win-leader with 819 victories and he is poised to collect his record-extending 25th Churchill Downs training title when the 21-day meet concludes Sunday.

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