Ready's Image takes the 2007 edition of the Sanford Stakes

Sanford Stakes (Grade 2)

#1 Officer Ipod- First out winner from the barn of Anthony Dutrow. He won in wire-to-wire fashion in a time of :59 for five furlongs. The son of Officer will retain the services of Ramon Dominguez. I am a big fan of Dominguez, so that is a plus for me. There is no telling what type this one is, but he is going to have to adopt a new running style, or he will get burned up on the front end.

#2 Dagnabit- Undefeated winner of the Tremont is the lone stakes winner in the field. He should lay off the early pace, and make a move towards the top of the stretch. I’m not too impressed with his speed figures. I would definitely use him second and third, but I’m not sure if I would use him on top.

#3 Desert Party- This son of Street Cry is a $2.1 million purchase, owned by the famed Darley Stable. He was much the best first time out, earning an ESF of 93. He will have Edgar Prado in the irons for this one, and should be in the thick of it.

#4 Notonthesamepage- This colt is faaaaaast. He broke the Churchill Downs track record last out going 4 ½ furlongs, while earning an ESF of 107. Wesley Ward has him working like a machine. I’m kind of surprised to see Elvis Trujillo up, but he  is capable. If this colt runs back to his last race its all over but the crying. You have to use this colt in all spots.

#5 Bullion Cache- Todd Pletcher and John Velazquez will hook up for this colt. Johnny is going to have to rate this guy, because Notonthesamepage will burn him up if he tries to go with him. These are two-year-olds and anything can happen, but I don’t see it happening for this son of Seeking The Gold.

#6 Vineyard Haven- Earned a very hefty ESF of 98 en route to a first time win at Calder. After that impressive win he was purchased by Bobby Frankel. That says something to me, and it should to you too. Frankel is one of the best trainers in the game and if he thought enough of this colt to purchase him, he is in with a shot. He is one of many with a chance to take this one.

#7 Phosphorescent- Robby Alborado and Dale Romans will hook up for this colt. He is the only colt in the race with a win at 6 furlongs and he took that race from the 9 hole. I like his running style and he should he in the race late. I’ll be throwing him in my exotic tickets.

1st- Notonthesamepage
2nd- Vineyard Haven
3rd-Desert Party

Plays:
$1 Trifecta (4,6/3,4,6,7/2,3,4,6,7)

Ready's Image takes the 2007 edition of the Sanford Stakes

Sanford Stakes (Grade 2)

#1 Officer Ipod- First out winner from the barn of Anthony Dutrow. He won in wire-to-wire fashion in a time of :59 for five furlongs. The son of Officer will retain the services of Ramon Dominguez. I am a big fan of Dominguez, so that is a plus for me. There is no telling what type this one is, but he is going to have to adopt a new running style, or he will get burned up on the front end.

#2 Dagnabit- Undefeated winner of the Tremont is the lone stakes winner in the field. He should lay off the early pace, and make a move towards the top of the stretch. I’m not too impressed with his speed figures. I would definitely use him second and third, but I’m not sure if I would use him on top.

#3 Desert Party- This son of Street Cry is a $2.1 million purchase, owned by the famed Darley Stable. He was much the best first time out, earning an ESF of 93. He will have Edgar Prado in the irons for this one, and should be in the thick of it.

#4 Notonthesamepage- This colt is faaaaaast. He broke the Churchill Downs track record last out going 4 ½ furlongs, while earning an ESF of 107. Wesley Ward has him working like a machine. I’m kind of surprised to see Elvis Trujillo up, but he  is capable. If this colt runs back to his last race its all over but the crying. You have to use this colt in all spots.

#5 Bullion Cache- Todd Pletcher and John Velazquez will hook up for this colt. Johnny is going to have to rate this guy, because Notonthesamepage will burn him up if he tries to go with him. These are two-year-olds and anything can happen, but I don’t see it happening for this son of Seeking The Gold.

#6 Vineyard Haven- Earned a very hefty ESF of 98 en route to a first time win at Calder. After that impressive win he was purchased by Bobby Frankel. That says something to me, and it should to you too. Frankel is one of the best trainers in the game and if he thought enough of this colt to purchase him, he is in with a shot. He is one of many with a chance to take this one.

#7 Phosphorescent- Robby Alborado and Dale Romans will hook up for this colt. He is the only colt in the race with a win at 6 furlongs and he took that race from the 9 hole. I like his running style and he should he in the race late. I’ll be throwing him in my exotic tickets.

1st- Notonthesamepage
2nd- Vineyard Haven
3rd-Desert Party

Plays:
$1 Trifecta (4,6/3,4,6,7/2,3,4,6,7)

Santa Anita Handicap winner Heatseeker has been retired due to injuring the medial branch of the suspensory ligament in his left foreleg. Heatseeker would require atleast 6 months off if they had decided to keep him in training. This saddening news comes just days after Heatseeker was unexpectedly scratched from the Hollywood Gold Cup. Heatseeker would’ve been one of the top choices in this years Breeders Cup Classic.

“We are extremely disappointed as we had our sights set on the $5-million Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I), where we figured to be one of the favorites based on Heatseeker’s dominance of his division this year,” said owner William de Burgh. “I am very grateful to Jerry and his stable team. We all had a lot of fun with Heatseeker, and I know it is a huge disappointment to them as well. Horses like him do not come around very often.” Courtesy of Blood-Horse.com

Heatseeker showed he was getting better every start by winning the Grade 2 Californian last time out. In a race that lacked pace, he voluntarily placed himself close to the pace, before drawing off in an emphatic victory. His retirement comes as a shock to everyone. In an older male division which already lacked depth, Heatseeker was one of the few bright spots. He was fun to watch, and I’m sure he will be remembered for his accomplishments on the track.

Skip Away captures the Breeders Cup Classic in 1997.

Skip Away is one of the first horses I can recall watching or hearing about as a young child. Admittedly, I can recall little about him, so I decided to make a post about his awe inspiring career. Let’s take a look back to the 90s at one of the best horses to race in that decade.

Sired by Skip Trial, Skip Away was foaled on April 4,1993. Skip Trial earned $1,837,451 throughout his career while winning 9 Graded Stakes, including 3 Grade 1’s. His best victory came as a three-year-old in the Haskell Invitational. As a sire, Skip Away is far and away his best progeny. Other successful progeny include Grade 2 winner Federal Trial, and millionaire Best of the Rest. Skip Away’s dam is Ingot Way. She was sired by Diplomat Way and earned $66,149 while capturing two minor stakes in her career. Skip Away was far and away her best progeny. She also produced a colt named Seeking The Way, by Seeking The Gold that went on to win $471,650.

Born a beautiful gray colt, Skip Away was foaled in Florida. He was purchased by Hubert “Sonny” Hine for his wife, Caroline. She wanted a gray colt because vision problems made it difficult for her to view horses of other colors on the track. They purchased him for the relatively small amount of $22,500 as a yearling.

As a two-year-old, Skip Away won only a single race from six starts. He did flash some signs of future greatness by placing in the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes. His first stakes victory would come as a three-year-old in the Grade 1 Bluegrass Stakes. He won in grand fashion, smashing the field by 6 lengths and setting a new track record of 1:47.20 for the 1 1/8 distance over the wet fast track.

Just as many colts before him Skip Away went into the Kentucky Derby with much hype. He would finish the race far back and without an excuse. He would press on to the Preakness, and a respectable second place finish to Louis Quatorze. Although Skip Away crushed Louis Quatorze in the Blue Grass, he couldn’t catch him this time, as Louis Quatorze would set a new track record. Skip Away would also finish second in the Belmont Stakes after a daring stretch duel with Editor’s Note.

After the Triple Crown races concluded, Skip Away’s connections opted for the Haskell Invitational, a race which his sire had been victorious in. He would take that race and continue forward to the Jockey Club Gold Cup for a rematch with Louis Quatorze, Editor’s Note, and Horse of the Year, Cigar.

Cigar was sent off the heavy 1/5 favorite. Skip Away took the lead as they turned for home, while Louis Quatorze who had relinquished the lead was fading. Jerry Bailey had Cigar fully extended for the drive home in third. Skip Away’s lead slowly diminished as they hit the wire, and he just barely beat Cigar to the finish.

Trouble wasn’t far away for Skip Away. After two inexplicable defeats in the Philip H. Iselin Breeder’s Cup Handicap, and the Woodward Stakes jockey Shane Sellers was replaced by Jerry Bailey. With Bailey in the irons, Skip Away would adopt a front running style and win 9 consecutive races. Under another new jockey, Mike Smith, Skip Away would leave his greatest mark on racing.

Jerry Bailey wasn’t able to ride Skip Away in the 1997 Breeders Cup Classic, due to an obligation to ride another horse. Due to this, Mike Smith was given the mount. Facing the likes of Deputy Commander and Touch Gold, Skip Away would crush the competition in the Breeders Cup Classic. Unchallenged throughout, he would go on to win by 6 lengths and set a track and race record time of 1:59.16 for the 1 ¼ distance.

Skip Away would race a five-year-old claiming victory in five Grade 1’s, including the Hollywood Gold Cup, Pimlico Special, and Woodward Stakes. He was retired after his loss in the 1998 Breeders Cup Classic. Skip Away ended his career with $9,616,360 in earnings. He was named Champion Three-Year-Old in 1996, Champion Older Male Horse in 1997 and 1998, and Horse of the Year in 1998. He concluded his career with a race record of 38: 18-10-6.

As a sire Skip Away has had a fair amount of success. His most successful progeny is Crystal Violet, who was raced in Japan. In 2001, Gulfstream Park honored Skip Away by changing the name of the Broward Handicap, to the Skip Away Handicap. Skip Away has left a lasting mark on horse racing. Not only was he one of the best horses of his generation, Skip Away is one of the last great horses to race through their five-year-old campaign. Racing needs more horses like Skip Away.